Ayala Corp. is looking to build on its strongest year ever by sustaining efforts to work together as a more connected Group that delivers greater value to stakeholders.

During its annual stockholders meeting, Ayala Corp. chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala highlighted the importance of continuing to build a more cohesive Ayala Group that creates greater shared value following its record core earnings of P45 billion in 2024.

“Our priority is to build an Ayala that is much more focused, highly collaborative, and meaningfully relevant to our stakeholders and communities,” he said during his address to stockholders.

The company managed to deliver record results amid a challenging business climate that is projected to continue given concerns of slower global trade and geopolitical uncertainty.

Nonetheless, Ayala Corp. president and CEO Cezar Consing expressed measured optimism that strengthening the major and smaller businesses and capitalizing on the Group’s ecosystem will enable Ayala to deliver long-term value.

Underpinning this view is the Ayala Group’s P230-billion capital expenditure program to support Group businesses which have the potential to meaningfully scale.

This program is timely as the next decade could be one of considerable growth for the Group.

Consing also noted the importance of Ayala’s rationalization initiatives as consistent with the Group’s greater focus on business activities that generate the most value.

“2025 could be an inflection year for our smaller businesses. Each of them undertook major rationalization initiatives last year, and we should begin to see the payoffs of such moves this year,” he said.

For example, AC Health will further grow its provider business by expanding its hospital and multi-specialty clinic footprint.

ACMobility, meanwhile, will continue to invest in growing its new electric vehicle business, add company-owned dealerships, and expand its charging infrastructure.

AC Logistics will work with global leader A.P. Møller Capital to grow its local business.

Ayala Corp. also welcomed to its Board of Directors Emmanuel Maceda, chairman of Bain & Company, following his election during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting.

Bain & Company, which is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the world’s leading management consulting firms.

Maceda replaced former Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, who has served as independent director at Ayala Corp. since 2022.

Zobel thanked him for his exceptional contributions particularly in enhancing governance, financial, risk management and sustainability practices at the company.

“We are excited to have Manny join us at Ayala Corporation. He has advised global CEOs on large-scale transformations, strategy, growth, and organizational effectiveness. His experience and expertise align with Ayala’s thinking and direction for the future, covering new technologies, including artificial intelligence, and stakeholder-centric capitalism, among many others,” Zobel said.