Property developer Ayala Land Inc. announced Tuesday the appointment of Anna Ma. Margarita Dy as the company’s first female president and chief executive.
Dy will succeed Bernard Vincent Dy, who will retire by the end of the month, after nine years as president and CEO and 26 years in the company. He will take a new role as senior advisor to ALI chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.
Prior her appointment, Dy served as executive vice president since Jan. 1, 2023 and chief operating officer since April 26, 2023.
Zobel said in a letter sent to employees Bobby helped ALI maintain a strong balance sheet that enabled the company to recover from the challenges brought by the pandemic.
“During the pandemic years, Bobby guaranteed the health and safety of our employees and supported our merchants, suppliers and the local communities we operated in. He was at the forefront of our sustainability initiatives as he boldly implemented a five-year plan to achieve carbon neutrality for our commercial properties, which we achieved 1 year ahead of the target,” he said.
Zobel also expressed trust and confidence in ALI’s newly-appointed CEO and acknowledged her extensive experience and leadership roles within the strategic land bank management group where she played a role in launching large estates such as Bonifacio Global City, Nuvali, Vertis and Arca South.
Dy also led the group’s residential business group and, more recently, assumed leadership over the malls, offices and the hotels and resorts group.