Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by Pru Life UK and was handled by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the publishing of this piece.
“My career did not follow a straight line.”
This sounds like inspiring advice from the get-go – and even more so when you discover that this came from Haidee Plopenio, Head of Business Continuity Management at Pru Life UK.
This year, she marks her 29th year with the top insurance company, which is celebrating its 30th year anniversary.
As the head of Business Continuity Management, Plopenio says her role shouldn’t be seen as intimidating as it sounds. “My title may sound formal, but my work is really about people, preparation, and collaboration. I work with different teams to help ensure that Pru Life UK can continue serving our customers, employees, and stakeholders, even during disruptions,” she said in an interview with Rappler.
Before she landed her current role, Plopenio juggled many hats in different disciplines: technology (which taught her structure), business analysis (understanding needs), project management (collaboration and delivery risk), risk management (foresight), and eventually business continuity and resilience, which tied all these things together.
In our exclusive chat, Plopenio walks us through her journey with Pru Life UK, where we pick up career advice that can fuel anyone – even from unrelated fields. She mentioned that over time, she was given opportunities to grow across different functions, and each role helped her prepare for the work she does today.
Put power in preparation
In Plopenio’s job, delayed gratification is in motion.
“What I find most fulfilling is knowing that the work we do, although often behind the scenes, helps protect what matters most: Our customers, employees, and the trust that they place in Pru Life UK,” Plopenio said. “In business continuity, you may not always see the impact immediately, but when something happens, preparedness becomes very real.”
But preparedness goes beyond her job description. For her, protection – which is central to Pru Life UK’s service for its customers – is synonymous with preparedness.
“Protection means being ready and being present when people need you most. Protection is not only about products or processes. Earlier in my career, I may have thought of protection mainly in terms of insurance [or] insurance coverage,” she explained.
“But over time, especially through my work in business continuity and resilience, I have come to see protection more broadly. It means helping families prepare for uncertainty. It means ensuring customers can continue to rely on us during difficult moments.”
Foster a collaborative mindset
In dealing with company curveballs, Plopenio stressed the importance of bringing all hands on deck.
“I also value the collaborative culture in Pru Life UK. In crisis management and business continuity, I have seen teams from different departments come together quickly during challenging situations,” she recalled. “That shared sense of purpose and teamwork is one of the reasons I have stayed.”
Promote accessibility
“I believe Pru Life UK has helped address a very Filipino need – the desire to protect and provide for one’s family. So many Filipino families worry about illness, loss of income, education, emergencies, and even natural calamities. So these are realities we also consider in business continuity because disruptions can affect people’s ability to access important services,” she said.
“The company has also helped make insurance more understandable and accessible through its people. We have financial advisors who guide customers based on their needs, life stage, and goals.”
Find ways to reframe perspective
Let’s face it: Although more Filipinos are now aware of insurance and its significance, not a lot would treat it as an immediate necessity. Oftentimes, it gets put aside as a “next time” expense, rather than something integral to one’s everyday life.
“The more we connect insurance to real-life concerns, family, health, education, emergencies, and peace of mind, the more people see it not as an expense but as an act of care.”
Value your people – and make sure it shows
Now that Pru Life UK has crossed its 30th year, Plopenio wishes that in the next 30 years, the company remains a trusted partner for Filipino families.
“I hope the company continues to innovate, strengthen resilience, and make protection more accessible to more Filipinos. I also hope it continues to invest in its people because my own journey shows how much an organization can shape and grow its people when it provides trust, opportunity, and purpose.”
In fact, in our conversation, “people” is the word that showed up the most.
“My journey with Pru Life UK has taught me that protection is not just about policies or plans; it is about people. It is about preparing today so that families, customers, employees, and communities can face tomorrow with more confidence.”
“The first and foremost consideration in everything we do is our care for our people,” she said, highlighting the need to empower people to grow.
And with how Plopenio is warmly surrounded by different Pru Life UK employees who cheered her on – from the start until the end of our shoot and interview – I know this isn’t just lip service. You really get what you give. – Rappler.com