The MAP ‘Management Man of the Year’
The “Management Man of the Year” award bestowed by the Management Association of the Philippines or MAP is arguably the most prestigious award given for managerial excellence, and we look towards managerial and leadership excellence for both the private and public sectors in the new year and under the new normal.
For 52 years the award has been given only 44 times, and for those 44 times, I was able to host the awarding ceremony for a record 14 times.
Last year’s awarding ceremony, however, was a first as it was done virtually. Hopefully, it will be the last as there is much excitement and prestige, much pomp and circumstance when it comes to the awarding ceremonies held live or face-to-face in the splendor of a grand ballroom.
The award is given by the MAP to recognize outstanding achievements of any individual who has exceptionally distinguished himself or herself in the practice of management, whether he or she be a MAP member.
It was first given out in 1967 to the late, great Washington SyCip, an icon in Philippine business and corporate finance.
The awards were again given out in 1977, and the list of distinguished awardees reads like a who’s who list in Philippine business and government: Washington SyCip, Geronimo Velasco, Henry Brimo, Jose Soriano, Cesar Virata, Jaime Ongpin, Vicente Paterno, Dante Santos, Cesar Buenaventura, Roberto Villanueva, Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Ramon del Rosario Sr., Jose Fernandez Jr., Raul Concepcion, Oscar Hilado, Alfonso Yuchengco, Juan Santos, David Consunji, Rizalino Navarro, Gabriel Singson, Delfin Lazaro, Henry Sy Sr., Oscar Lopez, Tony Tan Caktiong, Jesus Tambunting, Rafael Buenaventura, Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP), George S.K. Ty, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, Jose Cuisia Jr., Antonio Aquino, Jesus Estanislao, Lilia de Lima, Ramon del Rosario Jr., Erramon Aboitiz, Aurelio Montinola III, Edgar Chua, Albert del Rosario, Amando Tetangco Jr., Tessie Sy-Coson, John Gokongwei Jr., Fernando Zobel de Ayala and Nestor Tan.
There are father-and-child tandem awardees, too, like the following: Henry Sy Sr. (1999) and Tessie Sy-Coson (2016); Ramon del Rosario Sr. (1988) and Ramon del Rosario Jr. (2010); and the trio of Jaime Zobel de Ayala (1987), Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (2006) and Fernando Zobel de Ayala (2018).
To this father-and-child tandem we now add Oscar Lopez (2000) and MAP Management Man of the Year 2020 awardee Federico “Piki” Lopez, chairman and CEO of First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPH).
First Philippine Holdings Corp. is the flagship corporation of the Lopez family, a management and investment company whose major business is power generation and distribution, with strategic initiatives in manufacturing and property development.
The award was given to Lopez for, among others, “passionately pushing for the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy through his various advocacies to proactively address the irreparable damage of climate change; for championing the power industry’s deregulation, and for steering the Lopez Group to the forefront of energy security and sustainability and clean technologies for renewable energy and natural gas.”
In his very inspiring speech, Lopez acknowledged how his father, Oscar, had received the same award 20 years ago and of how much influence his father has on him and on FPH, on “his values, discipline, love for nature, zest for learning, his passion for social justice and his zeal for health and wellness.”
Lopez also spoke about his insights on business, management, governance, leadership, and likewise made an impassioned plea for the environment and climate change, for taking care of the earth and its people.
He mentioned that he has felt for some years now that “the unprecedented times we’re living in have been begging for a new narrative and a new paradigm for how we live, work, do business, and even how we measure success and progress.”
Lopez forecast that, “these next 10 years (the decade of the 2020s) will determine whether we are able to halt the climate crisis in time, or watch it run away from us irreversibly.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic is just a mere ‘fire-drill’ for what’s coming and demonstrates the scale at which things need to change,” he said, adding, “We are living in a time that calls for great paradigm shifts, and businesses that seek to thrive in this era must be able to reimagine and redesign themselves for this new world.”
He echoed the call that “businesses need to align themselves, their resources, and their capabilities towards a mission that seeks to elevate everything they touch – their customers, employees, suppliers, contractors, the environment, communities, and, of course, their investors.”
For Lopez, there is “an urgency for all of us to go beyond incremental sustainability and transform into regenerative forces that align our profit engines with the need for a better, more just world and a safer planet.”
Truly inspiring and challenging words (I urge you to read the whole speech available online) that should guide us into the new year and beyond.
The Management Man of the Year 2020 Search Committee was composed of MAP 2019 president Riza Mantaring as chairman; MAP 2018 president Mon Fernandez as vice chairman; with past MAP presidents Popoy del Rosario, Ed Francisco, architect Jun Palafox, Perry Pe, and Marife Zamora as members.
The 2020 judging committee was composed of past awardee Ed Chua as chairman; Atty. Lilia De Lima as vice chairman; with Montxu Aboitiz, Mon Paterno, Cora De La Paz-Bernardo, Johnny Santos, Joey Cuisia, Ambassador Jesus Tambunting, Ramon del Rosario, and former Prime Minister Cesar Virata as members.
Congratulations once again for a well-deserved award, Piki!
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