Speaker Bio

 Chief Strategy Officer of  Metro Retail Stores Group Inc.  

JJ is a former Philippine Navy officer (with a rank of Commander) and had a successful stint in the Armed Forces of the Philippines where he earned various medals and recognitions for both combat and administrative accomplishments. 

He has dedicated the past two decades of his professional life to developing and implementing transformational programs at both macro and enterprise levels.

From 2000-2010, JJ worked as a corporate governance (CG) advocate and regulator. He was one of the pioneers of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) where he served in various capacities including as President & CEO. He was also the first VP-CG and Chief Risk Officer of the Philippine Stock Exchange where authored many of the PSE’s CG Rules, most notable of which is the CG Rules for Publicly-Listed Companies. He was likewise the Philippine representative to various corporate governance initiatives of the OECD and the World Bank. 

From 2010, JJ worked on “creating, capturing and sustaining value” through developing sound strategies (mostly on international expansion/growth) and designing & implementing the respective strategy execution systems, in various organizations–mostly family and state-owned corporations-around Southeast Asia. This was in his capacity as Principal & Head of Southeast Asia of Palladium Group, the strategy execution consulting firm founded by “Balanced Scorecard” developers Robert Kaplan & David Norton; as well as a consultant to the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group where the engagements involved making IFC-investee companies “investor ready” for either an IPO or the entry of strategic investor. 

Seven years ago, JJ decided to focus his talents in helping Philippine corporations and so joined a fast-growing conglomerate of the Gaisano family where he now serves as Chief Strategy & Governance Officer of the group’s flagship company (Metro Retail Stores Group Inc.). He is likewise currently in charge of, among others, business development, strategy, mergers & acquisitions, investor relations, E-commerce, and other strategic transformational programs.

JJ studied in various educational institutions such as the University of Nottingham (under the prestigious Chevening program), Yale School of Management, Melbourne Business School, and the Asian Institute of Management.  He graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 1993.

JJ is a graduate of the Advance Management Program at IESE Business School, University of Navarra in Barcelona, Spain.