With more than twenty years of varied experience, Maite Defensor is a seasoned business leader who offers Island Pacific Supermarket a wealth of knowledge and skills. Her distinguished career encompasses a number of sectors, including public service, mining, building, marketing, and finance. Her creation of Island Pacific Global, Inc., a calculated move that significantly reduced labor costs by providing back-office support to Island Pacific Supermarkets located in the United States, serves as more evidence of her leadership. This calculated action helped local Philippine industries in addition to improving the company’s financial performance.
Her role as President and CEO of the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) made her a significant player in one of the biggest employers in the Philippines’ construction sector. Defensor’s dedication to public service is similarly noteworthy, as demonstrated by her tenure in the House of Representatives representing Quezon City’s Third District. Here, she played a key role in the filing of bills against workplace discrimination, which focused on eradicating practices that discriminate against people based on their sex, sexual orientation, age, or personality. She also seeks to advance a society that values justice and respect for all. She also supported antitrust laws that forbade unethical business activities and promoted fair competition amongst businesses. Her personal commitment to caring for her special needs child led her to decide not to run for reelection, which says a lot about how committed she is to her community and family.
Defensor has an exceptional academic background, having attended Harvard University and the University of the Philippines to study economics. Her memberships in esteemed groups such as the Financial Executives of the Philippines and the Harvard Club of the Philippines, in addition to her positions as Assistant Secretary and Director of the Harvard-Kennedy School of Government Alumni Foundation of the Philippines, highlight her broad range of abilities and connections.
Little One The CEO of Island Pacific until last year, Jefferson Lim, the company’s founder, conveyed his sincere appreciation to the more than a thousand team members for their steadfast commitment and support during his leadership. He was incredibly appreciative of the chance to lead such an amazing group of people. Lim expressed his hope that Maite Defensor and the incoming leadership will receive the same degree of assistance and cooperation. He also emphasized Island Pacific’s most noteworthy achievement. Due to the dominance of a single Filipino supermarket chain in the year 2000, numerous small, family-run grocery stores had to close. Despite all the difficulties, Island Pacific made it through, and since then, our existence has been essential to our community, guaranteeing affordable prices and superior selection of products. This effect is especially noticeable in the neighborhoods where our stores are situated, frequently leading to cheaper food prices than in places where we are not present. Our belief that our team members are our most valuable assets is affirmed by our participation in Fortune Magazine’s distinguished list of the Top 20 Best Large Workplaces in Retail. This list is a testament to our core principles.
Matt Ranillo, Chairman of the Board of Island Pacific, stated, Theyare extremely fortunate to have someone of Maite Defensor’s caliber and experience, whom he has also known for many years, step up to lead Island Pacific Supermarket. Her inventive approach across several industries and her effective administration of large-scale projects are examples of her visionary leadership and execution track record. With her broad business acumen and dedication to operational excellence, Maite’s unique qualities allow her to drive strategic prioritization within our organization. We have no doubt that Island Pacific will achieve unprecedented success under Maite’s direction as it keeps innovating and providing exceptional community service.
Island Pacific Supermarket is dedicated to its goal of providing the Filipino community living overseas with a taste of home and encouraging a feeling of community through its goods and services, even as it starts this new chapter.
In the US, Island Pacific is a chain of Filipino supermarkets that sells a variety of Filipino products, such as prepared meals, baked goods, and groceries. The business takes great satisfaction in its commitment to supporting the Filipino community and advancing Filipino culture via its goods and services.
