Win Gatchalian started to gain corporate experience in several blue chip companies after receiving his bachelor’s degree in Finance and Operations Management from the prestigious Boston University in 1995.
He initially took command of the operation as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Wellex Group, one of the leading diversified investment firms in the Philippines, with industries including hotels and casinos, real estate development, oil exploration, petrochemicals, mining, aviation, trading, and banking, from 1996 to 2001. He was responsible for the operations management of various industries; working on multiple markets, adapting to grow trends in business and economics; and being in the mainstream of the country’s trade and industry.
His stellar management skills also brought him to oversee the third largest domestic carrier in the country as Air Philippines Corporation’s Vice Chairman and Director from 1998 to 1999. Air Philippines was founded in 1993 by The Wellex Group and started its operations in February 1996 with flights to Subic, Iloilo and Zamboanga. At present, it has eight Boeing 737-200 aircrafts with flights to twelve major destinations in the Philippines from its hubs in Manila and Cebu.
From 1999 to 2001, he became the Vice Chairman of Waterfront Philippines, Inc. (WPI). WPI is one of the top Filipino-owned hotel chains in the country with properties located in Manila, Cebu, and Davao in key business and tourism areas—catering to local, regional, and international guests. Presently, it offers close to 1,600 guest rooms and suites, employs 1,670 employees and has over 13,500 square meters of convention and gaming space. He was responsible for turning Waterfront into one of the country’s premier hotel chains.
It was also in the same period when he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Plastic City Corporation, the Philippines’ fully integrated manufacturer of plastic products with diverse product lines including ropes and twines, packaging, pipe systems, housewares and kitchenware, bags and sacks, appliance and automotive parts, and other commercial and industrial products.