Robinsons Group? JG Group? No, call them Gokongwei Group
The family of late tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. wants its diversified conglomerate called simply “Gokongwei Group” as it vowed to continue a legacy of relevant business innovations for its customers.
During the launch of the master brand on Wednesday night, timed to coincide with the anniversary kickoff of the group’s philanthropic arm, Lance Gokongwei said that when he assumed the role of JG Summit Holdings Inc. CEO in 2018, what followed was a transformation journey that affirmed the group’s “unrelenting commitment to providing value choices to our customers and creating shared success.”
“Our vision is to remain one of the leading business conglomerates in the Philippines and in the region and the values we speak about have to do with entrepreneurial mindset, integrity and stewardship,” Lance said.
The group includes flagship conglomerate JG Summit Holdings and its subsidiaries: regional consumer giant Universal Robina Corp. (URC), budget carrier Cebu Pacific, property developer Robinsons Land Corp., Robinsons Bank and JG Summit Petrochemical Corp. Through URC, the group has established a formidable footprint in Southeast Asia’s consumer market.
Outside JG Summit are Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI), Summit Media, GBF and other privately held companies of the family.
Legacy
“So … what do you call this group of people? Some people call us the Robinsons group. Some people call this the JG Group. Some people call us the Gokongwei group. Some people call this the JGS group. But there was really no common name that that we use to enumerate or mention all the wonderful businesses and talented people that we have in this collective business,” Lance said.
Brand strategy and strategic design consultancy Vitamin B Inc. helped the conglomerate come up with the master brand.
“That our name is in itself a brand which carries with it expectations to live up to, to fulfill … is something we humbly accept both as an honor and a challenge. For our name carries with it the legacy of our founder Mr. John and his siblings—a legacy of integrity and reliability, and one which my siblings, cousins and I in the third generation have been working very hard to live up to, to make lives better and … to make our forefathers proud,” Lance added.
