Robinsons Land to see Gokongwei siblings depart critical roles

Robinsons Land [RLC 13.22 unch; 48% avgVol] [link], the Gokongwei Family’s property development arm, revealed that Lance Gokongwei will “step down” as president and CEO of RLC, effective on Feb. 1, 2025, and that his sister, Robina Gokongwei-Pe, will also “step down” as director of RLC, effective the same date. Mr. Gokongwei will remain as RLC’s Chairman, and Maria Socorro Isabelle V. Aragon-GoBio will be elected as Director and appointed as the President and CEO to replace Mr. Gokongwei once he leaves.

MB bottom-line:  I’ve been a huge fan of how the Gokongwei Family has approached the transition of power as a family business, and the evolution of its management teams through the years following John Gokongwei’s retirement and subsequent death. While no transition is perfect, the Gokongwei Family was proactive and purposeful about bringing the second generation into critical positions early, and John was seemingly unafraid to step back and allow the systems that he had built to continue his legacy across the many companies that make up the diversified conglomerate he built. I don’t know why Lance and Robina are stepping back here, but I’m always interested to see what appear to be coordinated moves to allow family members to make way for professionals. To me, moving the business into the hands of capable professional stewards is something that I would want if I were a shareholder (I’m not). Again, I don’t think this transition has been perfect, and I don’t agree with everything this family does, but this transition has been a high-profile masterclass.

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