PICPA confers Honorary Life Membership on SM Investments’ Jose Sio

The Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) has named SM Investments Chairman Emeritus Jose T. Sio as an Honorary Life Member, recognizing more than two decades of service and contributions to the accountancy profession.

PICPA cited Sio’s “over 20 years of continued, dedicated service” marked by outstanding accomplishments and active involvement in various accounting and professional organizations that have helped advance the profession.

Sio said the recognition underscores the importance of accountancy in strengthening Philippine businesses and fostering trust among stakeholders. He noted the role of the profession in supporting corporate growth and institutional integrity, particularly in large organizations such as the SM group.

The PICPA honor adds to a series of accolades received by Sio in recent years. In 2023, he was conferred the Accountancy Centenary Award of Excellence, while in 2022 he received the Parangal San Mateo, considered the highest distinction bestowed on an accounting professional.

A native of Iloilo, Sio earned his Commerce degree majoring in Accounting from the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City and completed his Master of Business Administration at New York University in the United States.

Sio joined SM Investments Corp. as chief finance officer in 1990 and later served as chairman of the board in 2017. His tenure as CFO was marked by multiple recognitions from local and international institutions, including a CFO Superstar in Asia award from a New York-based publication in 1997, CFO of the Year honors from ING Bank and the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines in 2009, The Asset magazine in 2010, and FinanceAsia in 2011.

He played a key role in SM Investments’ public listing, which enabled the company’s expansion. The firm’s 2005 initial public offering became the largest in the Philippine stock market and held the distinction for 15 years, from 2005 to 2020. SM Investments later became the second domestic publicly listed company to reach a market capitalization of P1 trillion.

Concurrent with his role as chairman emeritus, Sio serves as a director of China Banking Corp., Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp., and NLEX Corp. He is also a board adviser at BDO Unibank, chairman and president of SM Foundation Inc., and a trustee of Far Eastern University Inc. and Asia Pacific College.