LORRAINE BELO-CINCOCHAN

Wilcon Depot

The growth of Wilcon Depot, an established home improvement and construction supply retailer, was led by a businesswoman who has spearheaded the company’s rapid expansion and the computerization of Wilcon’s manual systems.

Lorraine Belo-Cincochan, has been the director, president, and chief executive officer of Wilcon Depot since 2016. For more than 20 years, she has worked in the historically male-dominated construction industry, notably for their family business, Wilcon.

A graduate of a Creative Writing degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1999, she began working in their retailer business as a trainee of then-president and her father, William Bello. She headed the company’s IT department in 2000, which marked the beginning of the company’s digital transformation journey.

From 2003 to 2005, she gained real world retail experience as a manager-trainee, overseeing the daily operations of the first large-format Wilcon Depot branch. During these years, Wilcon grew from a small hardware store to a modern trade channel and from a wholesale and retail operation to a pure retail business offering a full range of home improvement products.

In 2005, Belo-Cincochan was appointed executive vice president for Operations, and in 2006, she was named chief finance officer, holding the position until March 2016.

In March 2017, a year after the retail business was transferred from Wilcon Corp. to Wilcon Depot, Inc., the company went public, and since then its stock price more than doubled, giving it an $887 million market capitalization.

In 2018, Belo-Cincochan was named to Forbes Asia’s inaugural “Emergent 25” list, which recognizes outstanding businesswomen who made their mark in regional enterprises. She was the only Filipino to make the inaugural list. Belo-Cincochan was also one of the winners of the CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards in 2019. This award is dedicated to recognizing women’s business achievements and leadership.

Sources: Inquirer Archives, Torre Lorenzo Official Instagram page, e-rockwell.com, forbes.com, investor.wilcon.com.ph, businesswomenoftheyearawards.ceotodaymagazine.com, ayalaland.com.ph