Prøve GULL - Gratis
Hans Sy's personal journey in risk, resilience, responsibility
Manila Bulletin
|November 30, 2025
MAP 2025 Management Person of the Year
-
Armed with the simple, guiding principle: "Whatever decision we make, we should be able to eat and sleep well," Hans Sy found the moral certainty to endure public fury over a construction project.
For decades, the SM Group, founded by his late father, retail tycoon Henry Sy Sr., has been defined by its scale, cementing its place as one of Asia's largest conglomerates.
But for Sy, SM Prime Holdings Inc. chairman of the executive committee, the true measure of leadership lies not in the size of the profit, but in defending an unpopular, high-stakes decision that severely tested the company's public image.
Speaking as the honoree at the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) Person of the Year awarding ceremony, Hans Sy was candid. He opened his acceptance speech not with a celebration of his firm's success, but with the recollection of a crisis that tested the Sy family's core values.
"SM was once condemned for cutting down trees in Baguio City," he told an audience composed largely of the country's top industry leaders. "Today, I want to tell you why that was the right decision, and what it taught me about leadership."
The incident in question is the infamous 2012 controversy surrounding SM City Baguio, the mall perched atop the country's mountain city. The company had begun a project that required the removal and relocation of several trees on its property.
The backlash was immediate and fierce. Environmental groups accused the retail giant of betrayal, prioritizing concrete and profit over ecological stewardship in a city defined by its pine forests. The condemnation was so widespread that even a foreign artist canceled a planned concert at an SM venue in protest.
Denne historien er fra November 30, 2025-utgaven av Manila Bulletin.
Abonner på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av kuraterte premiumhistorier og over 9000 magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
FLERE HISTORIER FRA Manila Bulletin
Manila Bulletin
More than a star
Gabbi Garcia encourages young women to know their purpose, stay grounded, and use their voice for change
3 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Stars & beauty queens topbill HIYAS Charity Gala at Manila Hotel
Beauty queens, celebrities, models, and members of the diplomatic community will topbill the HIYAS Charity Gala, a star-studded fashion and entertainment event set to transform the historic Manila Hotel into a grand runway stage on April 16.
2 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Debt auction hits wall as gov't yields surge
The national government fell short of its borrowing target on Monday, March 9, as the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) capped its award of short-dated debt papers, facing surge in interest rates driven by escalating global oil prices and a weakening currency.
2 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Markets battered by Mideast crisis
Philippine financial markets endured a dual drubbing on Monday, March 9, as an escalating crisis in the Middle East sparked a global flight to safety, sending the local equity benchmark toward a five-month low and the peso to a record weakness.
3 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Eala barges into Last 16
Pinay ace advances as Gauff retires due to arm injury
1 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Strait of Hormuz conflict risks PH peso freefall
The peso is at risk of sinking to a record low beyond 61 per dollar as escalating Middle East hostilities threaten to choke global energy supplies and force a hawkish pivot from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
2 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
PBBM orders free calls for OFWs, families amid Middle East tensions
President Marcos has directed telecommunications companies to provide free communication services for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East and their families in the Philippines amid escalating tensions in the region.
2 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Crude oil prices surpass $100 a barrel
Oil prices eclipsed $100 per barrel for the first time in more than three and a half years Sunday as the Iran war hinders production and shipping in the Middle East.
3 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Seat in UN Security Council to give PH voice in shaping global peace
Malacañang has defended President Marcos' push for the Philippines to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying the country would have the opportunity to participate in decision-making on international peace and security.
1 mins
March 10, 2026
Manila Bulletin
Unlocking PH tourism
Tourism has always been one of the Philippines’ greatest levers for economic growth.
2 mins
March 10, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size
