The women who made it to the Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen 2023 list are all newcomers and have been selected for their achievements as business leaders.

20 female leaders made it to this year’s Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen list. Only one of them is from the Philippines. 

This distinction goes to Anna Ma. Margarita “Meean” B. Dy, who was named Ayala Land’s first female CEO last September. 

She joins the likes of Alibaba Group’s Taobao and Tmall Group CEO Trudy Dai and Samsung’s President of Global Marketing Office Lee Young-hee on the list. Other businesswomen who received the recognition include Suntory Beverage & Food CEO Makiko Ono and Dusit International Group CEO Suphajee Suthumpun. 

The Power Businesswomen 2023 List

According to Forbes, the Ayala Land CEO’s rise “comes as the company—the real estate arm of the Ayala group, a conglomerate controlled by billionaire Jaime Zobel de Ayala and his family—accelerates the launch of residential projects to meet surging housing demand.” 

Forbes notes that she has been with the company for 18 years and has been on the management committee for 15 of those years. Prior to her appointment as CEO, Dy was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Ayala Land. 

Who Is Meean Dy? 

Meean Dy is no stranger to receiving awards and accolades. In fact, she graduated magna cum laude from Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics (Honors Program) in 1990.

A year later, she obtained a Master’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She also has an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. 

Prior to joining Ayala Land, she was the Vice President of the Lopez family’s Benpres Holdings Corporation. 

Recognition for Filipino Businesswomen

The Ayala Land CEO’s inclusion in the prestigious Forbes list is a huge win for female business leaders in the Philippines. It is an example of Filipino businesswomen getting the rightful recognition for their hard work. In a country where nearly half of senior leadership positions in mid-market businesses are held by female leaders, Meean Dy’s recognition is inspirational for other businesswomen to strive harder in their careers.