Jaime Zóbel de Ayala y Pfitz (born 18 July 1934), also known as Jaime Zóbel, is a Filipino businessman who served as the chairman of the

Ayala Corporation Ayala Corporation (Spanish: ''Corporación Ayala'', formerly ''Ayala y Compañía'' (Ayala & Company)) is the publicly listed holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by Domingo Róxas and A ...

from 1984 to 2006 and as its president from 1984 to 1994. Presently, he holds the

honorary title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

as "Chairman Emeritus". Zóbel served as the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1975. He is also known as a noted

art photographer Fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. This stand ...

being the first Filipino photographer to be given a Licentiate by the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is one of the world's oldest photographic societies. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as the Photographic Society of London with ...

of the United Kingdom.

Early life and family

Zóbel was born on 18 July 1934 to Alfonso Zóbel de Ayala (1904–1967) and Carmen Pfitz y Herrero (1909–1999). His siblings are Maria Victoria ("Vicky") and Alfonso Jr. ("Alfonsito"). He is a grandson of

Enrique Zóbel de Ayala Enrique Jacobo Pedro Luis Plácido Zóbel de Ayala (October 9, 1877 – February 17, 1943) was a Spanish-born industrialist and philanthropist who became the first patriarch of the Zóbel de Ayala family. He was also one of the leaders in the Ph ...

and Consuelo de Ayala. He is married to Beatriz Miranda. Together they have two sons ( Jaime Augusto and Fernando) and five daughters (Beatriz Susana ("Bea Jr."), Patricia, Cristina, Monica, and Sofia).

Education

After early education in the Philippines, Zóbel attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

, where he graduated in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in architectural sciences. He attended the six-week Advanced Management Program in the Far East, conducted by faculty from the

Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

, the Philippines in 1963.

Career

Ayala Corporation

Zóbel joined Ayala y Compañía in 1958 as executive assistant upon the invitation of his father. His father placed him under the wing of his cousin

Enrique Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk (D ...

and uncle Col. Joseph McMicking. As an executive assistant in the company, he took down notes during management meetings and gradually learned the ropes of the family business. He was later transferred to the training section of the insurance companies of the Ayala group. In 1975, he became president of Filipinas Life Assurance Company (now, BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corporation). In 1984, he succeeded Enrique, as chairman and president of

. Zóbel successfully steered Ayala through the tense, final years of the Marcos dictatorship. In 1988, the real estate division was spun off as Ayala Land, Inc. Ayala Corporation also ventured into new businesses, like automotive (Ayala Automotive Holdings Corporation). Zóbel stepped down as president of Ayala Corporation in 1994 and was succeeded by his son, Jaime Augusto. He continued as chairman until his retirement in 2006 and became the chairman emeritus of Ayala Corporation.

Photography

Zóbel joined the Camera Club of the Philippines in the mid-1970s and began taking photography more seriously. He is the first Filipino amateur photographer to be confirmed “Licentiate” by the

of the United Kingdom, and has received similar commendations from the French and Spanish governments for his contributions to art and culture. He exhibits regularly in the Philippines and abroad, and has produced several critically acclaimed books. He continues to break new ground in art photography with explorations in various art media.

Diplomat

Between 1970 and 1975, Zóbel was appointed as the Philippine Ambassador to the

Court of St. James's The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – & ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, representing the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

and ambassador of Scandinavian countries.

Honors and awards

* 1968, Comendador al Mérito Civil,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

* 1980, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

* 1985, Doctor of Business Management (honoris causa)

De La Salle University De La Salle University ( fil, Pamantasang De La Salle or Unibersidad ng De La Salle), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private university, private, Catholic Church, Catholic coeducational research university run by the I ...

, Manila * 1986, Senator Award, highest honor bestowed by the JCI Philippines * 1987, “Management Man of the Year”, Management Association of the Philippines * 1991, Doctor of Laws (honoris causa),

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

* 2004, FIRST Responsible Capitalism Award Winner * 2008, Hero of

Philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, ''Forbes'' magazine, special issue ''Asia magazine'' initiated this recognition, including four Filipinos: Jaime Zobel de Ayala,

John Gokongwei John Robinson Lim Gokongwei Jr. (; 11 August 1926 – 9 November 2019) was a Filipino businessman, investor, and philanthropist. His conglomerate company JG Summit Holdings, Inc., had an extensive panoply of business and investment holdings ac ...

, Ramon del Rosario Jr., and Oscar Lopez. The list recognizes four philanthropists from each of 13 selected countries and territories in Asia * 2009, Philippine Legion of Honor, Rank of Grand Commander, Armed Forces of the Philippines * 2018, Order of the Rising Sun, Second Class, Gold and Silver Star, Japan

Notability

*In 2007, Zóbel was ranked as tied with

Henry Sy Henry Tan Chi Sieng Sy Sr. (; ; October 15, 1924 – January 19, 2019) was a Filipino businessman and investor. Born in Fujian, he moved with his family to the Philippines at age 12. While his family returned to China, he stayed behind and f ...

as the richest person in the Philippines, with a net worth of $2.6 billion, according to ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine. *In 2008, Zóbel and his family were ranked 3rd in

Forbes magazine ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...

's 2008 list of 40 wealthiest Filipinos, due to a 46% drop in their conglomerate Ayala Corp. shares, which were worth $800 million.

References

External links

Jaime Zobel (official website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zobel De Ayala, Jaime 1934 births Filipino people of German descent Filipino people of Basque descent Filipino people of Spanish descent Harvard University alumni 20th-century Filipino businesspeople

Jaime Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and ...

Filipino billionaires Filipino photographers Filipino businesspeople in real estate Filipino bankers Businesspeople in retailing Businesspeople in telecommunications Living people People from Manila Filipino diplomats Ambassadors of the Philippines to the United Kingdom Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 21st-century Filipino businesspeople