Appointed President of Alveo Land in March this year, Jennylle Sorongon Tupaz reflects on her 20 years with Ayala Land (ALI), and how the company has grown and diversified over the years. Having previously been known primarily as a luxury brand, Ayala has since branched out to cater to all segments. “We have built brands that offer products that are within reach of a wider public. However, what remains constant is Ayala’s commitment to quality and delivering long-term value to its customers,” she states.
Jennylle Tupaz believes in collective success
As a woman president in one of the leading real estate companies in the Philippines, Jennylle is a definite testament to how ALI nurtures and harnesses the potential of its homegrown talents. Starting with the company in 1997 as a project development assistant, she became the project development manager in ALI’s first mass-housing arm Laguna Properties Holdings, Inc. (now called Avida), before becoming a business development manager for the Leisure and Lifestyle Communities Group in 2006.
Joining Alveo in 2007, Jennylle headed the Project Development Group for six years before assuming the company’s leadership in 2017. Now celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, Alveo’s extraordinary growth over the years propelled and presented a propitious backdrop for Jennylle’s own professional growth. Considering the approach taken within the organisation, Jennylle observes that “culture contributes to success”, with proactive and innovative thinking encouraged, as well as an emphasis placed on teamwork and collective success.
Developing and sustaining a winning culture of excellence presents a competitive advantage that is hard to match.
“I believe that culture has a powerful impact on performance; that developing and sustaining a winning culture of excellence presents a competitive advantage that is hard to match,” she comments. “The Alveo management team leads with such audacity and unwavering commitment to what they do. We have a very passionate and energetic organisation that wears the brand proudly and confidently.”
Alveo Land Corporation expands its market reach
Jennylle also says that the property market in the Philippines continues to be robust, with the economy in good shape, and that competition among developers is, consequently, intense. “The property market has been thriving, local consumption has been good, and regional investors have also made substantial investments in real estate,” she comments.
“We have to continue to strengthen our initiatives: acquiring land strategically, offering relevant concepts, and being cost competitive. That’s why we’re strengthening the organisation, to ensure that it’s always geared for success.”
In support of this, she states that the focus will remain on expanding presence in key growth areas around the country, while opportunities for new product formats will also be explored, in turn providing the potential for portfolio expansion. “We’re firming up our plans for the next year and also looking at our five-year trajectory,” Jennylle comments. “We want to make sure that we maintain double-digit growth by expanding our market reach.”
Ayala’s approach to sustainability
In conjunction with this focus on growth, it is notable that Jennylle stresses the importance of Ayala’s approach to sustainability. “We’re driven by four focus areas: site resilience; pedestrian and transit connectivity; eco-efficiency; and local economic development,” she explains.
“The buildings and estates that we deliver will also be future-ready, meaning smart technology can be easily incorporated. Beyond our profitability target, we want to make sure we make a positive impact on the environment. In particular, we completely support Ayala’s carbon-neutrality initiative by finding ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our developments.”
Jennylle has recently commenced an Executive MBA at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and with Alveo looking to aggressively launch several new projects for the year, she notes it can be “challenging to find a white spot on your calendar”. However, the strategic guidance and support provided by Ayala is undoubtedly invaluable.
“You’re empowered, while being held accountable for the results that you deliver to the company,” she says. “The culture is very professional while being warm and nurturing, and provides an environment conducive to growth and learning.”