2 Filipinas among ‘25 most influential in Asia-Pacific’s asset management’

Screen grab from asianinvestor.net website

MANILA, Philippines—Two Filipino women are among the 25 “most influential” women in Asia-Pacific’s asset management scene, based on a list drawn up by financial publication AsianInvestor Magazine.

Maria Theresa Marcial Javier, senior vice president and head of asset management and trust group at Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands, and Ramona Gertrudes Santiago, assistant governor and head of treasury at Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, were cited by Asian Investor as among the female movers and shakers in the region’s asset management industry.

The list is the second of its kind published by AsianInvestor, a news source for asset management, mutual funds, alternatives, private banking and more for financial service providers in the Asia-Pacific. It was published after the International Women’s Day celebration on March 8.

Javier leads the unit in BPI with close to P600 billion assets under management while Santiago leads the treasury operations of the BSP.

In an article published on March 24, AsianInvestor said the selection process was conducted by its editorial staff in consultation with senior industry practitioners. The final list was handpicked from a shortlist of 100 candidates.

“Where our list differed this year was that we did not try to ensure representation of markets where there are very few women at the top businesses, meaning we excluded distributors and service providers,” the publication said.

The list included one regulator, Alexa Lam deputy chief executive officer of the Securities and Futures Commission, who was described to be driving Hong Kong-China mutual fund recognition, which the publication said was a “scheme that could become the cornerstone of a regional funds passport.”

AsianInvestor said it would host a lunch to award these women on May 20 in Hong Kong.

The list includes CEOs and chief investment officers from large institutions across the region.