BDO chief named MAP’s ‘Management Man of the year’
Veteran banker Nestor Tan, who led BDO Unibank’s transformation from a niche player to the country’s biggest and most valuable bank, was chosen by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) as 2019 “Management Man of the Year.”
This award is bestowed by MAP on individuals in the business community or in the government for attaining unquestioned distinction in the practice of management and for contributing to the country’s progress.
In a statement on Tuesday, MAP said Tan was chosen for steering BDO to a bank that was “consistently ranked by the global financial community as among the best-managed banks in the Philippines.”
Likewise cited was his “leadership role in the substantial contributions of the BDO Group to national development through job creation and income generation.”
MAP lauded the 61-year-old banker for transforming BDO into a full-service universal bank with subsidiaries in leasing, trust, stock brokerage, private banking, rural banking and insurance, among others.
Tan—who became BDO president in 1998 and chief executive officer since 2014—was also credited for the following: long-term development of a financial-literate citizenry by promoting financial inclusion; for choosing to apply his international experience toward the development of the local banking industry and ensuring that Filipinos receive efficient banking and financial services and for preparing a road map for the development of banking and the capital market in the future as president of the Bankers Association of the Philippines.
The conferment of the MAP award follows a thorough, stringent selection process. The criteria include integrity, leadership and management qualities; contribution to nation building and values formation, and effective stewardship within the confines of the highest standard of business and management practice.
Tan holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the De La Salle University and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
