Companies pursuing long-term growth must develop leaders who act with integrity, maintain close ties with their workforce, and tailor their management strategies to local cultures, according to women executives who spoke at the National Retail Conference and Expo, the Philippine Retailers Association's flagship industry event, last week.

Robinsons Land Corp. President Maria Socorro Isabelle V. Aragon-GoBio advised young professionals to build depth in their roles, allowing them to sharpen their skills and see long-term projects through from start to finish. Robinsons Land is the real estate arm of JG Summit Holdings, one of the Philippines' largest family-founded conglomerates, a backdrop that informs much of her guidance on leadership continuity.

"Staying also forces you to confront the consequences of your decisions," Ms. GoBio said, noting that real estate projects can span several years before completion.

Extended tenures also equip leaders with the experience required to navigate companies through major crises, she added, pointing to the Asian financial crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, and conflict in the Middle East as formative challenges.

In legacy-driven organizations, professional chief executive officers must exhibit the same stewardship that family members are expected to uphold, Ms. GoBio said — a principle especially relevant in Southeast Asia, where family-controlled conglomerates dominate key industries and transitions to professional management remain a recurring governance theme.

"When the family sees that your decisions are based on integrity and commitment to the long-term growth of the company rather than being driven by personal ambition, I think the transition… becomes a nonissue," she said.

Asticom President Mharicar Castillo-Reyes credited her human resources background for shaping her people-centered leadership philosophy. Asticom, a Globe Telecom-incubated technology group, scaled rapidly during a period when Philippine business process outsourcing and digital services were expanding to meet surging enterprise demand.

"Every business is a people business. Regardless [of] whether it's a real estate or a technology company, it's all about people," Ms. Castillo-Reyes said.

Under her leadership, Asticom expanded from five employees to 5,000 within three years, she noted.

Ms. Castillo-Reyes emphasized that leaders must engage with employees directly to safeguard company culture during periods of rapid growth.

"Listening is not about feedback forms [or] surveys… You need to be on the ground, really hearing it directly from them," she said, referencing her meetings with engineers in northern and central Luzon.

During the pandemic, Asticom pursued an aggressive expansion strategy and emerged as a diversified portfolio group in 2021, with operations spanning staffing, business process outsourcing, and engineering services.

PT Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk Head of Luxury Retail Mia Egron stressed that regional leaders need to respect local traditions and languages to earn employee trust. PT Mitra Adiperkasa is one of Indonesia's largest specialty retailers, operating distribution for numerous global brands across the archipelago's diverse markets.

Drawing on her professional experience in New York and Singapore, Ms. Egron said cultural awareness demands deliberate and sustained effort from leaders.

She characterized her leadership style as "tough love," combining genuine concern for employees with high expectations grounded in a belief in their potential. — Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales