For Isidro “Sid” Consunji, the path to leadership wasn’t straightforward. He had spent years managing logging companies, turning around struggling businesses, and proving his ability to run operations independently. But in 1981, a devastating accident forced him to rethink everything.
At the time, DMCI—the construction company founded by his father, David Consunji—was working on projects in Davao. One day, disaster struck.
“One time, nagkaroon ng landslide, natabunan yung aming barracks. It was a terrible accident,” Consunji recalls.
The event shook him. He had been running logging businesses successfully, buying bankrupt firms and rebuilding them, but this was different. The landslide was a wake-up call—a moment that made him question his career path and priorities.
His father saw an opportunity for him to take on a bigger role at DMCI and urged him to return.
“My dad suggested, ‘Why don’t you help out in DMCI?'”
That single conversation changed everything. Consunji left the logging industry and stepped into construction full-time, where he would eventually rise to lead one of the biggest infrastructure companies in the Philippines.
At DMCI, he applied the same business instincts he had honed in logging—turning around struggling projects, managing resources efficiently, and making tough leadership decisions.
It was a pivotal moment in his career. What started as a shift driven by tragedy turned into a long-term commitment to shaping the country’s skyline.
Today, as Chairman and CEO of DMCI Holdings, Consunji has helped expand the company beyond construction into power, real estate, and mining. But he never forgets the moment that pushed him to take on this journey.
His story is a reminder that career paths aren’t always linear—sometimes, the biggest turning points come from unexpected, life-changing events that force you to rethink everything.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
