How putting sustainability at the heart of real estate developer NEO led to rapid business growth and the fulfillment of the BGC vision

During The Business Manual’s conversation with legendary real estate developer Charlie Rufino and his son Raymond Rufino, neither of them mention the word stewardship. And yet, throughout the interview, it is always there, unsaid but constantly present. When Charlie talks about his beginnings in the condominium boom and the development of Bonifacio Global City, it is nothing less than stewardship of the family business. The same is true when he talks about passing the business on to his sons. And when Raymond talks about NEO’s green buildings and sustainability, it is always implicitly about stewardship of the earth.

It is in one of these green buildings, Seven/NEO at Bonifacio Global City, where The Business Manual spoke to Charlie and Raymond Rufino, the father and son who are respectively the President and CEO of NEO. Sustainability is the order of the day as NEO has achieved much in pioneering green buildings, with the company recently achieving net zero certification in 2021, an important feat that signals the future of real estate development.