Youngblood of real estate

• Published date: 07 December 2019
• Publication title: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Philippine real estate industry is bound to get even more exciting in the coming years as the youngblood of prominent families in property development start to make their own legacies in the field.

In the recent years, we see more of the younger generation at the forefront of real estate as their elders begin to pass the baton to them, ushering in new leadership in the industry and giving more room for them to put into practice what they have learned while growing up in the business.

The most thrilling thing the industry can look forward to is not just how they will continue the good work already done, but how they will become the new gamechangers with bigger ideals, bolder moves, and ambitious plans in developing projects that will benefit Filipinos in the future.

KEVIN TAN

Kevin Tan, chief executive officer of Alliance Global Group. Inc (AGI) and executive vice president of Megaworld Corp., took on a role of being a sales agent-the one you find in malls, handing out flyers to sell condominium units.

Despite being the eldest son of visionary tycoon and Megaworld chair and founder Andrew L. Tan, Kevin had to work his way up just like any employee.

Joining the workforce

Kevin, who just turned 40 this year, was only 22 when he joined the family business in the early 2000s.

After earning a bachelor's degree in business administration, major in management from the University of Asia and the Pacific, Kevin collected close to two decades worth of experience in retail leasing, marketing and operations. Earlier in his career, he even took the role of a salesman who had a regular quota and had to report to a sales director. These experiences groomed him to become a force to reckon with in the retail and real estate industry today.

Kevin was previously the first vice president for the commercial division at Megaworld, a job that put him in charge of the company's entire mall business. This meant he was in charge of planning, development, marketing, operations, and leasing of the Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.

Today, he is the executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Megaworld and the new CEO of AGI after the elder Tan retired as CEO of his property, gaming and globalizing consumer empire.

AGI is the parent firm of Megaworld, integrated gaming developer Travellers International Hotel Group, global beverage-maker Emperador Inc. and the Philippine McDonald's master franchise-holder Golden Arches Development Corp.

The younger Tan also currently leads AGI's newly created unit, Infracorp Development Inc., the group's vehicle for infrastructure-building.

Brainchild of Kevin

Kevin actually pitched the idea of starting a mall business and incorporating these malls in the developments of Megaworld. The company's upscale lifestyle malls, which include Eastwood Mall, Newport Mall, Venice Grand Canal Mall, Uptown Mall and Lucky Chinatown, are known for their unique themed designs.

The company also has the so-called 'community malls,' such as San Lorenzo Place, Paseo Center, Three Central, Village Square, Forbes Town and Mactan Alfresco, which are relatively smaller premier malls that are just a stone's throw away from upscale residences.

Megaworld opened Festive Walk Mall in Iloilo last year, its largest lifestyle mall development outside Luzon. Another provincial mall is the Southwoods Mall, its 14th mall located in Biñan City, Laguna.

In the opening of Southwoods Mall, Kevin had said, it 'will be another showcase of how we want our next lifestyle malls to look like (while) keeping in mind the distinct character of every township that we've built.'

Eight new malls and commercial centers are set to open in the next three years in Cebu, Bacolod, Davao, Boracay, Cavite and Pampanga, as Kevin envisions to have a mall in every Megaworld township and continue to support local entrepreneurs in their retail developments.

In August, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls launched a new logo, unveiled in time for the property giant's 30th anniversary this year. Kevin said the logo was given fluidity and flexibility and an appeal that transcends age, identity and culture.

Meanwhile, integrating arts and culture in the company's townships is another strategy the younger Kevin plans to take.

A prime example of this is Megaworld's Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art (Ilomoca), which he said, has opened the eyes and the minds of the arts community in the province. The Arco de Emperador, unveiled this year, and an upcoming museum in Arcovia City are expected to create the same effect.

As head of the conglomerate, Kevin announced in June this year the company's five-year digital transformation plan to address its need to adapt to...