MAP names John Gokongwei Jr. as 'Management Man of the Year'

Industrialist John Gokongwei Jr. was named as the Management Association of the Philippines' "Management Man of the Year."

In a statement on Tuesday, MAP said Gokongwei—the founder and chairman emeritus of conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc.—was selected as the recipient of the award given to "individuals in the business community or government for attaining unquestioned distinction in the practice of management and for contributing to the country’s progress."

The criteria for the award include integrity, leadership, and management qualities; contribution to nation building and values formation; effective stewardship within the confines of the highest standard of business and management practice.

MAP said Gokongwei was chosen for:  

• His business acumen and management qualities which steered the Gokongwei Group into remarkable growth through his foresight and exceptional ability to launch new ventures and transform existing ones to better adapt to challenging times and an unpredictable future

• His leadership role in the substantial contributions of the Gokongwei Group to national development, job creation and income generation through its huge investments in banking, real estate, publications, petrochemicals, shopping malls, power generation, livestock farming, air transportation, power distribution, food manufacturing, and telecommunications

•  For strengthening the identity of companies under the Gokongwei Group as socially responsible corporate citizens through the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s developmental and scholarship programs on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education

• For being an entrepreneur par excellence and an exemplar of Filipino talent in management excellence for nation-building

• His contributions to shaping national values and inspiring others by his outstanding achievements attained from humble beginnings through hard work, perseverance, frugality and discipline

The Management Man of the Year has only been conferred 41 times in its five-decade history, MAP said. — Ted Cordero/VDS, GMA News