Two Filipina leaders, Mybelle Aragon-Gobio and Mariana Zobel de Ayala, have been recognized on Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen 2025 list, which highlights 20 trailblazing women shaping the region’s economic future.
Mybelle Aragon-Gobio made history in February when she was named president and CEO of Robinsons Land, the property arm of JG Summit, becoming the first woman and non-family member to lead the developer.
Aragon-Gobio joined Robinsons Land in 1993 as an administrative assistant and rose to oversee the company’s logistics business, residential, and office projects.
In May, she unveiled a five-year, 125-billion-peso ($2.2 billion) expansion plan aimed at doubling net income to 25 billion pesos by 2030, increasing malls from 55 to 69, expanding office space by 50% to 1.2 million square meters, boosting hotel rooms by 25% to 5,300, and building new mixed-use estates. Aragon-Gobio holds degrees in management engineering and international business from the University of Antwerp.
Mariana Zobel de Ayala, managing director at Ayala Corporation, oversees the leasing and hospitality division of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI). An eighth-generation member of the Ayala family, she is spearheading a $1.5-billion redevelopment program of the group’s commercial assets.
Under her leadership, Ayala Land is redeveloping eight existing malls and building new ones, expected to increase gross leasable area by one-third to 2.9 million square meters by 2028. She is also directing a $500-million hospitality program to nearly double room inventory to 8,000 by 2030, including new openings for Mandarin Oriental, Marriott’s Moxy, and Hilton’s Canopy hotels in Makati.
Mariana joined Ayala Corp. in 2013 after working as an investment analyst at JPMorgan in New York. She was appointed managing director in March 2025 and previously served as senior vice president of Ayala Land. Under her guidance, the leasing and hospitality division posted record first-half sales of 23.2 billion pesos ($397 million), accounting for over a quarter of Ayala Land’s revenue.
Both executives are now counted among Asia’s most influential figures, recognized for redefining leadership across industries such as real estate, hospitality, and technology.
Forbes Asia editorial director Rana Wehbe Watson said the list celebrates women who are not just adapting to change but actively shaping Asia’s business landscape.
Over half of this year’s honorees are top-performing professional managers in sectors such as banking, consumer goods, and transportation, while the rest are pioneering entrepreneurs, including founders of billion-dollar startups.
