IAC in Philippines

Mr Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala is Chairman of Ayala Corporation, one of the largest business groups in the Philippines, with interests primarily in real estate, banking, telecommunications, and power. He also held the role of Chief Executive Office of Ayala Corporation until 23 April 2021. He is a member of various business and socio-civic organisations, including J.P. Morgan’s International Council and Asia Pacific Council, and Mitsubishi Corporation's International Advisory Council. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Asia Business Council, and a Member of the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations. He also sits on the board of Singapore Management University, and on various advisory boards of Harvard University.

On multiple occasions, Mr Zobel has been a recipient of various recognitions bestowed by the President of the Philippines for his contributions in public service. In 2017, he was recognised as a UN Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer for his work in sustainable business strategy and operations.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics (cum laude) from Harvard University in 1981, and Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1987.

Mr Jose L. Cuisia Jr. was the former Ambassador of the Republic of Philippines to the United States of America from 2011 to 2016. He has also been at the helm of several leading organisations as the former Governor of the Central Bank of the Philipines and Chairman of its Monetary Board from 1990-1993. He is  a former Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Social Security System from 1986-1990; a former Chairman of the Board of Far East Bank & Trust Co. and Union Bank of the Philippines; and a former President and Chief Executive Officer of Philamlife Insurance Co.

Currently, Mr Cuisia is the Vice-Chair and Lead Independent Director of SM Prime Holdings; Independent Director of Manila Water Co. and Century Properties Group; Non-Executive Director of PHINMA Inc. & PHINMA Corp.; Chairman of the Board of FWD Life Insurance (Philippines); Chairman of the Board of Covenant Car Co. (Chevrolet Philippines); and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation.

In 2007, he was named Management Man of the Year by the Management Association of the Philipines. For his exemplary public service, he received the Order of the Sikatuna with the rank of Grand Cross from President Benigno Acquino III in 2016, and the Signum Meriti Award from De La Salle University in 2017. Mr Cuisia has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and a Bachelor of Science in Commerce (magna cum laude) from De La Salle University; and a Masters in Business Administration-Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he was a university scholar.

Mr Lance Y. Gokongwei is President and Chief Executive Officer of JG Summit Holdings, Inc. JG Summit is one of Philippine's leading conglomerates with core businesses in real estate, food, air transportation, financial services, and petrochemicals. JG Summit also has investments in the telecommunications and power industries. The company’s businesses spans across the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and Australasia.

Mr Gokongwei is also the Chairman of Robinsons Retail Holdings, Philippines’ second largest retailer; Vice-Chairman of Manila Electric Company; and Trustee and Secretary of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, Inc.

He received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science from the University of Pennsylvania (summa cum laude).

Mrs Josephine Gotianun Yap is the Vice Chairperson of Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC), the holding company of the Filinvest Group. She holds concurrent positions as Chief Executive Officer of three FDC subsidiaries - namely Filinvest Land, Inc., Filinvest Alabang, Inc. and FDC Hotels Corporation. She also holds directorships with EastWest Bank, FDC Utilities, Inc., Cyberzone Properties, Inc., Filinvest Asia Corporation, and other Filinvest subsidiaries. In the airport industry, she represents FDC in its new venture as lead member of the North Luzon Airport Consortium which was awarded the operations and maintenance contract of the Clark International Airport.

Mrs Gotianun-Yap obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Management at the Ateneo de Manila University where she graduated with Departmental Honors. She was a consistent honors student and received the prestigious PHILCOMAN (Philippine Council of Management) Award for outstanding business students. She received her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago in Illinois where her major area of study was Finance and International Business.

Mrs Gotianun-Yap is married to H.E. Joseph M. Yap who is currently the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Singapore. They have three children.

In the business circles of the Philippines, the name Mr Richard Lim Lee is synonymous with cars, befitting for the Chairman Emeritus of companies that sell some of the world’s most iconic brands—Hyundai, Chevrolet, and Volvo. Mr Lee also chairs the Boards of 21 companies involved in cars, real estate, insurance, financing and agriculture.

Born on April 1, 1951, Mr Lee earned an AB-BSC from De La Salle University in 1973, and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1977. 

Beyond business, the father of four is a Rotarian and a Trustee in Foundations involved in education and charity, where he shares the treasures God has blessed him with.

Mr Cesar Purisima is an Asia Fellow of Milken Institute, a global non-profit, non-partisan think tank. He is also a Founding Partner at IKHLAS Capital, a pan-ASEAN private equity platform.

Mr Purisima currently serves on the Boards of the AIA Group, World Wildlife Fund-Philippines, De La Salle University, Ayala Land, Universal Robina Corporation, and the International School of Manila. He also serves as a Member of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s Global Advisory Council.

From 2010-2016, Mr Purisima was the Secretary of Finance of the Republic of the Philippines, and Chair of the Cabinet’s Economic Development Cluster. He had previously also served as Secretary of Finance in 2005, and Secretary of Trade and Industry from 2004-2005.

Dr Ramon Borrero Segismundo is a business leader who has built his career around the core themes of transformation, innovation and change. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of One HRX, a Singapore-based HR advisory, consulting and executive coaching firm. He also formerly served as a Board Director of the Hijo Group of Companies.

Dr Segismundo has broad and deep international HR experience having previously helmed roles with international and Asia Pacific HR global multinationals based in Singapore, USA and UK. A highly sought-after speaker in various fora, Dr Segismundo is also the President of the People Management Association of the Philippines Foundation. He has a Doctor of Business Administration from Singapore Management University.

Mr Tony Tan Caktiong is Chairman and Founder of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), one of Asia’s largest restaurant companies in the world. The company has expanded its global presence to more than 5,900 stores worldwide, with locations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

Mr Tan is Co-Chairman of Double Dragon Properties Corporation. He is also involved in non-profit work as Chairman of Jollibee Foods Foundation and as a Member of the Board of Trustees of Temasek Foundation of Singapore.

Mr Tan holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Santo Tomas (UST). He has also attended various management programs at the Asian Institute of Management, and Harvard University’s Owner/President Management Program.

Mr Jimmy L. Thai is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Primer Group of Companies, the company he co-founded in 1985 with brother Johnny Thai and friends Thomas Lim, Jerry Sy and Willy Sy.

His dedication and hard work have steered the growth of Primer Group’s core businesses in the retail and distribution of the world’s most premium consumer goods and brands such as footwear, apparel, luggage, equipment, and industrial products across 13 countries.

Mr Thai is a recipient of the 2014 Agora award for Excellence in Marketing by the Philippine Marketing Association for successfully and consistently leading the Primer Group towards outstanding dominance, through innovative and uniquely-driven marketing initiatives. He was a finalist of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2005, and a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year 2004 by Entrepreneur Philippines, for his entrepreneurial achievements.

Atty. Rosanne Roxas graduated from SMU in 2023 as a recipient of both the Lee Kong Chian Master of Laws in Judicial Studies scholarship and the Jones Day Master of Laws Annual Top Scholar Award (for Judicial Studies). During her time at SMU, she specialized in different fields of dispute resolution where she passed and got accredited as a mediator with the Singapore International Mediation Institute. Prior to which, she pursued her Bachelor's degree in Legal Management at the Ateneo de Manila University and her Juris Doctor degree in San Beda University Manila where she served as Internal Vice President of the Law Student Government.

While Rosanne currently works as a Government Corporate Attorney at the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, she was previously a Court Attorney in the Court of Appeals before she pursued her Master of Laws in SMU.