The Business Manual Honors the Business Leaders Defining Philippine Enterprise

• The Business Manual CEO Awards 2026 brought together leading figures across Philippine business, celebrating executives reshaping industries from retail and fashion to hospitality, entertainment, beauty, and advertising.

Where business meets culture

The people shaping Philippine business rarely stay in one lane. They build brands, remake retail, export ideas, bring the world to Manila, and, increasingly, turn businesses into cultural forces in their own right.

On a night dedicated to that ambition, The Business Manual CEO Awards 2026 brought the country’s most influential executives and industry leaders into one room at the Sarus Ballroom of Marquis Events Place in Bonifacio Global City.

Co-presented by Lexus Philippines, this year’s awards carried the theme “Recognizing Vision. Celebrating Leadership. Shaping What’s Next,” a fitting description for a roster spanning fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary, hospitality, beauty, entertainment, advertising, retail, and design.

The evening began with a welcome address from Archie G. Carrasco, Chairman and CEO of AGC Power Holdings Corp. and Editor-in-Chief of The Business Manual, who offered a definition of leadership that extended beyond the usual measures of corporate success.

It is a sentiment that gave the evening its connective tissue. Across industries, the honorees have built businesses, but they have also built platforms for other people to move through: designers finding an audience, global brands finding a Philippine home, Filipino concepts finding international markets, and consumers discovering new ways to experience everyday life.

Michael Concepcion is changing the retail playbook

Among the night’s standout honorees was Michael Concepcion, Founder and CEO of Framework Group, who was recognized for bringing a sharper sense of curation to Philippine retail.

Through brands including Commonwealth, Aesop, and Carhartt WIP, he has helped introduce global lifestyle names to the local market.

His influence can be seen in the changing character of Philippine retail itself. The old idea of a store as somewhere you go to buy something has given way to spaces that communicate a point of view.

Eric Dee builds a brand universe

Eric Dee, Co-Founder and CEO of Sunnies Inc., has taken a similarly expansive view of the modern brand. Recognized for growing Sunnies Studios into a multi-category lifestyle ecosystem, he has pushed the homegrown company well beyond its original eyewear proposition.

Michael and Eric may operate in different corners of the market, but their approaches point toward the same future: Philippine businesses that help define how global culture is experienced locally, then take their own ideas beyond the country’s borders.

The leaders shaping Filipino design and fashion

Amina Aranaz-Alunan, Co-Founder of ARANÁZ and Founding Partner and Chairman of SoFA Design Institute, was honored for connecting Filipino craftsmanship with design education and creating pathways for local creative talent to compete on a global stage.

Roxanne Farillas, Co-Founder and Vice President of RAFFCO Intl Trading Corp., was recognized for more than three decades of leadership in fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary and her continued role in developing the next generation of industry talent.

In hospitality, Amado Fores, Founder and CEO of AF Hospitality, was celebrated for combining inventive concepts with the operational discipline needed to build a lasting dining portfolio.

Francis Flores, Global Managing Director of PICKUP COFFEE and Group Executive Chairman of Forefront Group, received recognition for accelerating the international ambitions of homegrown brands.

The creative industry takes the stage

The creative economy was represented by Badong Abesamis, Herbert Hernandez, and Jake Yrastorza, the Co-Founders and Managing Partners of GIGIL, who were recognized for turning an independent advertising agency into a force capable of producing culture-shifting work with commercial impact.

Winston Llamas, President and CEO of Wilbros Live, was honored for connecting Filipino audiences with major international acts while pushing the standards of live entertainment in the country.

Meanwhile, Anna Magkawas, Founder and CEO of Luxe Beauty and Wellness Group, was recognized for her digital-first approach to luxury resale and wellness retail, while Steven Tan, President of SM Supermalls, was honored for helping transform shopping centers into dynamic lifestyle and community destinations.

Raising a glass to what comes next

The celebration concluded with a closing toast from Apples Aberin, Vice President for Lifestyle Media Brands of One MEGA Group Inc., who raised a glass to the honorees and the wider business community driving local industry forward.

For one evening, the country’s business landscape was gathered under one roof. But the more interesting story is what happens after the lights go down.

If this year’s honorees are any indication, Philippine enterprise is already building for what comes next.

Dayne Aduna

Associate Editor

Dayne Aduna is an Associate Editor at VMAN Southeast Asia, specializing in fashion, grooming, film, television, and contemporary pop culture. With a strong editorial focus on menswear, his work explores how style intersects with shifting cultural movements across Southeast Asia and beyond.

His expertise spans fashion journalism, celebrity profiling, grooming and skincare trends, fragrance, runway reporting, and cultural commentary, with a particular eye for emerging creatives and youth-driven style.

Dayne has written extensively on fashion houses, seasonal trends, designer collections, and the evolving image of the modern Southeast Asian man, bringing both editorial depth and cultural relevance to his coverage.

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