Josephine Gotianun Yap leads one of the country’s rapidly expanding diversified conglomerates. As the only daughter of the late business magnate Andrew Gotianun Sr., she manages a diverse portfolio including real estate, banking, power, sugar, and more.
Armed with an MBA specializing in finance and international business from the University of Chicago, Gotianun-Yap entered the family business during her early twenties when it primarily focused on real estate and consumer finance. Just as the family enterprise evolved significantly from its roots in used-car financing, which her father established in 1955, Gotianun-Yap’s career trajectory also saw her rise to the position of President and CEO of the publicly-traded holding company, Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC), in the year 2000.
Today, Gotianun-Yap is aspiring for ambitious and significant goals for the Group.
In an email interview Gotianun-Yap stated, “The Filinvest Group’s objective is to establish enduring businesses that are built upon our vision of enabling Filipinos to realize their aspirations.”
To accomplish this, the Group plans to concentrate on recognizing unmet needs in property, financial services, and utilities/urban solutions.
Drawing from the experiences of the pandemic, Gotianun-Yap added that the Group will be purposeful in fostering resilience throughout our enterprises.
Gotianun-Yap recognizes the significant role that innovation and the development of people play in the growth of the Filinvest Group. Going forward, these guiding principles will profoundly influence how the company expands its businesses to better serve its customers, as stated by Gotianun-Yap.
She emphasized, “Our success will hinge on our ability to make our products and services more relevant through innovation.”
Gotianun-Yap envisions the Group’s core businesses continuing to explore ways to provide the majority of Filipinos with opportunities to achieve their aspirations. For instance, the country’s housing backlog, estimated at 6.5 million homes, presents a substantial opportunity for the real estate business, through FLI, to build high-quality homes and communities.
Gotianun-Yap mentioned that given the considerable number of Filipinos who are still not using banking services, there is significant growth potential for the Group’s banking business, East West Bank, particularly its digital banking division.
She also stated that FDC Utilities Inc., the utilities arm of the Group, will focus on providing power to more communities and exploring opportunities for expansion where there is a high demand for their services.
In the hospitality sector, Filinvest Hospitality Corp. is well-positioned for growth, boasting seven operational hotels and resorts, along with a project currently under construction in Baguio City.
However, in addition to meeting market demands through its core businesses in real estate, banking, utilities, and hospitality, the Group takes great pride in its past and ongoing initiatives that contribute to the broader economy.
“We take particular pride in our contribution to the power sector, which has successfully eliminated brownouts in Mindanao and facilitated the region’s growth. Today, we are equally proud of our involvement in Clark International Airport (CRK), a project that significantly enhances the capacity to support the Philippine tourism industry and business travel. We view this project as a means of actively participating in the nation’s overall development,” Gotianun-Yap emphasized.
Through the LIPAD consortium, in which Filinvest Development Corp. joined forces with JG Summit Holdings, Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc., and Changi Airport Philippines (I) Pte. Ltd., Gotianun-Yap explained that the company has harnessed their collective expertise to provide top-notch airport operations in the Philippines. She expressed her hopes of exploring similar projects that would allow them to serve the interests of the Filipino people in a significant manner.
Gotianun-Yap is confident that by cultivating a new generation of leaders and implementing transformative programs, the company will become more adaptable and prepared for the future.
Her leadership style emphasizes collaborative management. She noted, “It has been repeatedly proven that collaboration has a synergistic effect, leading to the generation of more innovative ideas and fostering trust-based cooperation within the organization.”
Recently, Gotianun-Yap was recognized as the first female Philippines Real Estate Personality of the Year at the PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards. In an interview with Property Report, the official magazine of Asia Property Awards & Events by PropertyGuru, Gotianun-Yap expressed her gratitude and mentioned that this award serves as evidence of the dedication and enthusiasm that Filinvest dream builders have invested in the expansion of their businesses. She also stated that it motivates them to redouble their efforts, as they highly value the trust placed in them by every Filipino family who has chosen to pursue their dreams with Filinvest.
