In a press conference held last January 25, Athena introduced to the media its newly-opened office in Quezon City, announcing its upcoming plans for regional expansion, infrastructure investments in the Philippines and collaboration with Woolf University.
Present during the event were Athena’s executives, Chief Operations Officer Kandy White, Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Alcachupas, Chief Learning Officer Elliot Gattegno and vice president of Capital Investments David Ford.
“The Philippines has consistently been our largest source of executive talent, which made Manila the clear choice for our newest hub,” said Kandy White, Chief Operations Officer.
Founded in 2020, Athena is a remote-first company offering a digital platform and services to recruit and train Executive Partners (EP) for their global clients from 70 different industries based in United States, Australia, Singapore and South America.
As a growing pioneer in the executive support industry, Athena’s expansion in the Philippines is foreseen to bring forth advancement, in terms of quality of remote work and caliber of executive partners sought after by global companies.
In line with its expansion plans, Athena also announced its upcoming Metis College MBA Program, a strategic partnership with Woolf University, which aims to deliver globally accredited, world-class education to its students.
Joining forces with University of Oxford, it will be the first globally recognized MBA in the Philippine industry, with its faculty based in Manila.
“Our Executive Partners (XPs) handle complex tasks such as investment research, government compliance, and lead generation for CEOs and founders worldwide — this level of business education is essential for that role. This MBA program, valued at $50,000 per employee, gives our team access to certification and faculty-led courses to sharpen their business acumen,” said Eliot Gattegno, Chief Learning Officer at Athena.
The program will feature 13 courses over 18 months and will be fully online to allow flexible learning. Tuition fees are free for Athena employees, regardless of their position and tenure.
The new site also has designated learning areas to accommodate for the Metis College students and faculty.
Backed by Khesla Ventures and Valor Equity Ventures, Athena plans to double its global workforce by the end of 2025.
Ascension
Invited people from the media and private sectors also had the chance to tour around Ascension, Athena’s first permanent site in the Philippines.
Ascension is a four-storey building furnished with state-of-the-art facilities with a modern, minimalist design to cater its clients and Executive Partners in the Philippines. From well-equipped training and learning rooms to boost productivity, to wellness-focused provisions and amenities such as the gym and for its employees, Ascension reflects Athena’s main goal: for their XPs to win at work, at life, and everywhere in between.
Ascension is expected to be fully operational by the end of February. Athena also intends to open another local training and collaboration facility in Cebu by the second quarter of this year.
Pantheon Week
Athena also recently celebrated its Pantheon Week, a three-day culmination of celebration, learning and collaboration at the Marriott Hotel and Enchanted Kingdom. It featured nine masterclasses over the course of three days and was attended by over 1,200 talents from all over the world.
