The CEO Magazine Asia - April 2018

152 | theceomagazine.com

underserved.”

“ We

the

underserved.”

the

ser ve

Much less concerned with profit maximisation, the mantra

of many retail chains, Prince Retail President and CEO Robert Go

lifts up the poorest, most remote communities.

WORDS ADRIAN FLORES • IMAGES JASPER SALCEDA

M

orality-wise, most, if not all, Filipinos are driven by two things

• their family and their religious faith (mostly Catholic but
  sometimes Muslim). When Robert Go was a young boy, he
  always wanted to grow up and become a big businessman.
  Like many high-flying C-suite professionals, his idea of success
  was being able to substantially grow a business and make an
  impact in the business community.
  But some time after Robert’s education at college, his Catholic faith and
  upbringing had infiltrated his business philosophy. Not long after Prince Retail
  opened its first retail store in Cebu City in 1990, he involved himself with charity
  organisations. He became a leader within his Catholic community in the Visayas
  region, something he says has moulded his leadership of Prince Retail. “I worked
  on a lot of feeding programs, helping the poor in the countryside. I grew so much
  as a person,” says Robert.
  “Whichever community we go to expand in, it’s always a small country town
  where we are usually the only retailers around. We don’t mind if a town is small
  and not heavily populated. We can still make decent money. For me, it’s all about
  helping towns grow through employment.” »

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