Ayala Corp. managing director Mariana Zobel de Ayala and Robinsons Land Corp. CEO Mybelle Aragon-GoBio landed on Forbes’ list of ‘Asia’s Power Businesswomen 2025’, a cohort feted for their achievements and proven track records.
All women listed this year are newcomers as Forbes Asia magazine expanded its network of outstanding corporate leaders making their mark across a wide range of industries.
‘The women on this year’s Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen list are not just adapting to change, but actively shaping the future of the region’s business landscape,’ said Rana Wehbe Watson, editorial director at Forbes Asia.
‘Some are forging paths in hot sectors like data centers, semiconductors and rare earths, while others are guiding their family businesses to new heights.’
Zobel and Aragon-Gobio are the only two Filipinas who made the cut this year. Both are likewise Inquirer’s ‘Women of Power’ honorees.
The list of Asia’s Power Businesswomen includes other distinguished leaders selected across the region: Kuok Hui Kwong, CEO of Shangri-La Asia; Hindustan Unilever’s first woman CEO Priya Nair; Margaret Kao, chair and CEO of Taipei-based Marketech International; HSBC Hong Kong CEO Maggie Ng; Amanda Lacaze, managing director and CEO of Lynas Rare Earths; Temasek chief financial officer Png Chin Yee; Chung Yoo-kyung, head of Shinsegae Inc., South Korea’s largest department store chain;Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group and Jamie Khoo, DayOne Data Centers CEO.
‘Shaping the future of Ayala’
Zobel, 37, is seen ‘shaping the future’ of Ayala, the Philippines’ oldest conglomerate. The eighth-generation Zobel scion handles the leasing and hospitality business of the property arm, Ayala Land.
Forbes magazine cited the $1.5-billion program of Zobel’s team to refresh Ayala Land’s extensive portfolio of malls, offices and hotels. The shopping mall portfolio is expected to expand its gross leasable area by a third to 2.9 million square meters by 2028.
She is also seen on top of the $500-million project to double Ayala Land’s hotel room inventory to 8,000 by 2030.
‘There is power in the choices that the modern Filipina consumer makes, especially in today’s era of endless options,’ Zobel wrote in a commentary published by Inquirer on March 21, in celebration of Women’s Month.
‘In the workplace, I believe in the power that diversity, equity and inclusion have in an organization. Including people’s unique perspectives and backgrounds helps us unlock the very best in our people and add value to the communities where we work and live,’ she said.
Making history
Aragon-GoBio, 52, made history as the first woman and non-Gokongwei family member to lead Robinsons Land Corp.
She was handpicked to helm the property developer after long-time president Frederick Go had agreed to join the Marcos Cabinet as investment and economic affairs czar.
‘Success is, and should always be, determined by capability, vision and execution, not identity. Leadership in real estate has traditionally been male-dominated, but I don’t see my role through the lens of gender,’ Aragon-GoBio earlier said.
From establishing the high-rise buildings division to spearheading the development of mixed-use estates, her fingerprints can be found on many of RLC’s most successful ventures.
Aragon-GoBio, who has been with Robinsons Land for three decades, is now seen leading a five-year, 125-billion-peso expansion plan for the property developer.
By 2030, she aims to double net income to P25 billion, boost the number of malls to 69 from 55, and grow its office portfolio by 50 percent to 1.2 million square meters of leasable space, Forbes noted.
The road map also includes a 25-percent increase in hotel rooms to 5,300, alongside the doubling logistics capacity and building new mixed-use estates, it added.