MANILA - What was taipan Henry Sy like? What was the philosophy of the man who built one of the country's biggest conglomerates, and the brand that has become synonymous with shopping?

At the 30th National Retail Conference and Expo in Pasay City, the late tycoon's son Hans Sy, who now sits as SM Prime Holdings Chairman, and his grandson Hans “Chico” Sy, Jr. looked back at the life lessons they learned from the late patriarch.

SM Prime Holdings Chairman Hans Sy and his son SM Engineering Design and Development Corp President Hans "Chico" Sy, Jr. share the life lessons they got from the family patriarch and late taipan Henry Sy.

Hans Sy, the fourth child of Henry Sy, hailed his father who taught him business at an early age. He shared that as early as 13 years old, he was already asked to help the family business, and the elder Sy was not beyond making his son do menial tasks.

"The first weekend, I prepared myself very well--new shirt, new pants. I went to work. The first thing he said was: ‘You start throwing away all this garbage we have’. I said to myself ‘Really?’ Syempre we follow. The next thing he gave me was the role of cash clerk," he said.

He said his father was an innovator, which helped the company succeed. Their first business is a shoe store in Avenida, Manila. Hans Sy said it wasn't the area’s first shoe store, but his dad offered something new–he had airconditioning. Hans Sy said it was one of the very first and very few stores that were airconditioned at the time. 

"That actually worked out very well," Hans Sy shared.

Hans Sy added that his father taught them to be hardworking and more importantly, to stay humble.

"Stay focused. You know what exactly you’re facing. Stay hungry. That should be the guidance for you to really do your job well. And stay humble," Hans Sy said.

The grandson, Chico, who is now President of SM Engineering Design and Development Corp, also shared a story about his grandfather.

"I remember this one time my grandfather stole me from my parents. I came home with the SM delivery truck. My parents went: ‘What have you done?!’ I brought home the largest toy from the toy store," Chico said.

Chico was the first grandchild allowed by Henry to study abroad with a promise that he would return to the Philippines. After studying in Australia and working in another company, Chico was called to return home. He said it was something he knew would happen and he remembered what his parents and grandparents imparted to him.

"Humility is always something that needs to be really practiced and ingrained,” Chico said. 

And while remaining humble, maintaining focus was equally important, he added.

“Stay hungry. Never be complacent," Chico said.

For now, Hans Sy is enjoying being a grandfather to six kids, two of which are from Chico. He said what his dad did to Chico is now his role to his grandkids. And with this, the legacy of Henry Sy lives on.

Henry Sy died in 2019 at the age of 94. He founded SM Investments, the biggest conglomerate in the Philippines. Before his death, he was named by Forbes as the richest person in the Philippines for several years.                                                  

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