I eventually entered the family business in July. She was 85. His conglomerate company JG Summit Holdings, Inc., had an extensive panoply of business and investment holdings across the Filipino economy, including shipping, telecommunications, retail, financial services, petrochemicals, utilities, aviation, food, beverages, and livestock farming. In February 2008, Forbes Asia magazine placed him on their list of the Heroes of Philanthropy. The list included three other Filipinos, Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Oscar Lpez, and Ramn del Rosario Jr. John Gokongwei was married to Elizabeth Yu from 1958 until his death in 2019. He was 93. In February 2008, Forbes Asia magazine's first Heroes of Philanthropy list included four Filipinos Gokongwei, Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Ramn del Rosario Jr. and Oscar Lpez. John was about 23 or 24 and Elizabeth was 17 when they fell in love. It offered a detailed account of Johns life and struggles. As recently as this June he was still on the dais at the annual shareholder meeting, next to his son and brother as they ran the show. Gokongwei was honored by PeopleAsia magazine as one of its People of the Year awardees in 2006. Tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. (Photo courtesy of JG Summit Holding Inc.) MANILA-- Malacaang expressed its deep condolences to the family of tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. who passed away on Saturday night, remembering him for his "substantial contributions to the country's growth and development.". But commerce in the Philippines is rarely without domestic complications. I was nine then, and hed make beating me look so damn easy. The family discovered that much of the business was built on debt. That was one week before he passed. John's great-grandfather, Pedro Gotiaoco, was among the original rags-to-riches stories in the Philippines. ), As they prepare for the leadership shift, Robinas eldest son, a senior studying chemistry at New York University, will likely be the first member of the third generation to join. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. John made JG Summit Holdings a publicly-listed holding company in November 1990. Cebu Pacific is currently headed by Presidentand CEO Lance Gokongwei, presumptive heir of John Gokongwei, the chairmanemeritus of JG Summit.With a company slogan, "It's time . I couldnt have said it any better. His great-grandfather, Chinese immigration Pedro Gotiaco, rose from being an oil peddler to become proprietor of Gotiaco Hermanos, then the largest enterprise in trading and insurance in Cebu. We must compete not just with rhetoric and words. He also acquired New Zealand-based cookie maker Griffin's Foods for 700 million New Zealand dollars ($609 million at the time), giving Universal Robina a presence in the South Pacific. He was a second cousin once removed of Andrew Gotianun Sr., the founder of Filinvest Development Corporation. "He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Elizabeth, and his children Robina, Lance, Lisa, Faith, Hope, and Marcia; his in-laws and grandchildren; brothers Eddie and James Go, sister Lily; and his nieces and nephews," the statement added. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Ive come to love and enjoy drinking coffee ever since.. Copyright 2023. He had retired in 2016, leaving behind the day-to-day running of the family's businesses to his only son Lance Gokongwei. His foundations bent is education. And now at your old age to tear away from it, its very hard.. John Gokongwei Jr., fondly called Big John, passed away in 2019, but his legacy and business lessons continue to inspire other entrepreneurs. Do you know that his nickname in Hokkien (south Fujian dialect) was Iya? A decade later Lisa would launch Summit Media, this time acquiring no newspapers, just nonpolitical magazines and websites. The Palace expresses its deep condolences to the family, the surviving wife Elizabeth, children Lance, Robina, Lisa, Faith, Hope and Marcia, friends and colleagues of Mr. John Gokongwei, Jr.. We have to look for opportunities if were going to survive the next 50 years. Contact Us John Robinson Lim Gokongwei Jr. was born on August 11, 1926, in Xiamen, Gulangyu Subdistrict, Republic of China, to John Gokongwei, Sr. (Go Kong Wei) and Juanita Mrquez Lim. Front row: Daughters Faith and Marcia Photo by FROM T&C PH. His strong resolve towards life made him successful and become one of the richest men in the. John Gokongwei's Nine Rules of Success. With his money, Big John founded his cornstarch manufacturing company, Universal Corn Products, in 1954. From left to right: Henry, Johnson, Juanita, Edward, John Sr., John Jr., and Lily Christina. He and my grandmother would always winthese two old fellows who, in their late 70s back then, were still very, very sharp. Mrs. Gokongwei was characterized by her children as a selfless mother who always put her family first and described her as the reason behind John Gokongwei's success. My fathers words suddenly made things clear, this was not about money anymore. I have been part of this company for almost a decade now (2yrs to go), and I am proud to still be here to celebrate one of its biggest milestones, its 20th The partnership with Calbee, however, ended five years later as Calbee suffered losses in the Philippine market. [7] In 2004, the company introduced C2, a ready-to-drink tea that went head-to-head with foreign cola companies that dominated the beverage sector in the Philippines. They were the victors at the time.. Robina Y. Gokongwei-Pe is the eldest child John Gokongwei Jr., founder and Chairman Emeritus of the publicly-listed company JG Summit Holdings Inc. (JGSHI). 1! Angkong also always gave me stock advice. Because once when I lived in the US, I came across a wheelchair-bound columnist who wrote about his life. "John Gokongwei Jr., Industry Game Changer; 93", "Watch: John Gokongwei, Jr. Talks About School, Business, and the New Digital Age", "Gokongwei's Nine Rules of Business Success", "A Way out of Poverty, According to 'Mr. He came from Fujian province in China and owned a huge trading company, Gotiaoco Hermanos. He also donated to various educational institutes and was the third-richest man in his country at the time of his death. John Robinson Lim Gokongwei Jr. (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: W Yhu; Peh-e-j: G Ek-hui; 11 August 1926 - 9 November 2019) was a Filipino businessman, investor, and philanthropist. Powered by. Gokongwei is married to Jay Leong. Middle row: John's mother Ana Juanita, son Lance, and daughters Lisa and Hope. He recalls bowing to the imperial soldiers. Through his efficient and competitive businesses, the visionary Gokongwei brought down prices for consumers with his budget airline, affordable foods, and unli-texts and unli-calls for cellphones. Lance was 28 years old, a University of Pennsylvania graduate whod worked at an American bank and done a few job rotations at JG Summit, when he says his father approached him with news hed bought four aircraft and asked him to run their new airline business. John Gokongwei was a Filipino billionaire businessman and philanthropist, best known as the founder and former chairman of JG Summit. I used to visit Angkong a lot at the office when i was still in school. Her name was taken from her father's second name, Robinson. The family fortune was lost after the death of his father in 1939 when Gokongwei was 13 years old and World War II (19391945) was just starting. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The PLDT group later bought the company for $1.7 billion. [18], Gokongwei is the chairman of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, the largest private sector provider of STEM scholarships in the Philippines. [7], On 29 August 2007, at the Ateneo de Manila University, Gokongwei's biography, John L. Gokongwei Jr.: The Path of Entrepreneurship, by the university's Dr. Marites A. Khanser, was launched, and it narrated the "riches-to-rags-to-riches" story of the tai-pan. Under Big Johns leadership, he launched Universal Corn Products (now Universal Robina Corporation), Consolidated Food Corporation (later CFC Corporation), JG Summit Holdings, Cebu Pacific Air, Robinson Retail Holdings, and more. Culture Gokongwei's eldest apo on how he gave his Angkong the biggest smile just before he died "He taught us everything that we needed to know," said eldest Gokongwei grandchild Justin Pe yesterday in his eulogy for his grandfather. John and Elizabeth got married in 1958. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Never stop learning And always look back and be grateful to where you came from. The company was named Universal Corn Products (which later evolved into Universal Robina Corporation). Tycoon John Gokongwei Jr., who is turning 90 by August next year, has made his mark in corporate Philippines as the founder of JG Summit Holdings, a conglomerate seen to have benefited and yet to . The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. I recall that 13 years ago, in 2006, he invited me to dinner a week before his 80th birthday and casually asked a question that almost made me fall off my chair. Gokongwei was the founder and chairman of JG Summit Holdings, which owns . John always went for the best; he liked to take on challenges. His father died when Gokongwei was only age 13. Their love gifted them with six children: Robina, Lance, Lisa, twins Faith and Hope, and Marcia. Maybe Aboitiz is going to the third. (Arguably, its already in the fifth.). We decided to put the same pillow with him now because we know it will provide comfort for him if he knew that that one of his bestselling snacks would go with him to the beyond. Advertise With Us. John Robinson Lim Gokongwei Jr. (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: W Yhu; Peh-e-j: G Ek-hui; 11 August 1926 9 November 2019)[2] was a Filipino businessman, investor, and philanthropist. The Lasallian MASTER recognition was awarded to Mr. John Gokongwei Jr. at the launching of the DLSU College of Business and School of Economics last June 11, 2010 at Dusit Hotel in Makati City. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. (Although James says his retirement wont be total retirementI will still be around as executive chairman. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Nonpolitical magazines and websites Hope, and Marcia Photo by from T amp... 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