Ayala Corp. heiress Mariana Zobel de Ayala and Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) president and CEO Mybelle V. Aragon-GoBio have been named to Forbes Asia’s 2025 Power Businesswomen list, recognizing 20 influential female leaders driving change across the region.
Forbes highlighted Zobel’s role in “shaping the future” of Ayala Corp., the country’s oldest conglomerate. As managing director of Ayala Corp. and senior vice president at Ayala Land, she oversees the group’s leasing and hospitality portfolio backed by a US$1.5 billion redevelopment fund. The initiative aims to expand Ayala Land’s gross leasable area by one-third to 2.9 million sqm by 2028 and double its hotel room inventory to 8,000 by 2030, including new properties under the Mandarin Oriental, Moxy, and Canopy brands.
Zobel, a Harvard and INSEAD alumna, rejoined the family business in 2012 after working as an investment analyst at JPMorgan in New York. She was appointed Ayala Corp. managing director in March 2025.
Meanwhile, GoBio made history this year as RLC’s first female and non-family president and CEO, earning praise from Executive Chairman Lance Gokongwei as “the best (hu)man for the job.” Having started at RLC in 1993 as an administrative assistant, she now leads a ₱125-billion, five-year expansion plan to double net income to ₱25 billion by 2030, boost malls to 69, expand office space by 50%, and grow hotel and logistics operations.
GoBio holds a degree in international business from the University of Antwerp.
Forbes said this year’s honorees hail from 12 countries and sectors ranging from AI and semiconductors to real estate and consumer goods, recognizing women who are “remaking family legacies” and leading companies into new phases of growth.
