Gabarda, Chezka Sayra D.

BSA | A-231

Jose Ma. “Joey” Concepcion III:

CEO, Founder, Mentor, Director, and Advisor

“We need to scale up our MSMEs: help the micro become small, the small become
medium, and the medium becomes large”, said one of the most influential and top CEOs in the
Philippines, Jose Ma. “Joey” Concepcion III. Joey, who graduated from the University of La
Salle, is the grandson of Jose Concepcion Sr. and Salvador Araneta, both business titans and
philanthropists. Apart from being the president of RFM Corporation, chairman of RFM Unilever
Ice Cream, Inc., director at Concepcion Industrial, and appointed Private Sector Advisory
Council Jobs Committee Head under the current administration, the 53-year-old Concepcion is
active in his civic engagement cause, as he founded the non-profit organization- the Philippine
Center for Entrepreneurship, or "Go Negosyo”.

Of all the hats he wears, his role as Go Negosyo's leader appears to be the most
significant. It makes him the de facto coach for the country's 1,076,279 micro-, small-, and
medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which account for 99.58 percent of the country's listed
establishments and are seen as prospective catalysts for economic growth. In fact, Forbes
magazine recently cited Concepcion's Go Negosyo in an article about philanthropic heroes. His
honors include being named to the Time Global 100 List of Young Leaders for the Millennium in
1994 and the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) in 1995.

One of the many reasons why the great Joey Concepcion was able to shove his way to the
top is his genuine intention of helping everybody get where he is right now. In an article
published by the Philippine Inquirer Daily, Concepcion said in an interview, “Growing MSMEs
will help them hire more people which will, in the end, improve consumer spending and increase
our country’s GDP. This is the circle of success that is achieved when everyone in the ecosystem
grows. No one gets left behind.” In today’s competitive business industry, it is rare and difficult
to find someone who’s after the success of the people around him, and not just himself alone.
The decision to share what he has and offer what he can is what makes Mr. Joey the man he is.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, Mr. Joey is also engaged in politics as he is the current
Private Sector Advisory Council Jobs Committee Head, this decision of hopping in a different
viewpoint far from his field- business, is something that is risky, but he did still. He could’ve just
focused and enhanced what was on his plate, but he ventured into the chaotic world of politics to
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use his influence and knowledge to help more people. He said in one of his interviews, “We are
trying to find ways on how government and the private sector can collaborate and make the most
of the country’s valuable human resource.” “We also explored with DOLE what we can
accomplish together, and looked for new solutions such as providing mentorship for those who
want to see how entrepreneurship can be an alternative to employment and at the same time a
source of employment for other people.” Indeed, Mr. Concepcion is not just rich in material
things, but in principles and values as well.

Given the philanthropist he is, Mr. Joey knows how to handle everything about business,
including the economic side. As much as he’s after the benefit of the public, he is looking after
the economic growth of our country as well, especially in the employment sector. He is well
aware of the job employment and illiteracy in entrepreneurship among Filipinos, hence he does
his best to do something about these dilemmas, such as providing mentorship, access to small
businesses, and career training, as they affect the overall economic prospects of the country.

In line with this, economics is also one of the factors that drives Mr. Joey to aim for a
better labor market for the Philippines and a much more stable job for the Filipinos. He
overviews things as a whole- he is not just a CEO and a businessman nor a politician, but
someone who looks at the broader perspective and the multidimensionality of what business is.

References:
Rudy. (2019, March 6). 25 most influential business leaders in the Philippines - National Trade

Union Center of the Philippines. National Trade Union Center of the Philippines.

https://ntucphl.org/2017/04/25-influential-business-leaders-philippines/

Asia, T. (n.d.). Jose Ma. “Joey” Concepcion III | Tatler Asia. Tatler Asia.

https://www.tatlerasia.com/people/jose-ma-joey-concepcion-iii

INQUIRER.net. (2022, August 21). Concepcion: Build ‘Circle of Success’ with industry, labor

and MSMEs | Inquirer Business. https://business.inquirer.net/358353/concepcion-build-

circle-of-success-with-industry-labor-and-msmes