Mr. John L. Gokongwei, Jr. is the late founder and Chairman Emeritus of JG Summit Holdings, Inc. (JGSHI). He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of JGSHI until his retirement from this position in December 2001. He was a member of the Board of Directors of JGSHI and Chairman of Ding Feng Real Estate. Mr. John, as he was fondly called, devoted his life to making the lives of all Filipinos better. From offering the first locally made branded snacks to presenting a wide array of value-for-money lifestyle choices, his unparalleled entrepreneurial vision was the driving force behind JG Summit’s rise, enabling it to becoming one of the largest and most highly diversified business conglomerates in the country.

Over the last 60 years, Mr. John L. Gokongwei, Jr. has been constructing his business empire with a steady and progressive pace. Despite his humble entrepreneurial beginnings by selling peanuts cooked in garlic since age 13, he went on to build a diversified business empire step by step. Mr. John was ranked 2nd in 2015 Forbes Philippine Richest List. In 2014 he was granted Lifetime Luminary Achievement Award by Channel News Asia and was appointed Chairman of the Overseas Chinese Enterprises Association in Xiamen. JG Group’s services now range from air transportation, banking, food, power, property to hospitality and petrochemicals.

Despite leaving China to live abroad at an early age, Mr. John never forgot where he came from. He has been making investments in China ever since the 90s. JG group is growing rapidly through its Chinese subsidiaries, running 3 core services:  branded food production, real estate development and Philippines' first budget airline (routes from Manila to various Chinese cities).

Regrettably, Mr. John passed away on November, 2019. However, through his extraordinary life, pioneering spirit and noble working ethics, he continues to inspire numerous entrepreneurs and business leaders.