Company: Medical Observer
Company Description: Medical Observer Philippines was founded in 1991. It was one of the medical publishing pioneers in the country.Before 2013, Medical Observer only does publishing for doctors and other healthcare professionals, but after it opened up online, it has catered to a bigger audience and made its information available for the general public.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Executive of the Year – Business Services –10 or Less Employees

Nomination Title: Jena F. Fetalino, President of Mosman NewMedia Inc.

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

She is the founding President of Mosman Communications which publishes Medical Observer, a pioneering medical publication for Filipino doctors. At the age 28, she steered the company to leadership status in its niche, providing information on the practice of medicine to the country’s healthcare communities for over two decades.

Just two years after it was launched in 1992, Medical Observer overtook its competitors – producing thousands of customized magazines, patient-health information materials and medical/health books. It also staged a number of successful health summits.

In 2011, the magazine suffered a setback, leading to the stoppage of its printed edition. She had to retrench most of her 25 employees but managed to pay retrenchments costs and supplier arrears using her personal funds. She refused to declare bankruptcy – which could have been the easy way out of the company’s dire financial state, saying “they were our partners for 20 years”.

She also refused to sell the title, (“it is akin to a child of mine”, she says) and decided to maintain its online presence by hiring freelance writers.

In October 2013, she and her nephew, Mario Jordan Fetalino, re-launched Medical Observer as a purely digital publication using its revitalized website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as platforms. Thus, it evolved from a magazine servicing only medical professionals to one that encompasses a vast audience including patients and consumers.

In less than six months, its digital reach ballooned to a high of 3 million a week and its audience base extended to a global level.

At the moment, Medical Observer’s tweets are re-tweeted by patients, doctors, organizations, government officials, even senators.

The best part of it is that she was able to rise above the difficulties and serve a global audience with FREE health information assisted only by five full time employees plus a pool of contributing writers from as far away as Africa. Too, she has kept expenditures within limits despite Medical Observer’s global acceptance.

Currently, Medical Observer operates in a 15-square meter office – sub-leasing from another business that she runs – Poshdated – a retail company selling pre-owned luxury items.

Her mantra in running the business is quality, making sure that nothing goes to clients without the Medical Observer standard of excellence it has been known for during the past 20 years. She also inspires her staff through sheer dedication, working long hours in and out of the workplace.

It must have been such a feat that no less than a SILVER Stevie Award was granted to Medical Observer for best service company of the Year 2014, next to Philippine giant ABS-CBN and ahead of another giant, Robinson’s Land.

Hers is an entrepreneur’s story of personal triumph – as Medical Observer rose from hibernation to international recognition, charging no fees to access the website’s content, with its credo being, Health for All.

We believe that without her and her tenacity, such an achievement would have been impossible.

It is therefore with pleasure that we are nominating our President, Jena F. Fetalino to the STEVIE Awards for Women, as Entrepreneur of the Year in the category of company with less than 10 employees.

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Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 125 words):

Jena F. Fetalino is the president of Mosman NewMedia which publishes Medical Observer, an online health and medical website. She launched Medical Observer together in 1992 when she was only 28 years old.

She was born in Roblom, Philippines on March 24,1964. She grew up in Manila, took her secondary education at the University of East, Manila & finished her Bachelor of Arts Major in Asian Studies at the College of the Holy Spirit in 1985.

She is a miracle worker, having stirred Medical Observer to win a much coveted award in the Society of Publisher of Asia in 2002 and the STEVIE Silver Awards in 2014 with very limited resources.

Medical Observer serves a global audience for free about health & medicine.