Revamping an organization’s leadership periodically can bring fresh perspectives, new ideas, and different strategies, which can drive innovation, address stagnation, and improve company performance.

In Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI), a reshuffling will happen starting next year after Robina Gokongwei-Pe steps down from her position as president and chief executive officer (CEO), with company veteran Stanley Co replacing her.

Under a management shakeup, the listed firm said Gokongwei-Pe will transition to the role of chairman, effective 1 January 2025. She will also be chairman of the Remuneration, Nomination, and Succession Planning Committee.

“With Stanley at the helm, drawing on his extensive experience and service to the company, I am confident that Robinsons Retail will continue to deliver long-term value for our customers, partners, and the communities we serve. I would also like to thank Lance for his sterling example as chairman and I hope to fulfill his role as well as he has,” Gokongwei-Pe said.

Meanwhile, her brother, Lance Gokongwei, will also resign from his role as chairman and director of RRHI to become a board adviser.

James Go will remain as RRHI vice chairman, while Co will join the company’s board to complete the nine-seat body.

Curtis Liu, meanwhile, has been appointed as director and a member of the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee, effective 1 September 2024, succeeding Choo Peng Chee.

Amid all the changes, Co will anchor RRHI’s boat towards financial stability next year.

The RRHI Board of Directors, as disclosed in a stock exchange report, approved the designation of Co, RRHI’s chief operating officer, as the next president and CEO.

“I hope to continue building on our strong foundation as a trusted partner of choice as we unlock a future brimming with exciting possibilities and joyful shopping experiences,” Co said.

Trusted hand

Co, a veteran of RRHI for over two decades, contributes significant expertise in various areas, including operations, strategic planning, marketing, merchandising, and omnichannel retailing.

Before assuming the COO role, Co was the managing director of RRHI’s Supermarket Segment, encompassing Robinsons Supermarket, The Marketplace, Robinsons Easymart and Shopwise.

During his tenure, he oversaw the segment’s expansion into unexplored territories and skillfully managed omnichannel retailing amidst the pandemic, encompassing over 300 stores nationwide.

Co spent most of his time at RRHI as head of the DIY Segment, including Handyman and True Value, along with overseeing the franchises Daiso Japan and Pet Lovers Centre.

Co believes he is destined to be the RRHI’s tool authority.

Co often refers to a theory called Nominative Determinism which suggests that people gravitate toward professions or interests that are associated with the name of a person.

Co believes his name is the perfect example of this widely-held belief.

“My Dad got my name from the famous American tool brand,” he offered.

“It’s a true story! So, when I moved to Robinsons Retail to join Handyman [in 2003], everybody said, Oh, you’re meant to be in hardware.”

For the next 18 years at Robinsons Retail, Stan was involved with tools and hardware in one way or another.

He was later transferred to Robinsons Retail’s Supermarket Segment in March 2021.

Like most Filipino-Chinese children, Stan joined his family’s business after an Economics course at the University of Santo Tomas in 1998. He was looking at pursuing a career in research.

Co later decided to pursue a master’s degree in business administration at De La Salle University.

His long tryst with tools started when he was a student, he started frequenting the Handyman branch in nearby Ermita because he was fascinated with hardware, DIY gear and car accessories.

After earning his MBA in March 2003, an online ad for a job opening in Handyman caught his eye. A couple of months later, Stan came on board in June 2003 as a division merchandise manager with plumbing and electrical products under his supervisory portfolio.

“I knew nothing about those products!” shares Stan. But being naturally curious and competitive, and his fascination with hardware tools, he quickly learned on the job.

“What I did was I took out all the catalogs, brought them home, and went over them to study. I also spent a lot of time in the stores, talking to people, merchandisers in particular, because they know their products very well. If you want to know and understand the business, you have to talk to all of those people. That’s how I got to know the business.”

Dedication to work has Stan’s typical day starting at 5 in the morning and he’s usually at the office by 7, coming early so he can have some quiet time at work.

By the time most of his people started to come in at 8, 9, and 10 o’clock, depending on their shifts, Co had finished doing personal tasks.

With 20 years at Robinsons Retail tucked under his belt, Co said he continues to look forward to a new day which is his source of energy in leading RRHI to a stronger future.