Chris Tiu sees his future, not in basketball, but in business

One of the benefits of my new position as editor-in-chief of S magazine, the glossy entertainment monthly of the Mega Publishing Group — with industrialist Jerry Tiu as chairman — is recently getting an exclusive interview for The Philippine STAR with his son, Ateneo basketball team captain, honor student and GMA-7 TV host Chris Tiu to discuss business ideas and his views on the Philippine economy. He is humble, unassuming, attributes his successes mainly to God’s blessings and his upbringing, and hopes to be a positive role model for other young people.

Unknown to most people, the family of Chris Tiu owns or control various top corporations such as Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center, Pasig City; Discovery Shores on Boracay island; Zhangzhou Stronghold Steel Works Ltd. of China; the publicly listed steel firm TKC Steel Corp.; the publicly listed iRemit; Sterling Bank of Asia and many others. They were also former major shareholders in iBank, which has now been sold to the Aboitiz-controlled Union Bank.

During the course of our dinner conversation at Rockwell’s UCC Cafe, 23-year-old Chris mentioned to me that Smart Telecommunications and PLDT have not yet approached him to be their celebrity endorser, unlike other companies like Nestlé, Hanford, Dockers and Levi’s.

I quickly texted PLDT and Smart big boss Manuel “Manny” V. Pangilinan, whom Chris said he personally admired as the Ateneo’s major benefactor and famous alumnus. MVP quickly texted his executives, and soon forwarded back Smart executive Bong Mojica’s reply that it’s a “done deal.” After I texted back Tiu’s gratitude, MVP texted back, “Free lunch!” The next day, Smart and PLDT CEO Napoleon “Polly” Nazareno also texted me that they are getting him for a commercial campaign.

Before leading the Ateneo basketball team to the decisive UAAP championship victory over archrival De La Salle University, Tiu had just graduated with cum laude honors and a Management Engineering degree from the Ateneo. He is now earning a Bachelor of Science/Master of Applied Mathematics degree, major in Mathematical Finance, minor in Chinese Studies. 

Tiu told STAR that, though already fluent in Hokkien, he hopes to further hone his Mandarin language skills by someday studying in Beijing. His favorite tune on his iPod are Mandarin songs mainly by his idol, Asian superstar Jay Chou, and another pop star, David Tao. He said he admires Jay Chou’s xiao-xun or “filial piety,” as the pop star recently expressed in an interview on CNN that he wants to live with and take care of his mother even after marriage, according to Chinese Confucian tradition.

Chris is the son of Jerry and Lianne Tiu, both devout Christians and doting parents to five kids. He told me he has “great parents who love each other and showered us, their kids, with love.”

Here are excerpts from our two-hour interview:

WILSON FLORES: I heard you have a successful business on the Ateneo campus in Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

 CHRIS TIU: It’s my small business started with two friends called “Chinky Chickens.” We started it two years ago because there was still available space at the Ateneo’s unique students’ mall, which encourages student entrepreneurs to try doing business. I’ve always wanted to do business ever since I was a kid.

How did you start the venture and why?

It started when some employees of a small resto called Blue Cow on campus asked for my help, because it was about to close and they were going to lose their jobs. I decided to open a new food business, and saw their approaching me for help as an opportunity. It’s doing well.

Do you offer franchises already? Do you have other branches?

No franchises yet, we’re still small, but we already have an outlet in Miriam College. We serve affordable food, only P65 per meal in Styrofoam packs. I’m thinking of opening another outlet near the UST area. I recently missed an opportunity to get a resto space at TriNoma mall. This is just a small business, my sideline. If I had not continued my studies, I think I would already be in the corporate world or working in business.

Is it true that aside from your hosting job on GMA-7 and many commercial endorsements, you have invitations to enter showbiz and do movies?

Yes, Anette Gozon of GMA Films once invited me to act in a horror film project called Ouija. GMA-7 executives like Wilma Galvante and others are very supportive. To offers of entering showbiz, I am not interested and have no plans. I would rather remain in TV hosting and hope to someday go into business.

Your uncle Ben Tiu told me that you plan to go study Mandarin in Beijing?

Yes, I initially had plans to polish my Mandarin by studying in Beijing, but after this UAAP championship and all these commitments, I have to, for now, postpone my plans for further studies abroad. My uncle Ben even wants me to help out with the family’s steel manufacturing business in China.

How do you compare achieving success in sports like basketball with your future plans in business?

In both endeavors, one needs passion. Right now, basketball is my passion, but in the long-term it’s business. I know my physical peak is now, in my 20s, but beyond my youth, I should plan to focus on business. In both sports and business, one needs to set high standards, to train very hard, to face challenges head-on and to be prepared for tough competition.

Who is the businessman in the whole world whom you admire the most?

Warren Buffett. Not only is he the world’s wealthiest billionaire, he has incredible business acumen. He has a knack for business, he knows where to invest, how to build up companies, how to find the right people.

Your immigrant great-grandfather was the principal of the Philippines’ pioneer Chinese-language school, the Anglo-Chinese School, and your grandfather was the famous rags-to-riches hardware taipan Tiu Ka Cho. What are your impressions of your grandfather?

I know our grandfather was super-hardworking, and he was super-sharp as a businessman. He really knew how to spot business opportunities.

Who are the local businesspeople in the Philippines whom you admire the most?

John Gokongwei, Jr. of JG Summit Holdings and Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee. Both of them personify hard work, Confucian values and entrepreneurial spirit. Tony Tan started from scratch. Gokongwei didn’t really start from nothing because he used to be rich, but his family wealth was lost and he had to start all over again. I admire these two entrepreneurs.

Is it true that aside from showbiz, you have also turned down invitations to enter politics?

I’m now a barangay kagawad, but I’m not really into politics. There have been offers and even invitations for me to run as vice mayor and other posts, but I really prefer to focus on business. In fact, my mother still hopes that I or one of my two other brothers someday becomes a priest.

What do you think should be done to make the Philippine economy more progressive?

We need to develop and encourage more small- and medium-scale enterprises or SMEs. We need to encourage more job-creating businesses, to encourage more livelihoods, especially for people in the rural provinces and not just in our cities. It is sad that due to lack of economic opportunities in the rural areas, everybody’s coming to our congested cities.

Any unsolicited advice for our politicians?

I believe what is important in politics is to promote and uphold good governance — this is very important in order to stimulate more investments. I also hope our political leaders will continue to invest in infrastructure and in education. I am now planning to do a civic endeavor with the Ateneo on how to assist our teachers.

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