On being Lance Gokongwei

Lance Y. Gokongwei, president of JG Summit Holdings and its subsidiary Cebu Pacific, is probably one of the nicest persons in Philippine business that I had the privilege of knowing.

Totally oblivious of his fame and fortune, Lance, who just turned 45 and celebrated his birthday at the office going through his firm’s 2012 budget after which he had a simple dinner with his wife and kids (who made cute birthday cards and a hand-drawn portrait of him), remains down-to-earth and approachable. Employees of the group simply adore him.

I hope Lance will forgive me for sharing these anecdotes. One time, after having lunch with him at one of the restaurants inside Robinson’s Galleria, he asked the lady server if they have a discount for Robinson’s group employees. She said yes but asked Lance to show an ID. The unassuming person that he is, Lance did not introduce himself, and because he did not have an ID, he no longer asked for the discount. The lady server had no idea who she was talking to. And by the way, we did not have any reservation. He just walked in and looked for a vacant table.

There was this other time we had lunch in Pasig. There was so much left over so we decided to have it wrapped. It was contained in a ordinary white plastic bag which he did not mind carrying around Metrowalk.

I just had to share how great a person he is. He is simple and unpretentious as can be.    

When I requested him for this interview, he was in Taiwan but still found the time while in the airport en route to Manila to make the call.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

How was it for you growing up? Did you feel you were different from the other kids?

LYG: We were just like any other family. I was doing what other kids were doing. What made us different though is probably because the opportunities we had were different. We were able to travel early in life and get the best education. But growing up in the ‘70s, people were less concerned about fame. There was after all no Internet at that time.

Why did you marry late? (he married at the age of 34)

I wasn’t actively looking for someone to marry although I was being introduced to a number of women. You only know that it is time to marry when you meet the right person.

How did it feel being the only thorn among the roses? (Lance is the only boy in the brood) Did they ever gang up on you? Where you treated any differently by your parents?

I think it was while growing up with five strong-willed sisters (Lisa, Robina, Faith, Marcia and Hope) that I learned early on to have good people skills. I had very early training. No, they never ganged up on me. I’m sure there was some expectation from my parents, that I was expected to handle the family business in the future. But I was treated no differently from my sisters.

Were you always studious? (He has a degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s college of engineering and another in finance from its Wharton School, completed at the same time in less than four years and with perfect grades. Lance was awarded summa cum laude honors for both degrees)

You can say I have always been a hard worker. Ok, I have always been a nerd, that is why I married at the age of 34. Most of the students (at Xavier) were nerds and there were not a lot of jocks. Was I the teacher’s pet? Maybe, a favorite but not a teacher’s pet. Because I was an obedient student.

What do you collect?

I used to collect stamps and coins, but that was in grades 2 and 3. I don’t have my collection anymore. I’m not passionate about collecting anything. I have a lot of books, but I do not collect them.

How did you discover running?

I started running in early 2009 when I was asked by a group of close friends to join them. I ran my first and last 42k New York Marathon in November 2009. How did I fare? Let’s say I just finished the race. I did not run to lose weight but I did and I felt much better after that. I still run 10ks twice a week, Saturdays and Sundays. On weekdays, just the treadmill.

How many girlfriends did you have before you got married?

Too few to count. And I had girlfriends when I was already working. As I said, I was a nerd in school.

Any preferred movie genre? What was the last movie you watched?

I like thrillers, documentaries. Where do I watch movies? At Galleria, or Rockwell, usually with the kids. The last movie I watched was Cars 2.

Are you a bookworm?

Yes, you can call me that. I like to read biographies and magazines. I am currently reading Steve Jobs’ biography.

Have you ever thought of flying, or learning to fly, a plane?

Yes, I would like to learn how to fly a plane. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time. I’ve learned to use the flight simulator. And no, I am not afraid of flying.

Any pet peeves?

I don’t like name-droppers as well as people who think that the rules do not apply to them. Being mayabang is a big no-no for me.

How do you manage to stay humble?

I am? I’m humble in public but not to my wife (he was kidding of course)

Are you conscious of the way you look? Are you fashion-conscious?

When I was younger, when I had acne. My wife usually chooses my clothes. But once in a while, I treat myself to Zegna suits and shirts.

Do you have any dream car?

I am not particular about the brand or make of the car I use. So long as it is bullet-proof, it has reading lights (because I like reading while inside the car), the airconditioning works, and someone else drives it for me.

Do you like electronic gadgets?

I am not too particular as to what brand of mobile phone I use so long as it works. I have a Blackberry. And yes, I have an Ipad which I use for games and to search for information. For work, I use my laptop.

Any places that you would like to visit?

Maybe Latin America, Peru. Maybe some place where I won’t be bothered for two weeks. I love Boracay. Usually, I spend Christmas in Hawaii with the family.

Are you a sports aficionado?

I like watching basketball – the NBA or UAAP games. I sometimes watch the Azkals games. Given the chance, I would like to relearn how to play golf. The last time I played the game was four years ago.

What is your management style? To what extent has your dad influenced the way you run the company?

My dad (he calls him Mr. John in the office) has always been my mentor, so you can say he has a big influence on me. He taught me how to work hard and not to follow a crowd. You can say that in business, I am a risk taker.

Postcript:

Omitted from my last week’s piece on Manny V. Pangilinan are the following:

• That he was just pulling my leg about having a five-legged turtle;

• The last three books that he read – A Team of Rivals, about Abraham Lincoln; The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking, which is an attempt to explain the universe; and Alice in Wonderland. He just started reading the biography of Steve Jobs

• The last movie he watched – Cars 2

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