Hans, then 13 and the fourth in a brood of six, was being a dutiful son (“a good soldier,” as he puts it) to his father Henry Sy Sr. — fondly known as Tatang — who wanted to teach his children the ins and outs of business from the bottom of the ladder and not as heir apparents, giving them hands-on exposure at an early age.
Hans, though now retired from active day-to-day management, has indeed come a long way since then — and what a journey it has been, one filled with valuable business and life lessons worth emulating.
Earning his father’s trust
Hans recalls that, when choosing what college course, his father did not pressure him to take up business. Thus, in 1978, he earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from De La Salle University. Soon after, however, he was put to work — not with machines or machinery, but in SM Cubao’s menswear section.
From there, Hans would take on bigger roles and responsibilities — earning his father’s trust and confidence along the way — in real-estate, shopping malls, and banking. This journey would culminate in his becoming president and CEO of SM Prime Holdings (a post he held until 2016) and as chair of China Banking Corp., and a director in several SM companies.
“Hans is a Lasallista but is, more importantly, a man for others,” says Willy Ocier, chair of Belle Corp., which spearheaded Tagaytay Highlands in 1994 and was a Xavier School classmate of Hans.
At SM Prime where he’s chair of the executive committee, Hans was instrumental in expanding the footprint of SM Malls.
“We will first start with one a year, and as we grow stronger, then we will increase that to two, three, and maybe four a year,” he said in 2007, emphasizing that “it won’t be a reckless expansion.”
Today, the portfolio includes 88 malls in the Philippines and eight in China.
From malls as its anchor — earning the distinction of being the country’s largest retail shopping center developer and operator —Hans would further transform SM Prime into a leading and sustainable integrated property developer.
Under his leadership, SM Prime expanded to include SM Development Corp., the residential business that develops and markets affordable condominium units; the Commercial Properties Group, which handles the development and leasing of office buildings in prime locations; and the Hotels and Conventions division, which includes Taal Vista Hotel, Conrad Manila, and Radisson Blu Cebu, as well as the SMX Convention Centers.
Meanwhile, through Highlands Prime Inc., SM Prime is responsible for the leisure residential developments — covering 1,300 hectares — within Tagaytay Highlands.
Embedding sustainability and resilience
Beyond the impressive growth of SM Prime —with its P726.31-billion market capitalization — is the company’s commitment to sustainability, anchored on ESG+R principles, an ethos Hans set in place early on. And it was a fire at SM Makati that first opened his mind to the critical role businesses play in environmental stewardship.
“A week after the fire, I went to the site and it felt like I was entering an oven. That experience made me realize that nobody should go through things like this,” he recalled.
Realizing that human actions often magnified the impact of natural disasters sharpened his focus on the environment.
He saw that many crises stemmed from mistreating nature, a belief later reinforced by the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” which showed that only foresight and decisive action can avert such risks.
Setting things in motion, Hans oversaw the installation of solar panels across various SM Malls—now totaling 11—beginning in 2014 with SM North EDSA’s over 5,000 panels.
Additionally, water recycling and the installation of sewage treatment plants are now SM Mall mainstays, resulting in 8.7 million cubic meters of water saved in 2021. Elevated structures and flood barriers round up the features he helped institute.
Lending his voice to global platforms
Speaking at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Global Platform 2025 held in Geneva, Switzerland, Hans stressed the importance of embedding resilience into business strategies.
“Disasters may be unpredictable, but the impact does not have to be—we can, and we must, prepare, mitigate and adapt,” he said.
“Resilience strengthens businesses while safeguarding lives and communities. We know the government cannot do it alone. The private sector is ready to do more.”
(For his efforts in embedding climate risk into business strategy, Hans received the De La Salle Alumni Association (DLSAA) Distinguished Lasallian Award in 2015; two years later, he was bestowed the DLSAA Order of Madame de Maillefer Awardee, this time for his contributions to business)
Supporting education and children in need
As chair of National University (NU), which the Sy family acquired in 2009, Hans has overseen significant strides in academic offerings, research orientation, faculty development, sports, and facilities.
“When I was asked to run it like a business, we had set goals – having the lowest tuition and the highest quality of teachers,” Hans told Charles Tiu on Bilyonario News Channel. “And to show people we’re not after the profit, we converted the school into a non-stock, non-profit. Half of the earnings go to faculty development, the other half to school development.”
Hans is also the main benefactor of ChildHaus, a temporary shelter for brave children battling cancer founded by Ricky Reyes.
“Who would expect that a busy young magnate like Hans Sy would still have the time to talk to me about the welfare of the Center and the children it serves?” Reyes said
With all his achievements and more, Hans T. Sy has definitely earned his place as MAP’s Management Person of the Year 2025.
“He feels very strongly that compassion is very important in the way you treat your employees, customers, and in the community in which you live,” shares Johnip Cua, former president of P&G Philippines.
”He may be tough in managing his businesses with very stretching goals, yet he has a very soft and generous heart, especially for helping the poor and underprivileged. He is truly one of a kind.”
Features Reporter
