Mega Global’s Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan

(First of three parts)

Respect—for parents, siblings, employees, the community—drives Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan, Mega Global’s CEO.

“We were raised to believe that as children, we give back to our parents [when we can],” she says. After graduating from the University of British Columbia in 1999, she did not settle for a lucrative career overseas, but instead returned to the Philippines to help her parents manage Mega Global, the country’s foremost sardine manufacturer.

Michelle’s parents William and Marylou Tiu Lim exposed their children to various aspects of the business early on. When Michelle and her four brothers were growing up, their parents often brought them to the office after class.

Michelle was tasked to calculate figures and check documents. “I learned to audit at an early age,” she says.

“My mom used to go to Navotas fish port at night, and sometimes she brought me with her. Even if the place was very fishy, with lots of fish scattered on the floor, and lots of people, she did not mind it.”

This became a valuable lesson for Michelle, who imbibed the business not solely from theory (her commerce degree helped), but more from actual experience.

In elementary school, the young Michelle already displayed an entrepreneurial spirit, selling stationery pads to classmates at Saint Jude Catholic School, until the administration told her mother that the practice was not officially allowed.

Every Wednesday, after school, her mother brought her to Baclaran Church to pray.

“My favorite part is the shopping afterwards,” Michelle reminisces. “We would shop in the buildings near the church, and I would watch my mom negotiate with the vendors. Sometimes we would walk away and the vendor would chase us and give us what my mom asked for. This instilled in me the value of money—no matter how small the ‘tawad,’ it is still savings.” Michelle witnessed firsthand workable strategies on how to get the most out of negotiations.

William the patriarch is known for his “dikit, tutok” approach to management, which enabled the company to grow into the conglomerate it is today. His successor has to be willing to do what it takes as well, which means becoming hands-on on important matters and delegating only when necessary.

Far from being granted a cushy position at the start, Michelle learned the ropes from the ground up, mastering the processes in different departments—accounting, sales, marketing, promotions, logistics, engineering—and painstakingly worked her way up the company. Before becoming CEO, she served as vice president and then chief operating officer.

Shadowing, where potential successors closely observe what their elders do in actuality, is a secret of several successful Filipino-Chinese business families. For years, Michelle shadowed her father, sitting in on his meetings and negotiations, discerning how he reasons, cements deals, interacts with people. In this way, she learned the ins and outs of the business, including the company’s much-vaunted fast turnaround to guarantee the freshness of their products, a process dubbed “from catching to canning.”

The father-and-daughter bond is stalwart, and in March 2023, her father publicly handed over the operational reins to her, even as he remains company chair.

“Michelle has proven herself,” says William. “I see how she works, how she delivers on projects. It is time for the next generation to lead.”

From her parents came the requisite attitudes, mindset and values to run a business that employs thousands of people and gives back to the communities all over the Philippines.

“My dad is a disciplinarian. He taught us math [the patriarch was an engineering major]. He taught us that integrity is the most important value. My mom on the other hand is more liberal, which creates a balance for us. My mom is a strong woman, that is why I am also a strong woman.”

(Next week: Respect among siblings)

Queena N. Lee-Chua is with the board of directors of Ateneo’s Family Business Center. Get her book “All in the Family Business” at Lazada or Shopee, or the ebook at Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks. Contact the author at [email protected].