Lance Gokongwei, the president and chief operating officer of JG Summit, ushers us into his office at Robinsons-Equitable Tower in Manila, stacked with papers, airplane models and a cupboard full of snacks produced by JG Summit’s subsidiary Universal Robina Corp. Despite being the only son of one of Philippines wealthiest men John Gokongwei he remains down-to-earth and understated.
Speaking quietly, he told FinanceAsia about how his father, who left Xiamen, China at a young age to carve out his fortunes in Cebu, has influenced him.
“I hope I learnt something from him because he started with nothing over 70 years ago and built a very successful...