Andrew Lo Gotianun Sr. (; November 24, 1927 – March 10, 2016) was a Filipino businessman and investor. He was best known for running

Filinvest Development Corporation Filinvest Development Corporation (), is the publicly listed holding company for the various firms in the Filinvest group. It was established in 1955 in the Philippines by Andrew L. Gotianun Sr. and his wife, Mercedes Gotianun, as a used-car f ...

, a major Filipino conglomerate which owns most of Filinvest Land, Inc. and East West Banking Corporation. Gotianun also focused on

biofuels Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA ...

and has acquired two sugar mills and a plantation. As of 2008, his fortune had decreased sharply to $235 million, a result of the global financial downturn. However, his fortune climbed back to over $1 billion in 2014, according to Forbes.

Business

Gotianun made a living from salvaging ships at the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Several years later, he became involved in an automobile dealership. Later, in 1955, he founded

a company which became engaged in

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

in 1967. Gotianun and his wife, Mercedes, temporarily retired from business activities in the 1980s but returned a short time later, with a plan to make improvements to the corporation. He was among those honored at the BizNewAsia Real Estate Who is Who (BREW) awards.

Private life

Gotianun is second cousins once removed with fellow Filipino magnate, John Gokongwei, Jr. and is also related to the

Gaisano family The Gaisano family () is a Chinese Filipino family prominent in the Philippine retail industry particularly in Visayas and Mindanao. History The family's retail business began during the 1970s, when a shop-restaurant was established by Doña ...

, where he is first cousin once removed from Doña Modesta Singson, as members of the notable Go clan in

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

. Gotianun's grandfather (), Hispanized as "Go Quiao Co" () was a half brother of Gokongwei's great-grandfather Don Pedro Singson Gotiaoco, whose illegitimate son was also former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; 9 September 1878 – 19 October 1961) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fourth president of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was vice president under Manuel L. Quezon. Upon Quezon's sudd ...

. His son, Andrew Gotianun Jr., was the vice-president of

Filinvest Land Filinvest Development Corporation (), is the publicly listed holding company for the various firms in the Filinvest group. It was established in 1955 in the Philippines by Andrew L. Gotianun Sr. and his wife, Mercedes Gotianun, as a used-car f ...

References

External links

Filinvest Development Corporation Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotianun, Andrew 1927 births 2016 deaths Businesspeople from Cebu Businesspeople in retailing Gotianun, Andrew Filipino businesspeople in real estate Filipino company founders Filipino investors