MANILA -Ayala Land said on Tuesday Anna Ma.Margarita B. “Meean” Dy will be its new president and CEO, making her the property giant’s first female chief executive since it was established over three decades ago.
Her Ayala Land career spans 18 years, most recently as executive vice president. She was previously senior vice president of the developer and a member of its management committee since 2008.
Dy graduated magna cum laude from Ateneo De Manila University’s Economics Honors Program in 1990.
She received her Master’s degree in Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science in 1991 and MBA at Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1996.
In a letter sent to employees, Zobel praised her years of leadership across Ayala Land’s various business segments.
“Meean’s extensive experience encompasses pivotal leadership roles within the strategic landbank management group. She played a key role in launching critical projects in our portfolio, such as BGC, Nuvali, Vertis, and Arca South. Her journey continued as she led the residential business group and, more recently, assumed leadership over the malls, offices, and the hotels and resorts group,” he said.
“With Meean at the helm, I am confident that Ayala Land will continue to have meaningful impact in all the lives and communities we touch,” he added.
She succeeds longtime CEO Bernard Vincent O. “Bobby” Dy, who worked for the company for 26 years and oversaw a period of record growth and profits and also steered the builder through the challenges COVID-19 pandemic.
He will take on the new role as senior advisor to Ayala Land chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.
“During the pandemic years, Bobby guaranteed the health and safety of our employees, and supported our merchants, suppliers and the local communities we operated in,” Zobel said.
“He was at the forefront of our sustainability initiatives as he boldly implemented a five-year plan to achieve carbon neutrality for our commercial properties, which we achieved one year ahead of the target,” he added.
Upon her appointment as executive vice president and chief operating officer of ALI, Meean had since been included in the regular meetings of the Ayala Group Management Committee and involved in key decisions concerning the entire ecosystem.