'The Sit-Down' exclusive: Kyle Tan, taipan's grandson, on leading Tanduay

A quiet workday morning in Quiapo, Manila, might be part of Kyle Tan's routine, but nothing about his journey has been. Inside his office at Tanduay Distillers Inc., two framed NBA jerseys hang on the wall—a constant reminder of his late father, Lucio "Bong" Tan Jr., and the unexpected path he had to take.

- By CHINO S. LEYCO

The jerseys, he explained, were from his father’s personal collection.

At only 24, Kyle was placed in a leadership role at one of the country’s most iconic brands, a sudden transition that began in November 2019.

A stranger to the local corporate world, having grown up in the United States (US), Tan found himself at the helm of a business empire built by his grandfather, taipan Lucio Tan. Today, Kyle, the younger of two sons of Bong, lives in Quezon City with his brother and their grandparents.

He makes the journey to the Tanduay office in Quiapo at least once a week, a trip that has forced him to confront one of his biggest adjustments to life back in Manila: the traffic.

"I only manage to drive on Sundays, when traffic is less," he says with a slight laugh. He has a soft spot for the simple pleasures of American life, like a good hamburger—a treat he'd eat every day, he says, if only it weren't for the calories. His responsibilities keep him from his second home, allowing him to return to the US only twice a year.

"You focus on the work ethic and you don't focus on the pressure, external pressures, and the doubt."

The weight of leadership

The weight of a family legacy is a heavy one, but Kyle, now 29 years old, carries it with sense of duty and humility. The core values instilled by his family—discipline, hard work, and the “family” culture within the company—are his guiding principles.

"I think the hardest and the most driven aspect that the family really tries to instill in everybody is, like, just the discipline and hard work," he shares in an interview on Manila Bulletin's newest video podcast "The Sit Down." "And I think that everything comes downstream from that."

His grandfather, who is known to many as Kapitan, remains a constant source of inspiration.