Megaworld president named in Forbes’ 50 Over 50 Global list

MANILA, Philippines — Forbes Magazine has recognized Megaworld president Lourdes Gutierrez-Alfonso as among the 50 most inspirational women over the age of 50 in the world.

Gutierrez-Alfonso is the only Filipino included in the Forbes’ inaugural 50 Over 50 Global list, which features inspirational women across 32 countries and territories.

Forbes said that the women trailblazers on the first-ever 50 Over 50 Global list are building wealth, creating jobs and proving that age is not an impediment to making a lasting impact on the world.

The inclusion of Gutierrez-Alfonso in the list further cements her exceptional leadership.

Gutierrez-Alfonso, Megaworld’s former chief operating officer who became president last year, was also the only Filipina included in the 2024 Asia’s Power Businesswomen list of Forbes.

A certified public accountant, Gutierrez-Alfonso took over the post from tycoon Andrew Tan as Megaworld president in June 2024.

Gutierrez-Alfonso has been with the property giant since 1990, holding various positions. She has extensive experience in real estate and has a strong background in finance and marketing.

“She is driving a major expansion – Megaworld plans to spend some $6.1 billion over five years to develop and expand its townships by 13 percent to 35 percent and beef up its hotel portfolio to 12,000 rooms across 27 properties (up from 8,000 rooms in 19 properties as of September 2024),” Forbes said.

“Gutierrez-Alfonso’s new role will be a challenge: borrowing costs remain high while rivals are aggressively constructing hotels in anticipation of a tourism rally,” it said.

Other notable women from Asia-Pacific included in the 50 Over 50 Global list were Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon (India), Annabelle Yu Long of BAI Capital (China), Bonnie Chan of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (Hong Kong), Shinta Kamdani of Sintesa Group (Indonesia), Maggi Chen of Chenbro Micom (Taiwan) and Mitsuko Tottori of Japan Airlines (Japan).