Fernando Zobel de Ayala is ‘Management Man of the Year’

Fernando Zobel de Ayala is Management Man of the Year. The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) announced yesterday the selection of Mr. Zobel, President and COO of Ayala Corporation, as the recipient of the “MAP Management Man of the Year 2018” award.

The “MAP Management Man of the Year” is a prestigious award that MAP bestows on 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 conferment of the award follows a thorough, stringent selection process. The distinction of “MAP Management Man of the Year” has only been conferred 42 times in the five-decade history of the award.

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; among others.

MAP cited six major reasons in choosing Mr. Zobel as this year’s awarded.

Foremost, Mr. Zobel was chosen for helping steer the Ayala Group to being consistently ranked by the global investor community as among the best in the Philippines for management excellence, corporate governance, sustainability, and people management.

Mr. Zobel also nurtures the strategic transformation of Ayala Land by improving the commercial and residential landscape of several areas all over the country, and by being a solid proponent of providing greater access to affordable housing to help augment the country’s housing backlog.

He was also cited for helping establish the country’s highly successful Public-Private Partnership, the Manila Water Company, and transforming it into a water infrastructure player in Southeast Asia.

Aside from his executive work at the one of the country’s most respected conglomerates, Mr. Zobel was recognized for his active participation, support and leadership in nation-building organizations, such as Centex (Education), Habitat for Humanity (Housing), HERO Foundation (Fallen Soldiers), Caritas (Church), Asia Society (Culture), and National Museum of the Philippines (Arts).

He has been cited for major contributions to national development, job creation and income generation through the Ayala Group’s huge investments in various industries.

MAP also cited Mr. Zobel’s contribution to re-shaping national values through his track record of integrity, professional competence, and strong leadership.