Amid unprecedented volatility and change, the country's oldest conglomerate, with two young Jaimes, has vowed to double down on its consumer commitment, integrating its diverse businesses for growth.

Leveraging synergies across the group's portfolio—from real estate to finance—the next generation of business leaders aims to cement their position as a consumer-focused powerhouse.

As Ayala Corp. heads towards its bicentennial, a new chapter has begun, with rising leaders Jaime Zobel Urquijo and Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala now helping in driving the group's future.

The next decade is set for transformative growth, as the cousins, part of the 8th generation of the Zobel family, revealed at a recent media night hosted by the Ayala group.

Urquijo and Zobel's message was clear: the Ayala Group is betting big on the Philippines. However, Urquijo admitted that getting caught up in short-term risks is easy, but the company's 190-year history would show immense long-term potential. The country's growth trajectory fuels their optimism.

"We're in a very unique country that has huge, huge potential," Urquijo stated. "The whole economy will double in size in the next 10 years—that's mind-blowing." This projected growth is central to the Ayala Group's strategy.

"We're very excited to sort of play our part to help the country… in this journey," Urquijo added.

Jaime Alfonso echoed this, calling it "an exciting period" of execution for the Ayala Group. The focus is on fulfilling Ayala's brand potential and meeting evolving needs.

"We've got, frankly, the tools to deliver that proposition," he asserted, highlighting the growing demand for services and products.

Urquijo, 36, son of Bea Zobel Jr., has been appointed chief sustainability and risk officer at the family's holding firm. His cousin, Jaime Alfonso (JAZ), 33, son of Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, heads AC Mobility.

Both Jaime and JAZ also attribute their professional ambition to the valuable lessons they gained from competitive sports.

JAZ, who plays touch rugby, said it's taught him about teamwork and strategy, and that sports are key to staying fit, connecting with people, and keeping that competitive edge. Jaime, a former Philippine Volcanoes member, agrees. "We had the privilege of playing a lot of organized sports growing up," Jaime recalled. "These were instrumental life lessons that we had. Working for a greater purpose. Something that's beyond just yourself."

Driving synergy, strategic expansion

As Ayala Corp. approaches its 200th anniversary, Jaime and JAZ vowed to further intensify their focus on synergy, sustainability, and strategic expansion.

"Synergy is a word that's used a lot," Jaime acknowledged, "[but] there's a big responsibility on our side to see how we can really unlock some of this synergy. It's such a great opportunity to accomplish this."

The group's focus on internal collaboration has already yielded favorable results. He cited their analytics team's success in using data to solve complex problems and the groundbreaking partnership between Globe Telecom and ACEN Corp., the group's energy firm.

Globe, facing challenges in decarbonizing its off-grid cell sites reliant on diesel generators, found a solution in ACEN's investment in off-grid solar technology.

With financing from Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), the project exemplified a "super, super win-win" scenario, enabling Globe to reduce its carbon footprint and operational costs while expanding its network.

JAZ echoed the sentiment, citing the company's vision. "This year is important for us. We're 191 years this year. We're nine years away from the year 200," he stated.

"We really feel that the core part of our portfolio will carry us to a leadership position by the year 200. But in order to differentiate and separate ourselves further, synergy needs to be a big part of our strategy," JAZ added.

Ayala's portfolio, traditionally focused on B2B sectors like power generation, real estate, and banking, is now pivoting towards greater consumer engagement.

"We feel as a portfolio we need to get closer to the consumer," JAZ explained, citing initiatives like leveraging telecommunications and real estate for retail and AC Mobility's integration of real estate, connectivity, and power generation assets.

 Sustainability, navigating uncertainty

But, sustainability remains a cornerstone of Ayala's strategy. Jaime said the company's purpose of "building businesses that enable people to thrive," noting the impact of GCash, which has dramatically increased financial inclusion in the country.

"Ultimately, what really does enable individuals to thrive and what kind of businesses we should tackle?" Jaime questioned. The company is actively working to minimize its environmental impact, as evidenced by its net-zero commitment and projects like the solar-powered cell sites.

He also noted the importance of philanthropic engagements, stressing the need for robust guardrails in deploying philanthropic capital.

"Philanthropic capital is fascinating because it's potentially very, very high risk," he noted, emphasizing the company's commitment to maximizing impact in communities that need support.

JAZ added that Ayala's sustainability commitments reflect its accountability to stakeholders.

"We're an institution that feels accountable to the way that we produce our results. Accountable to the way that we affect communities, that we affect different kinds of stakeholders," he said, emphasizing the importance of transparency and reporting.

Jaime, meanwhile, welcomed the increased scrutiny and dialogue surrounding sustainability, especially in the current political climate.

"I think there's a lot more people that are speaking up that do sustainability. And we welcome that," he said. "It allows us to really explain how we do things and how we can support them."

Moreover, the company is undergoing a transformation, driven by the vision of its CEO, Cezar P. Consing. Jaime pointed to Ayala Land's revitalization of its malls and hotels, and the controlled expansion into the consumer space with ventures like AC Health's new cancer hospital.

ACEN is also exploring new technologies like battery storage and floating solar.

"There is a huge amount of transformation that's now happening across the group," Jaime stated. "It's just incredible the new level of detail that's now being sort of developed."

JAZ acknowledged the current climate of volatility and uncertainty, saying the need for strategic flexibility. "The world, there's not a lot of answers right now. There's a lot more volatility. There's a little bit more uncertainty," he said. "In an environment like that, you want options."

Ayala's strategic decisions, including geographical diversification and investments in emerging technologies, are designed to provide those options. "We're being cognizant that, you know, we're in an environment right now that's a little bit uncertain, and that we need some options," JAZ concluded.