John Gokongwei. INQUIRER file photo
John Gokongwei – a tycoon who has built an expansive business across the Asia-Pacific amid tumultuous economic and political cycles starting from the Philippine colonial area – is this year’s “M.A.P. Management Man of the Year.”
The 91-year-old Gokongwei, founder and chair emeritus of conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc., was handpicked by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) to receive this prestigious award bestowed on individuals in the business community or government for “attaining unquestioned distinction in the practice of management and for contributing to the country’s progress.”
This citation – which has only been conferred 41 times in the five-decade history of the award – follows a thorough, stringent selection process. The criteria for the award include integrity, leadership, and management qualities; contribution to nation building and values formation; effective stewardship within the confines of the highest standard of business and management practice; among others.
In a press statement on Tuesday, MAP said Gokongwei was chosen “for his business acumen and management qualities which steered the Gokongwei Group into remarkable growth through his foresight and exceptional ability to launch new ventures and transform existing ones to better adapt to challenging times and an unpredictable future.”
MAP also cited Gokongwei’s leadership role in the “substantial contributions of the Gokongwei group to national development, job creation and income generation through its huge investments in food manufacturing, real estate, air transportation, banking, petrochemicals, shopping malls, livestock farming, publications, power generation, power distribution, and telecommunications.”
The tycoon was likewise credited by MAP for the following:
– strengthening the identity of companies under the Gokongwei Group as socially responsible corporate citizens through the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s developmental and scholarship programs on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education;
– for being an entrepreneur “par excellence” and an “exemplar” of Filipino talent in management excellence for nation-building; and,
– for his contributions to shaping national values and inspiring others by his “outstanding achievements attained from humble beginnings through hard work, perseverance, frugality and discipline.”
The roster of “M.A.P. Management Man of the Year” awardees in previous years include: Washington Z. SyCip (1967), Geronimo Z. Velasco (1977), Henry A. Brimo (1978), Jose M. Soriano (1979), Cesar E.A. Virata (1981), Jaime V. Ongpin and Vicente T. Paterno (1982), Dante G. Santos (1983), Cesar A. Buenaventura and Roberto T. Villanueva (1985), Jaime Zobel de Ayala (1987), Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. (1988), Jose B. Fernandez, Jr. (1989), Raul T. Concepcion (1990), Oscar J. Hilado (1991), Alfonso T. Yuchengco (1992), Juan B. Santos (1994), David M. Consunji and Rizalino S. Navarro (1996), Gabriel C. Singson (1998), Delfin L. Lazaro and Henry Sy, Sr. (1999), Oscar M. Lopez (2000), Tony Tan Caktiong (2002), Jesus P. Tambunting (2003), Rafael B. Buenaventura (2004), Manuel V. Pangilinan (2005), George S. K. Ty and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (2006), Jose L. Cuisia Jr. (2007), Antonino T. Aquino and Jesus P. Estanislao (2009), Lilia B. de Lima and Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr. (2010), Erramon Aboitiz (2011), Aurelio R. Montinola III (2012), Edgar O. Chua (2013), Albert F. del Rosario (2014), Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. (2015) and Teresita Sy-Coson (2016).