Filinvest Chair Lourdes Gotianun-Yap Hailed as PH Real Estate Personality of The Year
She is the first female hailed as Personality of the Year at the Philippines Property Awards.
Filinvest President and CEO Lourdes Josephine Gotianun-Yap was hailed as the Philippine Real Estate Personality of the Year at the PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards last October 7, 2022. This is the only recognition given to an individual and bestowed by the editors of Property Report by PropertyGuru, the award-giving body’s official magazine.
This is a historical feat for the Filinvest chair, as she’s the first woman to receive this award amid a tight, male-dominated industry.
The Real Estate Personality of the Year award is given to outstanding individuals who have showcased passion and excellence in their field, commitment to the real estate sector, the people in the industry, and innovation and sustainable solutions for the environment.
Josephine said as she received her award, “I feel deeply honored to have been selected by the PropertyGuru Group for this recognition. Being the first woman to receive this award in the Philippines is a testament to the accomplishments of the many women professionals of the Philippines working in the property industry.”
She added that this award is a continuous testament to Filipinos' years-long hard work, especially those within the Filinvest group. She continues to dedicate that this award will help them find more inspiration in building better dreams for Filipinos. “This is a testament to the decades of hard work and passion that Filinvest dream builders have poured into the growth of our businesses. We enable Filipinos to achieve their dream – this is the Filinvest legacy we strive to uphold. This award inspires us to double our efforts because we value the trust of every Filipino family who chose to build their dream with us.”
Under her leadership, she formed a team that has caught the attention of international organizations, most notably US-based nonprofit Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI), which recognized FDC for being one of the top 10-women led firms in the globe with the highest percentages of women in the board of directors at 50 percent.
The 2021 report headlined “Women CEOs: Opening Doors to Boards and C-Suites" data revealed that out of 2,994 firms, only 143 are being led by a female CEO–and Gotianun Yap is among the few who have shattered gender barriers.
Founded by her parents, FDC has nurtured diversity and inclusivity, which enabled our recipient to shine and continue to inspire her gender.
Though her parents opened the doors, Josephine has proven to be a trailblazer in her own right. Throughout her career, she has ushered the 60-year-old FDC–with interests in real estate, hospitality, banking, financial services, and power.
At FLI, she was instrumental in building its strong presence nationwide, boasting a wide array of portfolios, from residential subdivisions and townships to mid-rise and high-rise condominiums to offices and industrial hubs, shopping centers, and leisure developments.
FLI has around 280 projects in over 50 major areas nationwide, with the 244-hectare master-planned urban center development Filinvest City, new township developments in the Clark Special Economic Zones, and Festival Supermall, among her notable achievements.
Apart from the Awards program, several other institutions recognized her accomplishments, such as the Asia CEO Awards 2021, which honored her with the Circle of Excellence Awardee for Global Filipino Executive of the Year, and Forbes Asia Magazine, which included her in the prestigious 50 Businesswomen in the Mix in Asia list, which acknowledges women who lead profitable firms.