From insight to impact: 20 years of honoring Young Market Masters
When we launched the Mansmith Young Market Masters Awards (YMMA) in 2006, our goal was simple but purposeful: to identify and celebrate young marketers and entrepreneurs under 35 who create real business results, not through shortcuts or price cuts and celebrity endorsements, but through strategic thinking, market insight and values-based leadership. Two decades later, this mission has grown stronger, not just in the number of awardees we’ve recognized, but in the depth of impact they’ve made.
This 2025, we proudly mark the 20th year of Mansmith YMMA, with 14 new awardees bringing the total number of honorees to 208 since inception. The Mansmith YMMA has become the most prestigious and sought-after award for young marketing leaders in the Philippines. Remarkably, it remains the only marketing recognition in the country that does not charge any entry fee, awards night fee or guests fee.
That’s by design—because talent, impact and contribution shouldn’t come with a price tag.
Over the years, the Mansmith YMMA has proven its power to shape careers. Many past winners have risen to become captains of industry.
Edgar “Injap” Sia II, a 2010 awardee, is now chair of DoubleDragon Properties. Jane Basas, a 2007 winner, serves as president and CEO of Mediaquest. Mian Datu-David, honored in 2016, leads Universal Robina Corp. as president. Donald Lim (2008) is president of DITO. Sam Christopher Lim (2009) heads Francorp as president and CEO while Francis Flores, a 2010 awardee, now serves as president and CEO of Pickup Coffee.
These are not outliers; they are proof of how far young leaders can go when given the platform to grow and be seen.
More importantly, Mansmith YMMA is not about awards for awards’ sake. It is about recognizing those who use marketing not merely to sell, but to serve, to build brands with purpose, scale businesses ethically and solve consumer problems with empathy and innovation.
This year’s winners were chosen by a distinguished panel of judges: Eugene Acevedo, newly-retired president and CEO of RCBC; Aleli Arcilla, managing director of Mondelez Philippines; and Gary de Ocampo, president of Centre Medicale Internationale and former president of Kantar Philippines.
Their stewardship ensures that every Mansmith YMMA recipient has been thoroughly vetted, not just for their titles or achievements, but for the rigor of their thinking and the integrity of their leadership.
Market movers, brand builders
Several of this year’s awardees showed remarkable ability in reversing declining sales and market shares and turning crisis into opportunity. Others built brands that not only won in the market but became household names through deep consumer understanding, precise execution and strategic consistency. A few started their own businesses, proving that age is no barrier to creating economic impact. Others helped redefine how brands operate in the digital economy, or used marketing as a tool to advocate for inclusion, education, or financial literacy.
Regardless of category, whether marketing management, brand building, entrepreneurship, digital business, or advocacy, the common denominator among all these awardees is the mindset they bring to the work. A mindset that does not settle for what is, but always asks what could be. A mindset that values insight over assumption, and impact over image.
Marketing today is undergoing massive change. With artificial intelligence, sustainability concerns and shifting consumer behavior, marketers are expected to lead with both agility and authenticity. But while tools may evolve, the fundamentals remain the same. It’s still about understanding unmet needs, crafting relevant solutions and delivering value better than anyone else. That’s what these young leaders are doing, and why they deserve to be celebrated.
We also continue to see a strong showing from regional and non-Metro Manila-based winners, a reflection of Mansmith YMMA’s commitment to geographic inclusivity. This year’s entrepreneurship awardees include a founder from Cebu, while four of the 14 winners are expats working in Singapore or London. Great Filipino marketers can come from anywhere, and should be recognized everywhere.
One of the most fulfilling parts of my involvement in Mansmith YMMA is hearing how past winners have paid it forward. Many have become mentors and advocates themselves, sharing their knowledge, teaching others and helping lift the profession as a whole. That is, ultimately, what leadership is about. Not just doing well for yourself, but doing good for others.
As we look to the next 20 years, we hope Mansmith YMMA continues to inspire not only individual success but collective progress. Let these young achievers serve as proof that the future of Philippine business is not something to fear. It’s something to be excited about, because it is already being shaped by hands that are bold, curious and committed to doing the right thing.
Here is the list of the 20th Mansmith YMMA Winners.
- Lourdes Susana Batac (GCash)
- Anthony Chiang (Unilever)
- Enrique Jose Vergel de Dios (Dulce Cupcakes / Lemon Square Bakery Treats)
- Jose Aaron Espina (Immuni)
- Nicole Louise Fauni (Procter & Gamble)
- Andrea Huang (Unilever)
- Jackie Mañago-Nepomuceno (Spotify Asia)
- Abi Marquez (@lumpiaqueen /NYMA Talent Management)
- Dominic Nacorda (Samsung)
- Ray Philip Pine (PepsiCo)
- Ira Santos (Kenvue)
- Bianca Sing (TikTok)
- Donna Louise Virata-Abriol (Colgate-Palmolive)
- Alexander James Wang Jr. (GCash)
Full stories and achievements of this year’s winners, as well as those from past years, are available at youngmarketmasters.com. I invite you to read and share them. You never know whose spark might be lit by someone else’s journey.
Marketing, at its core, is the discipline of value creation. Through Mansmith YMMA, we hope to spotlight those who create not only economic value, but also social value, those who build not just brands, but better futures.
