THE POWER OF DETERMINATION
In a span of two decades, Kevin Tan climbed the corporate ladder from real estate associate to Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Global Group
Even though he entered the family business 17 years ago, this didn’t mean Kevin Tan got catapulted to a leadership role instantly. The first two years of being with Megaworld Corporation involved a lot of trial and error. He focused on marketing and even sold condominiums in malls. Kevin anecdotes, “I was pretty much like an real estate associate, like one of those guys in the mall handing condominium flyers out.” With his immense passion for his work, a readiness to learn, the utmost respect for his own bosses, and carefully crafting and nurturing a team of his own, Kevin Tan slowly rose up the ranks until his dad, Andrew, passed down the CEO title to him just last year.
The Alliance Global Group, Inc (AGI) is the investment holding company of Dr. Andrew L. Tan, which has interests in real estate through Megaworld, beverage and liquor through Emperador, Inc; gaming and leisure and hospitality through Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., quick service restaurants (QSR) through Golden Arches Development Corporation (McDonald's Philippines) and infrastructure through Infracorp Development, Inc.
At just 39 years old, Kevin is one of the country’s youngest CEOs. The secrets to his success begin with his family. Unbeknownst to many, he was free to choose what he wanted to pursue. “Our parents never pressured us, they always supported what we wanted to do, what our ideas were,” he shares.
“Back in the early 2000s, we were still starting out in the mall business, so we were learning along the way,” he laughs. When the time came from him to create and manage a team of his own, his father gave him free rein of his small group. “He gave us a certain amount of autonomy but remained supportive. My dad and his management didn’t really meddle so we were able to do our own thing.” However, this also meant that they had to solve problems on their own. Kevin and his team weren’t spoon-fed answers to very serious concerns and issues, instead they were encouraged to learn from everything they experienced—both achievements and mistakes.
In the beginning, he confesses that it was no easy task. Handling Megaworld Corporation meant building everything from the ground up. “When I entered Megaworld, we didn’t have a single lifestyle mall yet,” the CEO divulges and continues, “to date, we have about 18 all over the Philippines and we plan to open 10 more in the next five years.”
While it was a daunting task to enter as new players in an industry that was saturated by big names, Kevin and his team were determined to succeed. From making strides to ensure they learned along the way to handpicking people to become part of the team and continuously nurturing them, he took meticulous care of all the operations.
They started as a two-man team, consisting of just Kevin and his assistant; he was in charge of calling clients while she typed up contracts. As time passed, he hired a third employee then eventually added departments and different positions, until he rose to the conglomerate level where he dealt with professionals and executives with more experience than he did.
Whilst conversing with Kevin, it’s easy to notice how much he values the people he works with. When asked about achievements, he immediately credits his team, all the companies, and the entire conglomerate. His constant use of “we,” “us,” and “our” when talking about his work is a quality rarely seen in most leaders nowadays. “If anything, as a leader, you’re supposed to be the most hardworking in the company,” he states. Making it evident that successes are not his alone and is not attained by just one man, but recognizing all the time and effort everyone put in.
After Andrew named Kevin CEO last June, the latter admits to dreaming of passing on the title to one of his children as well. At the same time, he promises to be like his father, to support his children’s passions, whatever they may be. “I guess parents would always have a dream for their kids but the reality is, we just have to support them in whatever they choose to do.” Kevin also points out that his children aren’t guaranteed a spot in the company. “It’s not a birthright to be in the company. They still need to work for it, demonstrate a lot of passion, ambition, and vision to really earn their spot.”
Being the CEO of Alliance Global Group is obviously time-consuming and incredibly demanding. However, Kevin Tan’s deep passion for what he does fuels him every day. With their involvement in industries like gaming and tourism, lifestyle malls, hotels, alcohol, quick service restaurants, and even Public-Private Partnerships with the government, it also is with great luck that his professional and personal lives seamlessly go together. “When we travel, those are the things we like to do; admire beautiful architecture, go shopping, visit museums and other places of interest and you get ideas and apply them to your work. So it was never really having to choose one or the other.”
For Kevin, being able to have a good career that impacts the lives of others—from employees and tenants to consumers and communities—while maintaining a happy family and still having time for himself are what gives his life meaning. “Striking that balance and bringing joy in other people’s lives are what makes a life well lived,” he concludes.