Jaime Alfonso prefers to call his father JAZA at work

Not dad?

MANILA, Philippines — Dad? Apparently not. 

At work, young tycoon Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala prefers to call his father, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, JAZA.

This was revealed during the 2026 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit yesterday, where the father-and-son tandem shared the stage to talk about the Ayala Group’s past, present and future.

“That’s (JAZA), his name in the office. It’s hard to say ‘Dad,’ ” Jaime Alfonso quipped, drawing laughter from the crowd in attendance.

Jaime Alfonso, also known as JAZ, is part of the eighth generation of Ayala leaders. The only son of JAZA, Jaime Alfonso has been steering the Ayala Group’s mobility solutions arm, ACMobility, as its CEO since 2023.

Asked to share lessons on leadership he learned from his father, he said: “JAZA is a unique person within the organization because he was both coach and player for a long period of time. Coach in the sense that he was, obviously a leader from a governance perspective. He was chairman of a lot of the business units, and he was at the same time CEO of Ayala Corp.”

Jaime Alfonso said he learned a lot from his father about how he handled governance. “Actually, he studied that relationship and really balanced the relationship between governance and management, I think, in a very strong, deliberate manner.”

The young Zobel said his father, who currently serves as chairman of the country’s oldest conglomerate, exemplified one of Ayala’s key values: empowering leadership.

“And JAZA did an excellent job of synthesizing so many of these perspectives. We have a lot of different family members and stakeholders. He was able to synthesize that clearly for management, and that empowered them. I think, to me, that’s probably one of the most important lessons in creating that kind of value that he’s done over the last few decades,” he said.

 JAZA, on his end, shared how his father, Jaime Zobel de Ayala, prepared him to join the company, which now has investments across various sectors, including real estate, banking, telecommunications and renewable energy, as well as a growing presence in health care, mobility and logistics.

“First and foremost – actually, this is important – there was never any pressure to join the institution. My father was very clever. He basically said, well, you know, I’ll help you with your education so that you can find your path through life,” he said.

JAZA, who was then studying in the United States, recalled that his father had asked him to return to the Philippines and work for the company for just three years, after which he could do whatever he wanted.

“So I came back right after college. And actually, I really enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the challenges that the Philippines put on the table. I found it fantastic and very exciting and a chance to make a difference. So the rest is history,” JAZA said.

When it comes to succession, as well as preparing for and facing the uncertainties and challenges ahead, JAZA admitted that, as far as he is concerned, there is no such thing as a “formal plan” in place.

“We all have cards that are given to us. We have to play with those cards and find ways of being creative within that,” JAZA said.

“So I think that’s been so customary in the family, and there’s no right or wrong way to do this. But to a certain extent, I think just having a sense of being able to solve problems and move ahead and not dwell on them is a key component,” he added.

JAZA likewise highlighted the importance of intellectual preparation, but more importantly, emphasized one’s ability to see an end line and find ways of solving problems.

“Luckily, Jaime Alfonso and all my kids, I think they probably remember, we often encourage them to move out of their comfort zones at an early age. Jaime Alfonso ended up at the age of 13, 14, out in the Australian desert, together with a very young friend, just finding himself in an area that he had no connections, no links and had to work with people on a farm that he had no previous knowledge of,” JAZA said.

“And I think all of us have a responsibility to put people through difficult phases at certain points in life, to try to build up a sense of resilience, a sense of problem-solving, and a sense of finding solutions to things, rather than find yourself without the wherewithal to address problems,” he added.

As part of the next generation of Ayala leaders who have taken prominent operating roles across the group, Jaime Alfonso expressed confidence in working with other family members as they lead the group into its next phase of growth and transformation.

“We really see ourselves as a team, right? Because I work in the Ayala group with other family members. I’ve got a sister, Mariana. I’ve got two cousins, Jaime and Paloma, who are there. And we see ourselves complementing the strong firepower of the professionals that are there,” he said.

But as Ayala modernizes its portfolio, Jaime Alfonso said values are among the most important aspects to preserve.

“As we’ve been approaching our 200th anniversary, it’s coming in seven, eight years or so, relatively soon. We’ve made an effort to be quite self-reflective, and we’ve explicitly laid out those values. The kind of behaviors that we think we need to maintain as we pursue the modernization of the portfolio,” Jaime Alfonso said.

“But I think something that’s not written down, that we look at very carefully, and that we certainly don’t want to take for granted, is something that JAZA mentioned: we think Ayala has a very unique component of its brand, which is trust with many different stakeholders. It is such an important currency to be able to have long-term perspectives and long-term strategies,” he added.

For JAZA, remaining relevant to the changing nature of the country and the world is important.

He hopes Ayala will have a management team that is creative in how it uses technology, adapts to a changing world and builds on the partnerships that have been established.

“I always wanted an Ayala that was important to the country in a broader sense and touching the lives of as many Filipinos as possible. We now really consider ourselves an institution that allows people to thrive,” JAZA said.