In her shoes: A fireside chat with Tessie Sy-Coson

In 1958, Henry Sy opened ShoeMart, a small shoe store in downtown Manila. His eldest daughter, Tessie, was working there by 13 and running SM’s first department store at 22. Today she is Vice Chairperson of SM Investments and Chairperson of BDO, the Philippines’ largest bank. MSMEs run nearly 70 percent of the more than 22,000 stores in SM’s malls, and about 12,000 sari-sari stores and other neighborhood shops serve as BDO agents in towns with few or no bank branches. In this fireside chat, Tessie reflects on what a family store taught her about people and money, and how growth can reach every community.