What they want for Christmas…
CEOs like (from left) Witschard, Gozon and Consunji want gifts, too.
Money can’t buy love, but it can buy a bit of happiness, especially on Christmas Day.
In this second and final installment, we asked more top executives about what they want to receive on this special day as a reward for being more nice than naughty in 2016.
Isidro Consunji
President
DMCI Holdings Inc.
Books about management and business, those from Peter Drucker are my favorite. He’s a big influence. But I also want books from more recent authors. I’m particularly interested in books about competition in the digital age, innovation and emerging business trends.
Felipe L. Gozon
Chairman and CEO
GMA Network
What I want to receive this Christmas season—as I had always wanted in the past—are the continued love, affection, respect and cooperation from my family, my friends, my colleagues and from the people I deal with.
Ace Itchon
President and CEO
Aspen Phils. Inc.
What I want to receive for Christmas is a donation to finance the expansion of the current one-lane-only bridge connecting the barangay where I was born and raised in Malolos, Bulacan. This almost 50-year-old, very narrow bridge poses a high risk for residents of Barangay Balayong during high tide and when there are floods.
Frank Reichenbach
General Manager
Marco Polo Ortigas Manila
I would love to fly to my home country, Switzerland, to spend Christmas with my Mom, who just celebrated her 87th birthday. I would also love to ski on the longest slope in Zermatt with my son, Francis.
Pacita U. Juan
Chair, Womens Business Council
Founder, ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle
A coffee farm in Africa because it’s the birthplace of coffee anyway—Ethiopia. But anywhere like Tanzania or Kenya would also be fine. A vineyard in Chile is also on my wish list. The wines of Chile are good and everywhere you drink it in Chile, it is good. They save enough good wines for local consumption. They do not export all the good stuff.
Marife Zamora
Chair
Convergys Corp.
They say the littlest feet make the biggest footprints in our heart. My Christmas wish is for my 4-year-old grandson, Ayrton. He is crazy about basketball and a staunch fan of Gilas Pilipinas players. He wants to meet Andray Blatche, Terrence Romeo and Marc Pingris. Blatche is in China, so Santa will just find a way for him to meet the other two who are in town.
Sheree Gotuaco
CEO
Freeway
Ang
There are some books that were highly recommended in some of the articles that I’ve read. I ordered this from Amazon, but haven’t read it yet—“Creativity: The Psychology and Invention.” I am a very creative person and I am interested to know more about this field, like how much of it is instinctual and intuitive, and how much of it can be achieved by practice and exposure.
John Concepcion
CEO
RFM Selecta
There is nothing material I want for Christmas. At this point in my life, I want intangible things that are far more important than any store bought item. Good health for my family and myself, and peace in our country. But most of all, what I want for Christmas is more time. There are never enough hours in a day. Every businessman knows this. I want more time to spend with my family making memories. I’d also like more time to create the businesses I dream of.
Felix Ang
CEO
Cats Motors Inc.
If I were to wish for a Christmas gift, I’ve always wanted to have one of those luxury cigars like the Cohiba. I love and enjoy cigars, they help me feel relaxed during my quiet time. Having a good cigar and a drink with your buddies would be just great and enjoyable.
Dino Mañosa
CEO
Manosa Properties Inc.
A MontBlanc Meisterstuck fountain pen or sign pen, because I’m a note taker by nature and I have so many things to sign on any given day. I like to collect pens, but don’t particularly want to spend a huge amount on them, so a great pen is always a welcome gift.
Daisy Yunam Go
President
Wrangler Philippines
I would love to get the whole collection of aromatherapy toiletries— natural soaps, scented oils, room and linen sprays. After a long day at the corporate jungle, I always look forward to coming home to something very soothing and relaxing. Nothing beats taking a warm shower with honey almond soap and catching a whiff of that lavender on my sheets that can send me to dreamland in no time. I wake up fresh and ready to battle another long day at work.
Annica Witschard
CEO
Home Credit Philippines
Since arriving in the Philippines earlier this year, I’ve always wanted to see more of the country, so a nice trip with my family would be the perfect present. I’ve heard amazing things about El Nido and Banaue Rice Terraces, so those are definitely on top of my list!
Antonio Moncupa Jr.
President and CEO
EastWest Bank
What I really want this Christmas is to savor the positive vibes of the season. I am not really big on gifts but I always enjoy the experience of Christmas. It is the close of the year, a time to look back at what we have done and be grateful for all the blessings. It is such fun to see most people happy. It is also family time. It’s really a great season where people connect and families get together. I see Christmas as a time to set aside the worries of work. I want Christmas to really be what it is, a time for rejoicing.
Mike Camahort
President and COO
LBC Express
A nice big sailboat. Why? I love the sea and being out there.
