A passion for building

Ayala Land chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala calls it an “organization made up of talented people that have nurtured a visionary and innovative mindset — an ability to see something out of nothing.”

Ayala Land president Antonino Aquino describes it as “an organization that is attuned to the needs of its customers. This enables the company to respond with products and services that also evolve as their requirements change over the years.”

The top two men in Ayala Land are talking about the success of a company that practically built the country’s premier business district, Makati CBD, and so many other enduring legacies not just in Metro Manila but in key cities like Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao.

This is what Ayala Land does best, says Aquino, to build a community or a township, to manage it, to shepherd it as the times are changing and — as a company — to grow with it.

It takes a long-term view to all its developments — whether it’s as huge and mixed-use as NUVALI or Makati CBD, or a purely residential community such as Forbes Park and Ayala Alabang. It evolves along with the changing lifestyles of the people and, most of the time, it redefines these lifestyles even as people themselves have not yet decided what they want.

Take Greenbelt, for example, which has drastically changed the malling experience of shoppers and how they define “leisure.” When people thought Greenbelt was completed, Ayala Land went on to renovate, redesign and build the rest of Ayala Center to include iconic hotels such as Raffles and Fairmont, globally recognized Holiday Inn Makati for savvy travellers; the new Glorietta Mall; the branded Raffles Residences; offices made for BPOs;  high-end residential towers, Ayala Land Premier’s Park Terraces and Garden Towers. And on the other side of EDSA, it built what is widely regarded as another Makati CBD — Bonifacio Global City, which benefits from the wisdom of masterplanning an ever-evolving CBD. At the other end of Makati, there is Circuit Makati, a mixed-use urban center that is planned to be the city’s entertainment district.

“We successfully build and manage integrated, mixed-use, and sustainable communities that raise the quality of life of our customers,” says Aquino. “We are thankful that many opportunities have opened up for us to be able to implement such developments.”

Over the past years, Ayala Land has expanded to more areas all over the country and introduced new products at various price points — from the upscale Ayala Land Premier, followed by Alveo, Avida Amaia and BellaVita — with the objective of serving a broader segment of the market. 

“We have adapted to the changing business environment, continuously redeveloping our communities according to the needs of our customers,” Aquino continues. “We have also been able to introduce new products that complete our mixed-use developments including our own contemporary Filipino-themed hotel brand, Seda, and convenience store Family Mart. We will soon build hospitals, department stores, and supermarkets in our communities.”

As much as the past is a sterling example of how a company can grow and help build a nation, the future is also an exciting time.

Here, Ayala Land chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala and president Antonino Aquino look back at the past 25 years and look forward with optimism at the country’s future.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR: What is Ayala Land’s key to success in the past 25 years?

FERNANDO ZOBEL DE AYALA: We have an organization that is able to evolve through the many changes in the business environment and has kept us focused on creating future value for our customers. We are also guided by a legacy built on trust, and this is a result of the valuable relationships we have formed with our partners, customers and employees through the years.

Where do you plan to take the company in the next decade or so?

ANTONINO AQUINO: We plan to be at the forefront of property development, aligned with and prepared to support the expected growth of the Philippine economy. We intend to be present in every major urban and regional center in the country where we can build large-scale, integrated, mixed-use, sustainable developments and make our products available to more people. 

ZOBEL DE AYALA: I envision the company to be unceasing in its efforts to bring integrated, master-planned communities to new expansion areas in the country, creating economic momentum, and uplifting the quality of the customer experience. 

In past interviews, we have often heard of the Ayala DNA. Can you expound on this? Describe the culture at Ayala Land and why it works.

ZOBEL DE AYALA: Our adherence to the core values of excellence and integrity is something that is passed on from generation to generation. It is right at the core of planning, management, and operations. Through the years, we have managed to set the proper structure and systems that will support our vision and concretize this based on operating principles that are anchored on our core values.   

AQUINO: The Ayala brand is best exemplified by the successful master-planning and development of Makati CBD, one of the few CBDs in the world developed by the private sector. This is a result of a long-term vision, defined by quality execution, and sustained by continuing investment and redevelopment. The best practices from Makati CBD have been replicated in all our subsequent developments such as Alabang, Bonifacio Global City, Cebu, and now in many other new growth centers all over the country.  

How does the company balance business objectives and its role in nation building?

ZOBEL DE AYALA: Our developments should result in increased economic activity, generate more employment, promote local culture, and generally enhance the quality of life of the people in the areas where we come in. By developing well-planned communities in more areas in the country, we hope to contribute to the over-all economic goals set by the national government.     

AQUINO: Our efforts in the company are bound by sustainability goals that enable us to attain parallel business, social, and environmental objectives. Our core products are designed and developed based on sustainability principles that support growth, social development, responsible land use, and environment protection.

Our initiatives are always supportive of national development goals, providing products that address the needs of the broadest segment of the market.  We offer communities that are complete, pedestrian-friendly, connected and accessible, enhanced by sufficient open spaces and greenery, which improve quality of life. 

What differentiates Ayala Land communities and townships from others?

ZOBEL DE AYALA: We offer our customers an opportunity to own or experience a quality of life that fulfills aspirations for themselves and their families. Our commitment to them is expressed through our continued presence in the various communities we have built over the years, guiding its growth and transformation long after these have been completed.

AQUINO: Our large-scale, integrated, mixed-use, and sustainable communities, starting with Makati, are now present in major urban and regional centers in the country.  Careful master-planning centered on sustainability, the quality of execution, complete product offerings, and continuing redevelopment, make our developments distinct. Due to these aspects, property values appreciate much faster in our developments, boosting economic activity in the area.

ALI has expanded in the past years in hotels and resorts, and now a partnership with UPMC. How is the hotel and resort division doing and what other partnerships are in the plans?

AQUINO: Our expansion to hotels and resorts, and recently medical facilities, is part of our plan to provide a complete line of products in our developments. Our investment in hotels and resorts supports government efforts to promote Philippine tourism and boost development in provincial growth centers. Providing modern medical facilities in our developments will also complement such efforts. We formed strategic alliances with various groups to support our goals, partnering with established operators for schools, places of worship, convenience stores, and hospitals. We recognize that having easy access to such places is essential to our customers.

What are the green initiatives being followed in Ayala Land communities?

AQUINO: Sustainability is embedded in every stage of our project development cycle. From planning and design to construction and property management, we make sure that we integrate sustainability principles that support business viability but also pro-actively ensure that the company makes positive social and environmental impact. Our developments are designed to be climate-resilient. Before we develop an area, we make sure that due diligence is employed in assessing our properties.  We ensure that it is safe from geo-hazards and that it will have minimal impact on the environment and the communities within and surrounding the development.

Examples of our green initiatives are pedestrian-friendly spaces, pockets of green and open spaces, transport hubs for accessibility and connectivity, district cooling system, support for biodiversity and use of native and indigenous plants as landscape material, and material recovery facilities for waste management and recycling.

Where do you think the real estate industry is heading — Metro Manila and rest of the Philippines in general?

ZOBEL DE AYALA: We expect the industry and all its subsectors to directly benefit from strong economic and demand drivers. Development will continue to be focused on major urban centers radiating towards nearby areas as new infrastructure projects are built. Development is also expected to increase in regional and tourism centers.