The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) on Friday named JG Summit Holdings, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Lance Y. Gokongwei and Phinma Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Chito B. Salazar as the two recipients of the MAP Management Person of the Year 2026 award.
In a statement, the MAP said it chose Mr. Gokongwei “for his business leadership and management qualities that transformed the Gokongwei Group into a professionally managed institution built to endure across generations, and one of the Philippines’ largest and most diversified conglomerates.”
Mr. Gokongwei was also cited for his efforts to turn Universal Robina Corporation into one of Southeast Asia’s major consumer-goods companies, and for advancing low-cost air travel in the Philippines through Cebu Pacific.
The MAP said Mr. Salazar was chosen “for his active involvement in nation-building, particularly in pioneering a student-centered, financially sustainable business model that provides quality and affordable higher education to young people from low-income families.
Mr. Salazar was cited for turning Phinma Education into the largest private education network for underserved learners in Southeast Asia.
The MAP confers the Management Person of the Year award on individuals in business or government, whether a member of the MAP or not, who have attained unquestioned distinction in the practice of management, and have made valuable contributions to the progress of the country and in re-shaping national values.
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.