Aboitiz conglomerate chairman Jon Aboitiz dies at 70

Business leader and chairman of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV) Jon Ramon Aboitiz has passed away on Friday, November 30, his company confirmed on Saturday.

In a statement, AEV said Aboitiz  died "due to a lingering illness at the age of 70."

Aboitiz is survived by his wife and three children.

He has served as AEV chairman since 2009.

At the time of his death, he was also chairman of Aboitiz & Co., Inc. (ACO) and chairman and chief executive officer of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., the foundation of the Aboitiz family.

“Jon will be profoundly missed as he was an inspiring leader, loving and lovable, and someone who easily connects with everyone around him. His passing is certainly a great loss, not only for the Aboitiz Group, but for Philippine business as well,” Erramon Aboitiz, AEV president and CEO, said.

The late AEV chair started working for the Aboitiz Group in 1970.

In 1976, he became president of Aboitiz Shipping Corporation.

From 1994 to 2008, he was president and CEO of AEV, and president of ACO from 1991 to 2008. —KG, GMA News