What Leadership Requires Today: A Message from Archie G. Carrasco at The Business Manual CEO Awards 2026

What defines a successful business leader today?

At The Business Manual CEO Awards 2026, ten Filipino business leaders were recognized not simply for the companies they have built or the growth they have achieved, but for how they are responding to change, creating opportunities, challenging conventions, and building businesses with lasting impact.

This was at the heart of the message delivered by Archie G. Carrasco, Chairman and CEO of AGC Power Holdings Corp. and Editor-in-Chief of The Business Manual, as he opened the third edition of the annual awards on August 27 at Marquis Events Place in Bonifacio Global City.

A Broader Measure of Leadership

In his remarks, Carrasco reflected on how the measure of business leadership has evolved.

“For many years, we measured successful CEOs by the size of the companies they built, the revenues they generated, and the number of people they employed. While these measures still matter, leadership today demands something more.”

He pointed to qualities that have become increasingly important in a rapidly changing business environment: the courage to question established ways of doing things, the discipline to turn ideas into sustainable enterprises, the humility to listen, and a greater awareness of the impact businesses create as they grow.

These qualities are reflected in the ten honorees recognized by The Business Manual CEO Awards 2026:

• Amina Aranaz-Alunan – Co-Founder of ARANÁZ and Founding Partner and Chairman of SoFA Design Institute

• Michael Concepcion – Founder and CEO of Framework Group

• Eric Dee  – Founder and CEO of Sunnies Inc.

• Roxanne Farillas – Co-Founder and Vice President of RAFFCO International Trading Corporation

• Francis Flores – Global Managing Director of PICKUP COFFEE

• GIGIL Advertising – Founding Partners Badong Abesamis and Herbert Hernandez, and Managing Partner Jake Yrastorza

• Amado Forés – Founder and CEO of AF Hospitality

• Winston Llamas – Co-Founder and CEO of Wilbros Live

• Anna Magkawas – Founder and CEO of Luxe Beauty and Wellness Group

• Steven Tan – President of SM Supermalls

They represent different industries and different approaches to business, but share a willingness to rethink established models, respond to changing consumers and markets, and turn ideas into enterprises that create value beyond their organizations.

Leadership That Creates Opportunities for Others

Carrasco also emphasized that leadership cannot be measured by business performance alone.

As companies grow, he said, so does the responsibility of those who lead them. Their decisions affect employees, industries, communities, and the next generation of entrepreneurs and executives who look to them for examples of what leadership can be.

This thinking is closely aligned with the purpose of The Business Manual, which seeks to connect leaders to the future by sharing the ideas, decisions, experiences, and lessons shaping Philippine enterprise.

The CEO Awards extends that purpose by recognizing leaders whose journeys offer something others can learn from, whether through the risks they have taken, the businesses they have built, the conventions they have challenged, or the opportunities they have created.

What Comes Next

While the evening celebrated what the honorees have already accomplished, Carrasco’s message ultimately looked ahead.

“As your business becomes bigger, may your sense of purpose become even greater.”

He challenged the awardees to think about leadership not only in terms of what they build, but also what their leadership makes possible for others. He added: “The legacy of a CEO will not only be measured by the company you leave behind. It will be measured by the people you develop, the industries you change, the opportunities you create, and the lives you influence along the way.”

It is this broader view of leadership that sits at the heart of The Business Manual CEO Awards 2026: recognizing achievement, while acknowledging the greater responsibility that comes with it.

For this year’s honorees, the award celebrates what they have already accomplished. But perhaps more importantly, it recognizes what they have the capacity to build, change, and contribute in the years ahead.

Photos courtesy of Kim Santos and Kieran Punay of KLIQ Inc.