The Future of Wellness

From the boardroom to biohacking, David Jacob unveils Longevity Labs—a first-of-its-kind wellness space fusing science, ritual and social recovery in the heart of Manila

- By Jessica Zapata

In the polished towers of Singapore's financial district, David Jacob is recognised as the CEO of Marsh McLennan Asia—a leader skilled at navigating risk, strategy and people.

But far from the boardroom, Jacob has been quietly pioneering a revolution—not in finance, but in the field of wellness. Come October this year, in the heart of Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Manila, Jacob will unveil his most personal project yet: Longevity Labs, a state-of-the-art sanctuary dedicated to biohacking, cellular optimisation and what he calls “life improved”.

For the executive, the journey to founding Asia's first social biohacking centre was born out of necessity. “I turned 50 in 2018—I’m 57 now—but you wouldn’t know it,” he says. “I looked good. I was physically strong. I was doing all these major athletic extreme events, but for some reason, internally, I felt terrible.”

Behind closed doors, Jacob battled fatigue, brain fog and incapacitating migraines. “I was always getting sick. I was constantly in a state of malaise, meaning low energy. I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. I struggled to have mental clarity.” Conventional medicine offered no relief. “I saw so many doctors, neurologists. They said, “There's nothing wrong with you, maybe you just need to cut down on your stress levels and how much you exercise.” His response? “That's not really viable. I’m a CEO. I’m in probably the most stressful job. I can’t give up stress.”