Will GMA exec’s daughter join TV industry?

GMA Films president and proud mom Annette Gozon-Valdes recently flexed daughter Anja-Teresa Sofia Gozon Abrogar on social media for graduating magna cum laude at the Ateneo de Manila University with a Management Engineering degree.

After finishing high school at Saint Pedro Poveda College with honors, Anja entered college on an Ateneo Freshman Merit Scholarship, the full academic scholarship given to the Top 20 entrance exam performers.

She appeared to have taken after her mom as The STAR learned that Gozon-Valdes finished the same degree in Ateneo, cum laude, in 1993. Anja’s father is Joselito Abrogar, who is also a Management Engineering alum.

Anja is now working at a Berlin-based venture capital firm. Will she follow in the footsteps of her mom and grandfather, GMA Network chairman and CEO Felipe Gozon — take up law and join the TV industry?

Anja told The STAR in an e-mail interview that she currently has no plans of taking the same career path. “As someone who’s always had a passion for math, my plans after graduating have been centered on finance as careers in the field allow me to apply my interest and expertise in a corporate setting,” she said.

“I am currently working as an investment associate at Global Founders Capital, a multi-billion dollar venture fund with over 500 portfolio companies globally and past investments in companies such as Facebook, Linkedin and Lazada. I am the first and only Manila-based hire, tasked with driving the firm’s growth within the country and building its local presence.”

“Moving forward, my plans are slightly less clear,” she admitted. “Currently, I have no plans to follow in my lolo and mom’s footsteps and take up law. But I do know that I eventually hope to take further studies abroad, and gain new insights, knowledge and perspectives that hopefully translate to helping me improve and push my career forward.”

Anja also said she hasn’t entertained thoughts of working at the network. However, she expressed how much she looks up to her mom and grandfather in terms of their corporate career and business, particularly how they made “GMA as successful as it is today.”

“I hope to emulate those traits and use them to also build a successful career,” she said.

“I haven’t thought about working in television, but my mom herself worked as a lawyer for many years before ever joining GMA, so we never know what the future may hold.”

Anja, nevertheless, shared favorite pieces of advice she received from her mom and grandfather, and these include “to fully trust in myself.”

She said, “As a child, I was always pushed to be the best, but that was only because they believed I could be. Their steadfast belief has supported me and given me the confidence to always do my best and trust that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.”

She continued, “Another strong piece of advice has also been to always fully trust in God. My whole family has always taught me that everything is a gift from God, and that all these traits and talents that have taken me this far are nothing without Him.

“So moving forward, I hope to always remember to put my faith in God so that He can guide me to make the most of the talents He has given so that I can grow to be the best I can be.”