Property devt veteran tries new challenge

Written by Rizal Raoul Reyes

Wednesday, 04 March 2009 17:16

PROPERTY development is typically known as a man’s world. However, women in the past decade have shown they are equally, if not more competent than men when given the breaks. Miriam Katigbak, chief operating officer of Geo Estate, recalls in a recent interview with the Business Mirror there were only a few women who were figuring prominently in real estate in those times. “Back then, there were very few female executives in the industry.” “But over the years the number grew as the market got bigger. Ayala Land was one of the few companies that welcomed female executives,” she added. Personally, Katigbak never felt any biases from the other gender in the company. In fact, Katigbak recalled a time when the profit centers or growth markets were handled by women. Before working for Geo Estate Inc., Katigbak worked for Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) for 26 years and retired in December 2007. Her last position with the group was executive vice president and head of the company’s Signature Projects. Katigbak also led the development of Nuvali, a 7,100-hectare property in Canlubang. She managed the development of the new master plans of Ayala Center in Makati and the Bonifacio Global City. Prior to handling ALI’s marquee projects, Katigbak was the group head for the Ayala Malls Group for close to 20 years. She developed and managed Ayala Center, Ayala Center Cebu, Alabang Town Center, TriNoma, Bonifacio High Street, Market! Market! and Serendra Retail, among others. ALI also tapped Katigbak as a member of the management committee and a member of the board of directors of a number of its subsidiaries, such as Ayala Theatres Management Inc. Alabang Commercial Corp., Cebu Holdings Inc., and North Triangle Development Corp., among others. Katigbak, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Education degree, major in Mathematics, from St. Scholastica’s College, thinks the entry of women in real estate provides the details of preparing and building of the house. “When you’re looking at real estate, there are a lot of things to consider,” says Katigbak. “Feeling, touching and seeing are things that women are good at,” adds Katigbak. They also provide a fresh insight to the industry, she says. As far as Geo Estate is concerned, it is a plus factor to have her around. Being a condominium dweller for decades, Katigbak has a vast experience that can provide insights to Geo Estate’s The Beacon project. In short, Katigbak knows the real stuff of a good condominium. “I have been a condo dweller for decades and so I have real experiences I am also aware of the needs of a condo dweller. Furthermore, I know the perspective of a condo dweller,” says Katigbak. She stresses the need for fresh insight because architects and planners also have their own concerns in the construction of a house. “You can’t help it, planners and even architects have their own objectives. And sometimes it does consider all the concerns of the residents there. But that’s very important. Putting the perspective of the buyer of your project should be in the forefront of your design,” says Katigbak. Besides the fresh insight, Katigbak also has a wide background in project management—all the way from the beginning up to postconstruction of the project. Having worked with the Ayala Malls group, Katigbak knows that the work of a developer does not end after construction. “It has to be continuous, because the developer has to manage the property for the benefit of the residents,” said Katigbak. Interestingly, Katigbak was regarded in the family as the jologs in aesthetic matters. Being a mathematics graduate, she was regarded as methodical, rational and analytical. Her aesthetic skills bloomed when she worked with women. Katigbak says there were no special tricks to develop that. “I think that’s natural in women.”