A UST economics alumnus is set to take the helm of retail giant Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI) as president and chief executive officer (CEO) beginning in 2025, the listed company has announced.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on July 26, Robinsons announced that Stanley Co, who earned his BS economics degree from the UST College of Commerce in 1998, will soon serve as its new president and CEO.
Co will assume the positions beginning January 2025, replacing Robina Gokongwei-Pe, the eldest daughter of the late tycoon John Gokongwei, who has been leading the retail giant since 2018.
“Leading Robinsons Retail into a new, dynamic chapter is a tremendous honor and responsibility,” said Co in an article published by RRHI. “I hope to continue building on our strong foundation as a trusted partner of choice.”
Co earned his master’s in business administration at De La Salle University Manila.
A longtime employee of the retail giant, Co joined Robinsons in 2003 as division merchandise manager of its DIY unit and eventually moved up to general manager of the segment in 2008.
Co was tasked to manage the food segment of Robinsons’ retail arm amid the pandemic in September 2020. During this time, he oversaw the expansion of the segment, which is comprised of Robinsons Supermarket, The Marketplace, Robinsons Easymart, and Shopwise.
He became RRHI chief operating officer in 2023, a post he will hold until the transition next year.
Gokongwei-Pe is stepping down as RRHI president and CEO as she begins the transition to the chairmanship of Robinsons’ Board of Directors and its Remuneration, Nomination, and Succession Planning Committee.
These positions were previously held by Lance Gokongwei, her brother and the CEO of family-owned holding company JG Summit Holdings Incorporated.
The Gokongwei siblings were listed by Forbes as the Philippines’s seventh richest in 2023, amassing $3 billion through their flagship companies like the food and beverage giant Universal Robina Corporation and Cebu Pacific Air.
RRHI manages 2,399 stores, including 756 food segment stores, 1,072 drugstores, 50 department stores, 224 DIY stores, and 297 specialty stores. Marco Luis D. Beech
