Dr. Karen De Asis, chief brand strategist at MKS Marketing Consulting, is set to receive the 2025 ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Award for championing the growth of Filipino family businesses, which she says creates sustained, long-term employment opportunities.

De Asis, a founding board member and chief brand strategist of MKS Marketing Consulting, will represent the Philippines at the 2025 ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Awards. The awarding ceremony, part of the Pinnacle Entrepreneurs Forum 2025, is scheduled for Nov, 21, 2025, at the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra in Cambodia, celebrating women entrepreneurs across the ASEAN bloc.

De Asis, who also goes by Catherine, is advocating for a business model where successful family-owned companies create sustainable economic impact by generating thousands of stable jobs, contrasting it with the perceived limits of donation-based charity.

"For more than a decade now, we have restricted our services to Filipino family businesses because we believe that Filipino owned family companies with visionary owners are far more flexible and quicker to succeed," De Asis stated. "When they become successful they create greater positive economic impact countrywide triggered by their successful brands. This automatically leads to business expansion and more employment opportunities thus helping raise the living standards of many more Filipino families sustainably."

MKS Marketing Consulting focuses on enabling Filipino family businesses to successfully compete locally and globally through strategic branding and marketing. The firm emphasizes a combination of smart brand strategy, compelling content, effective communication, and media implementation to drive positive results.

During the AWEN assessment, MKS highlighted three successful case studies. First, a retail brand grew from 47 branches to 350 company-owned branches nationwide in 15 years after MKS brand restructuring, establishing thousands of new jobs and becoming a market leader in its category. Second, a home appliances company, starting with only an air-conditioning product line, expanded its offerings to include refrigerators, freezers, televisions, and washing machines. After 10 years, its products are now distributed nationwide through over 1,000 dealer outlets, fueling trade and employment opportunities. Third, a drugstore retail brand significantly boosted its brand awareness in four years, becoming a strong challenger in the healthcare category and offering more affordable options to consumers.

"The social impact and advocacy is far greater when more and more successful Filipino family businesses begin to expand and create sustained livelihood for many Filipino families through decades and generations to come," De Asis added.

MKS Marketing Consulting's experience spans multiple sectors, including retail, food, healthcare manufacturing, consumer durables, telecommunications, and property development. De Asis has spearheaded numerous brand campaigns, including one that utilized an AI-generated image for the first time in Philippine advertising media across TVC, online, social media, and print.

Dr. Catherine Villanueva-De Asis holds a Doctor of Education major in education leadership and corporate social responsibility with highest distinction/honors from De La Salle University. She also completed her Master in Business Administration with distinction at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. Her post-doctoral work includes executive education fellowships in strategic marketing and leadership at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Said Graduate School of Business at Oxford University.

Her professional journey is marked by several key recognitions: the 2003 Agora Awardee for Excellence in Marketing Education; the 2008 Outstanding Faculty Awardee at De La Salle University; and the 2018 Philippines Women Leadership Excellence recognition by the World Women Leadership Congress.

De Asis has taught at premier institutions like the De La Salle Graduate School of Business, the Asian Institute of Management, and the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. She has also authored the local brand management rule book, COLOR FOLDERS IN THE MIND: A BRANDING STORY.