BIZ BUZZ: Another feather on De Ocampo’s cap

For Roberto de Ocampo, the former finance chief who helped steer the Philippine economy through the 1990s, the accolades keep rolling in, this time from his alma mater in the United States.

The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business has named de Ocampo the inaugural recipient of its Global Alumni Achievement Award, a new distinction established this year to recognize graduates whose work has made an impact across countries and communities.

De Ocampo served as finance secretary from 1994 to 1998 under former President Fidel Ramos.

Michigan Ross credited him as a key architect of the Philippine economy’s resurgence during that period, giving the veteran policymaker another feather in an already well-decorated cap.

De Ocampo’s resume also stretches well beyond the Department of Finance (DOF). At present, he is the chair emeritus of the Philippine Veterans Bank, where he also served as chair and CEO from 2013 until his retirement in 2025.

Furthermore, he is the only Filipino to have been “knighted” by three foreign governments: United Kingdom, France and the Vatican.

For a man whose career has spanned government, banking and academe, the latest honor is another reminder that his influence extends well beyond the halls of the DOF.

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