A purpose bigger than business
MANILA, Philippines — 'I'm grateful for the opportunity to find purpose in his group…This job is public service.'
Gilbert Gabriel Santa Maria has spent his career leading organizations through transformation. By the time he joined the MVP Group, he had already built an impressive track record as a chief executive across different industries.
What surprised him most upon working with Manny V. Pangilinan was not the scale of the business empire, but the discipline behind its leadership.
"Professional, Western-style corporate leadership, period. Filipino core values and cultural sensitivities, period," Santa Maria says of his first impression.
Having worked with leaders across different organizations, he quickly recognized qualities that distinguished Pangilinan.
"He has an impressive grasp of detail, especially in light of the breadth and scale of his enterprise," Santa Maria says. "He has a very clear investment thesis regarding every company, but he's also open-minded about opportunities and risks."
Despite overseeing businesses across numerous industries, Pangilinan remains deeply engaged in the details.
"He sits, listens, writes down notes," Santa Maria observes. "His grasp of detail in board meetings is very, very deep."
One conversation, however, would change Santa Maria's own career path.
Initially, he believed Pangilinan wanted him to lead Maynilad. Instead, he was offered a different challenge.
"He said, 'I don't think I need you in Maynilad. I think I want you to run Tollways,'" Santa Maria recalls. "That was new."
Today, he leads Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, one of the country's largest infrastructure companies.
For Santa Maria, the appointment reflected Pangilinan's confidence in the people he chooses.
"He hires you, puts you on the board, and basically you have to go answer for the company," he says. "He wants to make sure you're aligned with him, and then he trusts you to do the work."
Although infrastructure was new to him, Santa Maria embraced the opportunity.
"This is my first infrastructure company," he says. "He hired me to do it. How much more influence could you have?"
Working within the MVP Group has also reinforced another idea that resonates strongly with him, that business carries responsibilities beyond financial performance.
Asked how Pangilinan has influenced his perspective on leadership, Santa Maria answers simply:
"This job is public service."
That philosophy, he says, was one of the reasons he accepted the opportunity to join the MVP Group.
"Joining this group, there are opportunities to add value," he says. "I wouldn't have joined them otherwise."
Away from board meetings, Santa Maria has also come to appreciate Pangilinan's personal qualities.
He describes him as humble, possessing a dry sense of humor and an appreciation for art and beauty that is reflected throughout the offices of the companies he leads.
"MVP is never arrogant," he says.
Even after only months of working together, Santa Maria believes those qualities have shaped the culture of the organization just as much as its business success.
As Pangilinan celebrates his 80th birthday, Santa Maria offers a message that reflects both gratitude and optimism.
"Blessings and prayers for his health," he says.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to find purpose in his group."
