Billionaire Teresita Sy-Coson

Overview

Teresita Sy-Coson is a Filipino billionaire businesswoman and pillar of the Philippines’ retail industry. She is the eldest daughter of businessman Henry Sy Sr., the founder of the SM Group, a conglomerate that operates various shopping malls, retail stores, and real estate projects in the Philippines. As of this writing, Sy-Coson’s net worth is estimated by Forbes to be $1.4 billion, making her the fifth richest Filipino.

Early Life and Education

Sy-Coson was born on December 25, 1950, in Manila, Philippines, to Henry Sy Sr. and Felicidad Tan. She grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, with Henry Sy Sr. having started a small shoe store in the 1950s that would eventually become the SM Group. Sy-Coson earned a bachelor’s degree in Commerce majoring in Management from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila in 1968.

Career and Achievements

Sy-Coson began her career as a bank officer at Security Bank in the 1970s, where she rose through the ranks to become the executive vice president. She joined the SM group in 1987 and steadily rose through the ranks, becoming the vice chairperson in 1999 and later the chairman of SM Investments Corporation. In her role as chairman of SM Investments Corporation, Sy-Coson oversees a vast portfolio of businesses, including SM Prime Holdings, SM Retail, SM Development Corporation, and BDO Unibank, among others.

Aside from her work at SM, Sy-Coson has also served in various capacities for other economic and social organizations. For example, she is a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and has served as the chairperson of the Philippine National Bank.

Sy-Coson’s remarkable career in the retail industry has earned her many accolades, including being named one of Forbes’ Asia’s Power Businesswomen in 2019 and 2020. She also received an honorary doctorate in business management from De La Salle University in 2002.

Personal Life

Sy-Coson is married to her longtime partner Robert Coyiuto Jr., a businessman who heads various companies in the Philippines, including National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and Prudential Guarantee and Assurance. Together, they have two children.

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