The female trailblazers on the list redefine the concept of leadership while inspiring the next generation of leaders.
Women leaders are blazing trails across the world. And some of the best examples of female leadership are recognized in Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Asia 2024. This year’s list features 100 women leading in a broad spectrum of sectors including finance, energy, transportation, food and beverages, and hospitality.
The most powerful woman in Asia is Chinese-American Grace Wang, the chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of Shenzhen-based manufacturer Luxshare Precision Industry, which is a key Apple supplier. Under her leadership, the company has played a pivotal role in the production of flagship Apple products such as AirPods, Apple Watches, and iPhones. Luxshare debuted on the Fortune Global 500 in 2023, and this year ranks 488th with $32.8 billion in revenue.
The Philippines, meanwhile, sees seven female executives who have been recognized by the New York City-based publication known for its ranked lists. This includes companies ranked by revenue such as in the Fortune 500, published annually since 1955.
In its official statement, Fortune says the 100 MPW Asia rankings recognize women who are “redefining the concept of leadership by transforming companies, disrupting industries and driving growth, innovation, and business excellence while inspiring the next generation of leaders.”
Let’s get to know these seven trailblazing Filipinas who are each making a mark in their respective industries.
Martha Sazon, GCash president and chief executive officer (38th)
Under Sazon’s leadership in GCash, which started in 2020, the platform has seen its services and user base exponentially expand with 1 million active users and 2.5 million sellers and merchants as of September 2024. GCash has also strengthened financial inclusion in the country, providing access to services for millions of Filipinos even those with no traditional bank accounts.
Sazon holds more than 20 years of experience across a broad spectrum of industries, including telecommunications and pharmaceuticals. She graduated with a degree in Business Administration and Accountancy (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Robina Gokongwei-Pe, Robinsons Retail Holdings president and CEO (48th)
Gokongwei-Pe wears many hats given her role as president and CEO of Robinsons Retail Holgings, Inc., one of the country’s largest multi-format retailers, which was founded by her parents, the late John Robinson Gokongwei Jr and Elizabeth Gokongwei.
With this, she continues her family’s legacy as a director of Robinsons Retail’s mother company, JG Summit Holdings, Inc., as well as its subsidiaries like Robinsons Land Corporation, Cebu Air, Inc., and Robinsons Bank Corporation, among other key positions. A University of the Philippines and New York University alumna, she is also the first female board member in the Catholic and Jesuit educational institution, Xavier School, in 62 years.
Lorelie Quiambao Osial, Shell Pilipinas president and CEO (67th)
Quiambao Osial is the first Filipino woman to be appointed president and CEO of Pilipinas Shell since its incorporation 109 years ago, according to the company’s website. She is also concurrently the country chair of Shell Companies in the Philippines, where she leads over 4,700 employees. Quiambao Osial has a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy degree from Silliman University, cum laude, and is a certified public accountant. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Western Australia.
She is active in her chosen advocacies, per the Silliman University website. As president of Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc., she also leads programs on livelihood, education, health and safety, environment, energy, nutrition, and food security.
Anna Ma. Margarita Bautista Dy, Ayala Land CEO and president (73rd)
Known to most by her nickname Meean, Dy is the first female chief of the Ayala group’s real estate unit, per Rappler. She has been a member of Ayala Land Incorporated’s (ALI) management committee since 2008. Prior to joining ALI, she was a vice president of the Lopez family’s Benpres Holdings Corporation.
Dy graduated magna cum laude from Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics (honors program) in 1990. She got her Master’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1991, and MBA at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1996.
Currently boasting a land bank of 12,000 hectares, ALI claims to be the Philippines’ largest and most diversified real estate conglomerate. It has 49 estates and is present in 57 growth centers throughout the country.
Lynette Ortiz, Land Bank of the Philippines president and CEO (82nd)
The seasoned banker has over 30 years of experience in local and international banking, according to the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) official website. Ortiz formally took her oath as the 11th president and CEO of Land Bank last May 2023. Prior to her appointment, she served as the first Filipino CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Philippines, a post she held since October 2016.
She also held various senior posts in risk management, treasury, corporate finance, and capital markets in foreign and local institutions, spearheading landmark transactions in both domestic and international capital markets for Philippine and ASEAN issuers. She also serves as First Vice President in the Board of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), and is also a member of the BAP Executive Committee.
LBP, a government financial institution, is by far the largest formal credit institution in the rural areas. It also ranks among the top five commercial banks in the country in terms of deposits, assets, and loans.
Lourdes Gutierrez-Alfonso, Megaworld president (85th)
The 61-year-old Gutierrez-Alfonso was appointed president of the firm only last July, and brings with her a wealth of experience—30 years to be exact. Aside from previously serving as Megaworld’s COO, she was also director, chairman of the board executive committee, and chairman of the management executive committee within the company.
A certified public accountant, Gutierrez joined Megaworld in 1990 and was first elected as a director of the company in 2011. She graduated cum laude from Far Eastern University with an Accounting degree
Gutierrez-Alonzo’s appointment comes as Megaworld plans to expand its leasing portfolio by 52 percent to 3 million sqm by the end of the decade.
Rhoda Huang, Filinvest Development Corporation president and CEO (98th)
Huang has over three decades of experience in Philippine corporate, financial, and government institutions. Prior to joining Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC), she was the president of BPI Capital Corporation. She was also the former branch head of Investment Banking for Credit Suisse Philippines and worked at JP Morgan Chase and its predecessor institutions for 19 years.
Through over 30 years, per FDC’s website, Huang has led various aspects of investment banking, including mergers and acquisitions, equity-linked transactions, equity and debt capital markets, structured products and lending, as well as risk management.
She obtained her degree in Business Administration and Accountancy at the University of the Philippines and is a certified public accountant.
Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Asia 2024 includes 20 leaders from mainland China, 14 from Thailand, nine each from Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong SAR, eight from India, seven each from South Korea and the Philippines, six from Australia, four from Malaysia, three from Vietnam, two from Indonesia, among other countries.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating the remarkable achievements of female leaders from diverse countries from the Asia Pacific region,” said Clay Chandler, Fortune executive editor for Asia. “The women honored on the 2024 Asia list now join the extraordinary legacy of Most Powerful Women, a franchise first created by Fortune over a quarter of a century ago in 1998.”
The full MPW Asia 2024 list can be accessed here and in the October/November issue of Fortune Asia magazine.
