As the scion of one of the country’s biggest conglomerates, Alliance Global Group, Inc., Kevin Tan’s visionary leadership prioritizes social impact, job creation, and sustainability alongside profit. By crafting communities that promote a better way of life, the property and hotel developer is set to maintain its standing as a leading force for economic prosperity.
Anyone in the Philippines, or even just visiting, would most likely have encountered a product or service from the Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGI). Be it while living or working in one of their townships, vacationing or shopping at their luxury hotels or malls, or even toasting success through their liquors, one would have inadvertently interacted with AGI. One person who has been integral to this far-reaching expansion is of course Kevin Tan, CEO and president of the listed holding company, executive director of the board of Megaworld, and director or president of their many other companies.
With diversified interests spread all over the archipelago, the Filipino conglomerate has indeed had an immense impact on our economy, culture, and even our way of life. And as the eldest son of Alliance Global’s founder Dr. Andrew Tan, Kevin has exemplified steadfast and visionary leadership and continues to take on more roles within their billion-dollar firm.
Against the backdrop of the Metro Manila skyline, he sits with Lifestyle Asia for the cover shoot at the Chairman’s Suite of the Marriott. The five-star establishment is just one of the many hotels under their hospitality division, Travellers International Hotel Group, which also includes Hotel Okura and Hilton Manila. In his mid-40’s, the young executive is both dapper and down-to-earth, with a friendly, but straightforward demeanor.
Creating Opportunities From Humble Beginnings
Established by Kevin’s father in 1989, and incorporated in 1993, Alliance Global is one of the most prominent conglomerates in our country with registered revenues of P210.8 billion in 2023. And while the company’s interests are highly varied, it is widely known for its real estate division, Megaworld, of which Kevin has long held a prominent position. As of last October however, he assumes an even greater role as executive director, of which he is grateful for.
“I feel very blessed and fortunate to be given this responsibility to help steer the company to new heights,” he shares. “Our purpose has always been to create communities where we can really enhance and also uplift people’s lives. And we also help impact society and help shape the nation. That’s our vision.”
Pioneering a concept of modern communities where both commerce and leisure are within reach, Megaworld is poised to have developed 35 of these townships by the end of the 2024. This is strategically in line with their 35th anniversary. “What we want to create is this first world lifestyle for our community. And it’s only possible through these township developments where everything is fully integrated,” shares Kevin. “We see an opportunity to be able to do that within an enclave, because we can control all the connectivity.”
Crafting Communities Of Tomorrow
One of their earliest projects, and a testament to the viability of their live-work-play-learn concept is Eastwood City. What started as an area that combined residences with offices, blossomed into an ecosystem with the addition of malls and other services upon Kevin’s suggestion to their team. Since then, Megaworld has been instrumental in elevating the landscape of the metro with developments such as Newport City, McKinley Hill, Forbes Town, and more. With more than 5000 hectares under their belt, they have become the country’s biggest real estate developer. They likewise have plans to leverage their expertise to develop even more locations.
“We’re very excited about our new properties, because we’re trying to do different things now. We’re very good at building cities where we build CBDs,” he shares. Northwin Global City in Bulacan is one example, a transit-related development connected to the North Rail and to Clark. The Upper East in Bacolod is yet another master-planned lifestyle hub, which is similar to another successful project, Iloilo Business Park.
Kevin conveys that they are also prioritizing wellness. This is exemplified by San Benito Private Estate in Batangas, developed in collaboration with The Farm. “We’re also very excited about going into Palawan with Paragua Coastown, which is going to be a tourism estate development similar to what we did in Boracay. And of course, our latest will be the one in Ilocos Norte called Ilocandia Coastown, which is going to be a Spanish-inspired heritage coastal town by the water,” he shares of the different concepts they are working on.
With commerce typically concentrated in Metro Manila, Kevin conveys how they would like to create the same opportunities all over the country and be a catalyst for growth. “When you do that, you’re giving employment. But at the same time, you’re also developing new areas around the Philippines,” he says. “We try to create new areas of economic activity, to prime the area so it can stand on its own as a region, or as an economy.”
Global Excellence With A Filipino Heart
As a truly diversified conglomerate, Alliance Global has interests in liquor, gaming, and food. This is on top of its prominence in the real estate and hospitality segments. This includes their interest in Golden Arches Development Corporation with tycoon George Yang. This company in turn controls the franchise of McDonald’s in the Philippines.
They likewise own Emperador, a proudly homegrown label and also the world’s largest brandy manufacturer. Fueled by their success, they have also acquired vineyards in Spain, distilleries in Scotland, as well as the Spanish heritage brandy Fundador. Kevin’s favorite drink, The Dalmore, is likewise one of their own, through their Scottish subsidiary Whyte & MacKay.
“We want to be a strong Filipino company with a big global footprint through our products,” states Kevin. He shares how their liquor business has operations all over the world, and cements them as a high-end lifestyle conglomerate. “All our products are really geared towards a more premium segment, and the products that we create are really for that.” As an added testament to their level of excellence, the firm was awarded one of Time Magazine’s “World’s Best Companies of 2024”, in a roster that also includes firms like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Transformative Leadership
Given the many companies under his purview, Kevin’s days are filled with numerous meetings with various departments and teams. He visits their many townships and malls, while checking up on their construction projects. He attests to starting his days early where he usually goes around BGC, then at night, transfers to Newport World Resorts. “My joke is that my day job is real estate, and then my night job is here in the casino,” he shares with a laugh.
Despite the immense fortitude and agility required to be a key leader in a conglomerate of this scale, Kevin somehow takes it all in stride. The visionary executive offers a fresh perspective, and even goes as far as to cultivating and focusing on a higher purpose. “First off, as a company, profit is not the most important thing for us. Of course, it is important, but not the highest priority,” he shares. “The highest priority for us is what we can contribute to society. And the way we feel we can contribute to society is by creating livelihood and jobs.”
“When we build a community, there are countless jobs created from the offices, from hospitality, construction, retail, and all the related services and products that are created to make the township work,” declares Kevin. The company is likewise on track to reach its goal to create five million jobs by 2035. “That’s how we feel we can impact society. And that is our greatest motivation to invest and to continue to grow,” he declares.
Alliance Global, through its various companies, is also the biggest hotel operator in the country with 8,500 rooms. “We want to build it up to 12,000 rooms in the next few years,” declares Kevin. The company is ramping up investment in the Philippines’ tourism and hospitality sector, creating a diverse range of hotel rooms, convention centers, dining establishments, and more, to craft exceptional guest experiences.
Investing In The Future
Aligned with this monumental economic growth of AGI, is an equal focus on environmental responsibility. The conglomerate best expresses through their conglomerate-wide “Sustan-AGI-lity” framework. The multi-pronged initiative takes a long-term view. It aims to take on a holistic approach to sustainability be it through recycling, creating energy-efficient homes, or ensuring employee and community wellness and empowerment. “We need to be more responsible for the future. We see the need more than ever when we go to certain communities and certain places. And we see the concerns of climate change all around us. So, we need to do our part as a company,” he says.
He shares that they are almost at 100% renewable energy for all of Megaworld’s operating assets, and are on track to be carbon neutral for the group by 2030. Travellers International Hotel Group, on the other hand, is at 30% renewable energy, and growing.
He likewise declares how they’re currently working to bring Tesla into the country. “We’re trying to promote the whole electric car movement. And we hope to partner with them more, building more presence in the different parts of the Philippines,” he discloses.
The company also gives back through the Megaworld Foundation. The organization provides scholarships to deserving students, hosts medical missions and tree-planting activities, as well as other outreach programs. On top of this, Kevin personally believes in supporting the Hospicio de San Jose orphanage. “We’ve been paying for the education of children there for several years now,” he reveals.
Of course, during the pandemic, their clients and their employees were top of mind, and it was integral for them to prevent layoffs. Now that they’re back on their feet and in an even better financial position, they are truly poised to assume a greater role to give back to society.
Supporting The Next Generation
Another way Kevin believes they can help is by training people in the necessary skills needed for employment through their school. Known as the Academy for Leisure and Tourism (A.L.T.), it serves as the educational arm of the Newport World Resorts. It is also named after Kevin’s father and the group’s chairman and founder, Dr. Andrew L. Tan. “We want to develop the next generation of hospitality workers, because Filipino hospitality workers are the best in the world,” Kevin says. By providing employment within the country, through their hotels or many townships, Filipino families are better able to stay together.
Kevin has expressed their company’s desire to help the nation’s performing arts sector flourish. “We want to build theaters, and we want to create programs to be able to develop that art because we think that can be a very strong tourism driver,” he shares. “But also, I think as an industry, it can be very big. It has so much potential, and it can also again provide lots of employment. And it can actually put the Philippines on the map.”
Aside from continuing their support for the world-class productions at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, the company also recently launched the REP Eastwood Theater in Eastwood City. This facility is the new home of Repertory Philippines. This theater group had in the past helped launch the careers of noted performers like Lea Salonga and Monique Wilson.
On top of this, Travellers International Hotel Group is building the country’s first Grand Opera House. The sprawling 2,100-seat venue will also be connected to three smaller theaters in Entertainment City in Pasay. This, according to the firm, furthers their goal of positioning the country as the Broadway of Asia.
Family Values
Aside from being an astute businessman, he is likewise a doting father of two children with wife Michelle. Like his parents, he would also want to teach his kids Katy and Drew good values. “I want them to be humble,” he shares. “And I’m a prayerful person, so I want their Catholic values to be strong. And of course, I want them to have a very good education.”
He recalls how important the right principles had been for his dad, and his mom Katherine, while he had been growing up. “My parents have always taught me to live life with integrity. I think that should be the cornerstone of all your values. Of course, we need to always strive for excellence,” he states.
Likewise, as a father, he prioritizes raising his kids well, and reveals he can be a bit strict. Nonetheless, he makes it a point to really get to know them. “I really talk to them, on their language and on their level. And I really try to understand what they’re into, “he reveals. “I try to watch what they’re watching, and try to read what they’re reading, so that I can kind of understand the way they are. And so that I can also influence them during their formative years,” he says. Their mother Michelle is also very hands-on, with a graceful resilience admired and appreciated by those around her.
Despite Kevin’s jampacked schedule, he always makes sure to have time for his family. “I’m very into weekends with them, and I travel a lot with my kids. We really like to explore some places, and so I make it a point to travel with them at least every quarter, or even every other month,” declares the devoted dad. On their bucket list is a trip to the North Pole to look at the Northern lights. The Tans would also love to visit Africa in the near future.
For the holidays, Kevin reveals that they usually vacation with his parents and their whole family. They then make their way back home for New Year’s for their countdown, celebrating the past year and welcoming the new one in style.
Nation Building As Priority
Through exceptional synergy, a customer-centric approach, and innovative leadership, the holding company and many of its subsidiaries have reported new highs in terms of revenue. For Alliance Global and Kevin, however, this is still secondary in comparison to their desire to contribute positively to nation building. “Success now is also how many lives we have changed,” he declares. “How many people have we reached with our products, with our services, with our businesses? And how many families have we actually impacted in positive ways, or given livelihood to?”
Power, like success for him, pertains more to what he can do for others. “Power for me is having a purpose, a bigger purpose more than profit. What can you do for your country? What can you do for your community? That for me is power,” he shares.
Thus, it’s no surprise that when asked, he would like his legacy to be about job creation. “It’s to help people find decent livelihoods, to enable them to have a chance at a good life,” he shares. “Creating new industries, or helping the country create new industries, helping do things. That I would say right now is my purpose.”
Text MARIANE PEREZ
Photos LEM ATIENZA assisted by ANDREA MALAYA
Sittings Editor CANDY DIZON
Creative Director PAOLO TORIO
Grooming CATS DEL ROSARIO
Stylist ROKO ARCEO assisted by GISELLE BARNACHEA
Sr. Associate Producer MAE TALAID
Shot on Location MARRIOTT HOTEL MANILA AT NEWPORT WORLD RESORTS
