Sixto Kalaw Roxas, an investment banker and former chief economic planner of the late President Diosdado Macapagal, passed away on July 24, 2024 at the age of 96.
A Batangueño on both the Roxas and Kalaw sides, SKR (as he was called) pioneered investment banking in the Philippines and Asia as a co-founder and long time chief executive officer of Bancom Development Corporation.
Bancom was where a number of the country’s leading financial executives and public servants were trained such as billionaire Manuel V. Pangilinan, Ramon del Rosario, Louie Villafuerte, and Jose T. Pardo, among others.
SKR was the youngest-ever cabinet member (at 32) when he was appointed Deputy Executive Secretary and Founder of the Program Implementation Agency (predecessor agency of the National Economic and Development Authority) under President Diosdado Macapagal, he recruited Alex Melchor (among many other technocrats and other luminaries) to join him there.
He was also the first Asian Vice-Chairman and Global Head of investment banking of American Express Bank in New York and Chairman of Rothschilds International Bank (UK) - which later became Amex Bank Limited in London, and a director at Sime Darby (Malaysia).
Described as a true renaissance man, SK Roxas was also co-chairman of the Asian Institute of Management with the late Washington SyCip and was the institution’s first Filipino president.
SKR was a product of Jesuit education from grade school until he finished an A.B. degree (summa cum laude) at the Ateneo de Manila University. He finished M.A. in Economics at Fordham University.
Dr. Roxas was a lecturer in economics at Fordham University, Ateneo de Manila University, and University of the Philippines, lecturer in ecological social science in Miriam College and the Asian Social Institute.
Dr. Roxas retired from business in 1982 and since then has been active in the management and establishment of various not-for-profit foundations.
His interest in developing an ecosystems-based, community-centered, organization and management system under which enterprise stockholder interest is rendered subsidiary to community stakeholder wealth and welfare goes back some thirty years.