Aboitiz chief tracks techglomerate journey

Aboitiz Group president and CEO Sabin Aboitiz brought a wealth of knowledge and transformative leadership insights to the esteemed 21st Forbes Global CEO Conference in Singapore on 11 September.

The conference, themed "Sea Change," provided a platform for Aboitiz to share his vision and expertise as he spearheads the Aboitiz Group's journey toward becoming the maiden techglomerate in the country.

The Forbes Global CEO Conference is an annual gathering of influential leaders and visionaries who engage in insightful discussions and brainstorming sessions about the global economic landscape.

Approximately 500 distinguished CEOs, thought leaders, entrepreneurs and investors attended this year's conference to navigate the ever-evolving waves of economic transformation.

Aboitiz, standing alongside notable leaders in Asia, participated in a thought-provoking panel entitled "Captains Courageous," which explored the themes of courage and leadership.

Distinguished peers

His fellow panelists included Binod K. Chaudhary, chairman of CG Corp Global; Mike Federle, CEO of Forbes Media; Nuno Matos, CEO of Wealth and Personal Banking at HSBC; and Arsjad Rasjid, president director of Indika Energy and chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The panel conversation delved into the intricacies of courage and leadership, offering profound insights into the mindset of successful CEOs and the principles that have shaped their illustrious careers. Forbes assistant managing editor Diane Brady posed thought-provoking questions encouraging panelists to share their most courageous decisions, reflect on moments when their courage faltered, and acknowledge the influential leaders who have guided their paths.

Drawing upon his extensive and exemplary leadership experience across various roles and companies within the Aboitiz Group, Aboitiz imparted invaluable wisdom on the concept of courage. He emphasized that courage takes on different meanings depending on individual circumstances and available options.

"Courage means different things to different people depending on who they are or what situation they're in," Aboitiz stated.

"Just like being generous means different things to different people. Courage is what you're willing to give up, depending on the situation you're in. If you've got lots of options, then frankly, you're not that courageous. If you have no options, the more you have to lose, the more courageous you are," he added.

Following his engaging participation in the high-profile conference, Aboitiz was interviewed by CNBC Asia where he provided insights on how the Aboitiz Group is embarking on its Great Transformation journey.

There was also huge interest in the recent partnership of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC to acquire Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc. for $1.8 billion.

It will be a joint venture where CCEP would be the majority owner at 60 percent while AEV will own 40 percent.

This is in line with the direction to diversify a bit more into retail.

"This goes back to our strategy to move a little out of one industry which is power and diversify a little bit into retail. Coca-Cola is the best brand in the world, so we thought that it would be the best way to move into the beverage and into more retail direction to be able to balance our portfolio," Aboitiz explained.

As the lead convenor of the Private Sector Advisory Council, Aboitiz also highlighted the importance of the private sector's involvement especially in digitizing government services which President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had been advocating.