MANILA, Philippines — Ayala Land Inc. is making a major leadership move that will bring its Metro Manila and regional estates businesses under a single organization, with Jaime Z. Urquijo set to take charge of the expanded group beginning January 1, 2027.
Urquijo, who currently heads Ayala Land’s Urban Estates business, will become head of the newly integrated AyalaLand Estates Group, placing the next-generation Ayala executive at the center of the property giant’s nationwide estate development strategy.
The leadership change follows the planned retirement of Christopher B. Maglanoc, currently Ayala Land’s head of Regional Estates, at the end of December.
From Metro Manila to the Regions
The restructuring effectively combines Ayala Land’s Urban Estates and Regional Estates operations under one leadership structure.
That means Urquijo’s responsibilities will expand from Metro Manila developments to Ayala Land’s broader portfolio of master-planned estates across the Philippines.
As of 2026, Ayala Land’s corporate profile lists 54 estates, presence in 57 growth centers nationwide, and a land bank of more than 9,000 hectares at the end of 2025. Ayala Land Estates itself describes its business as integrating residential, retail, office, hotel and leisure developments within master-planned communities.
The company has developed some of the country’s most recognizable mixed-use districts, including Makati Central Business District, Bonifacio Global City, Cebu Business Park and Nuvali.
Urquijo’s Rapid Rise Inside Ayala Land
The new appointment marks a significant expansion of Urquijo’s role in the company.
Ayala Land announced in March that Urquijo would be seconded from Ayala Corporation to serve as Head of Urban Estates, effective April 15, 2026. In that role, he was tasked with advancing the development of Ayala’s Metro Manila estates and strengthening the creation of sustainable urban communities.
Ayala Land’s management roster as of August 10, 2026 lists Urquijo as Group Head, Urban Estates, while Maglanoc is identified as Group Head, Regional Estates.
The latest restructuring now brings those two areas together.
Who Is Jaime Urquijo?
Urquijo is part of Ayala’s next generation of leadership and has held senior positions across the group.
Before joining Ayala Land’s operations, he served as Ayala Corporation’s Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer. He previously worked as vice president for business development at ACEN, where he was involved in expanding the energy company’s portfolio across the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
He also previously headed business development at AF Payments, the company behind the Beep transport payment system. Corporate profiles identify him as a director of several Ayala Group companies.
Ayala Corporation elevated Urquijo to Executive Director in 2025 as part of a broader move to strengthen its next-generation leadership bench.
Why the Restructuring Matters
The consolidation comes as Ayala Land continues to place greater emphasis on large-scale, master-planned developments beyond Metro Manila.
The company’s estate platform is designed to bring together different property uses—including residential communities, offices, commercial centers, hotels and leisure destinations—to create integrated economic hubs.
With Urban Estates and Regional Estates now moving under one organization, the restructuring could give Ayala Land a more unified approach to planning, investment and development across its nationwide portfolio.
It also gives Urquijo a much broader platform only months after assuming his Metro Manila estates role.
Bilyonaryo reported that the combined organization will oversee Ayala Land’s urban and regional property operations nationwide, citing the company’s extensive estate network and land holdings.
A Bigger Role as Ayala Land Enters Its Next Phase
The move is also part of a broader period of leadership transition at Ayala Land.
Earlier in 2026, the company underwent several senior-management changes, including the retirement of multiple long-serving executives.
Urquijo’s latest appointment therefore stands out not only because of the size of the business he will oversee, but also because it places a next-generation Ayala leader in charge of one of the group’s most important growth platforms.
For Ayala Land, the question now goes beyond who will manage its estates.
The bigger question is what the newly unified estates group will build next—and how aggressively it will expand Ayala’s model of master-planned communities across the Philippines.
And with Urquijo moving from a Metro Manila-focused mandate to a nationwide one, the next chapter of Ayala Land’s estate strategy may be considerably bigger than what investors have seen so far.
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE
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