by Ekrem Duman | Aug 26, 2026 | Founders & Dynasties, Philippines Company Stories
⚡ TL;DRManny Villar built one of the Philippines’ largest property groups by serving the segment premium developers ignored: mass-market and affordable housing for ordinary households, financed substantially by overseas remittances. Volume rather than...
by Ekrem Duman | Aug 26, 2026 | Founders & Dynasties, Philippines Company Stories
⚡ TL;DRThe Zobel de Ayala family has controlled the same business since 1834, through Spanish colonial rule, American administration, Japanese occupation, independence, martial law and two revolutions. Its durability rests on two disciplines: owning...
by Ekrem Duman | Aug 26, 2026 | Founders & Dynasties, Philippines Company Stories
⚡ TL;DRTony Tan Caktiong opened an ice cream parlour in 1975, added hot food when customers asked for it, and built the chain that outsold the world’s largest fast food company in the Philippines and never lost the lead. He did it by formulating food...
by Ekrem Duman | Aug 26, 2026 | Founders & Dynasties, Philippines Company Stories
⚡ TL;DRJohn Gokongwei started trading after his family lost its wealth, and spent the rest of his life entering markets where established players had grown comfortable and undercutting them. Snacks, airlines, telecommunications, banking, property and...
by Ekrem Duman | Aug 26, 2026 | Founders & Dynasties, Philippines Company Stories
⚡ TL;DRHenry Sy arrived in the Philippines as a child, sold goods from a small store, opened a shoe shop in 1958 and built the country’s largest business group. His method was consistent across six decades: expand when everyone else is retreating, own the...
