BPI Wealth’s captain knows how to run a tight ship . . . and a yacht
Maria Theresa Marcial has made it her life-long mission to manage wealth for people who entrust their money to professionals, helping them spot opportunities and navigate volatile markets.
She is president and CEO of BPI Wealth, the largest trust corporation in the Philippines with about P1.53 trillion in assets under management as of end-2024, equivalent to the resources of the sixth-largest bank in this part of the world.
Since taking the helm of BPI Wealth in 2022, assets under management have surged by 81.5 percent.
Prior to this role, she served as chief financial officer (CFO) and chief sustainability officer at the parent bank, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI). There, she was responsible for strategic planning and sustainability, central accounting, financial control, balance sheet management and analytics, corporate legal affairs, strategic management and sales of bank assets as well as investor relations.
In 2014, Hong Kong-based Asian Investor recognized her as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Women in Asset Management in Asia.” Institutional Investor also named her “Best CFO” in 2023.
She graduated with a BS Economics degree (cum laude) in 1990 from the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños, which also gave her an outstanding alumna award in 2022.
Fresh from college, she started her career as an economic policy researcher at the National Economic and Development Authority.
She joined BPI as a bond trader in 1995 after finishing her Master’s Degree in Economics from UP Diliman. She became part of senior management before reaching the age of 40—one of the few BPI executives to have accomplished this feat.
She completed the CFA Institute Investment Management Workshop at Harvard Business School in 2006 and also attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 2010.
Marcial’s immediate goal for BPI Wealth is to build the foundational imperatives for the business: robust systems and processes, diverse products and solutions and a highly engaged and talented organization.
With a strong foundation, she would like to see BPI Wealth to be the “most accessible asset manager in the industry.”
“I want to leave a fund management industry that has truly democratized access to investments. Access to investments enables Filipinos to achieve wealth wellness. And wealth wellness, which means having enough to live long and comfortably, helps achieve happiness,” she said.
Marcial is also working to develop and mentor more leaders at BPI Wealth who will build a sustainable organization—“one that continues to grow and innovate well beyond my time,” she added.
Yacht master
When she is not riding out volatile financial markets, she is navigating strong winds and rough seas. She is, after all, one of the few women in the country who captain their own boat.
A diver and nature lover, she took a skipper training in Australia and in 2016, became the proud owner of S/Y Isabelle, a 39-foot 2016 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 389 keel boat. Since then, she has more than 8,000 nautical miles logged as a sailor.
She also serves on multiple corporate and nonprofit boards, including WWF Philippines. She advocates for marine conservation and helps ignite a movement toward sustainable prosperity.
Asked what else she would like to accomplish, she said, “I want to see the sailing community grow—more boats, more skippers, more crew—with support from the BPI Private Wealth Signature Yacht Race Series.”
“I want to establish the Ocean Fund, an investment fund for investors who want to support marine conservation while generating reasonable returns from their investment,” she added.
