Before Mall of Asia reshaped the Manila Bay skyline, Steven Tan was managing a very different kind of operation. At the time, he was running Podium—then the smallest mall in the SM Supermalls portfolio.
“I was the mall manager of Podium, the smallest mall in the SM group at the time,” Tan says. “You had big malls like Megamall, North Edsa, and SM Manila during that time. Podium was very small then, and I was running it.”
The role was contained, familiar, and manageable. Then, in late 2005, everything changed.
“After a year, in late 2005, Hans Sy called me into his office and said, ‘Okay, we need somebody to open Mall of Asia. Can you open it for us?’”
The request was not framed as a discussion.
“It wasn’t a question, it was, ‘Open it for us.’ It wasn’t a choice, it was like, ‘Do it.’”
For Tan, the contrast was stark. He had gone from managing a compact, established mall to being asked to launch what would become the largest mall in Asia.
“So, I was doing my own thing in that small mall called Podium, and then they asked me to open the biggest mall in Asia.”
The responsibility was overwhelming.
“It was a daunting task, to be honest.”
Saying yes before overthinking it
Looking back, Tan credits timing—and youth—for his willingness to accept the assignment.
“But when you’re young, you don’t think too much. You just go with whatever.”
He was not a fresh graduate, but he was still early in his leadership journey.
“I was in my mid-30s actually.”
Rather than weighing every possible outcome, he chose action.
“You just go for it. I don’t know, I just said yes to it and started working on it.”
That decision did not mean the absence of fear.
“Were there challenges? Of course, there were. There were a lot of challenges, and people were doubtful.”
The skepticism wasn’t abstract—it was immediate and personal.
“You know, how would SM do here in Mall of Asia?”
At the time, the location itself raised questions.
“There was nothing around us, it was all cogon grass.”
The site had no established commercial ecosystem.
“There was only the church, and that was the only structure aside from a flat, one-story warehouse-looking office in front.”
Leading amid doubt
As Tan began engaging with potential tenants, the doubts became more explicit.
“So when we even showed spaces to tenants, they would ask me, ‘Who’s your market? Where would your market come from?’”
Some reactions were blunt.
“Some tenants even laughed at me, saying, ‘Maybe it’s the fish who would come to your mall.’”
The pressure was not just professional—it was emotional.
“It was a daunting task and I was scared.”
The responsibility weighed heavily.
“Such a big responsibility was given to me.”
Even people close to him questioned the assignment.
“There were a lot of people, even my friends, who would call me and say, ‘Steven, I think you know, that would be the end of SM.’”
The doubts escalated beyond the project itself.
“You know, some people even said that it would be the end of the empire.”
For a young executive entrusted with a massive undertaking, the fear was real.
“Of course, you get scared, right?”
Holding on to conviction
Despite the noise, Tan anchored himself to one belief: trust in the vision of the Sy family.
“There was a lot of negativity around Mall of Asia back then.”
Rather than reacting to external commentary, he stayed focused.
“But for me, I just focused, stayed focused.”
His confidence came from observing how decisions were made at the highest level.
“My guiding lights have always been the Sy family, especially Tatang.”
For Tan, the scale of the investment itself was a signal.
“They’ve invested billions of pesos.”
That fact carried weight.
“Would a wise businessman, the most successful businessman, invest in something that would lose?”
The logic grounded him.
“That alone, for me, was already guidance.”
Taking on Mall of Asia was not just a career assignment—it was a test of leadership under uncertainty. Tan’s story highlights a reality many executives face: sometimes growth doesn’t come from gradual progression, but from being trusted with something far beyond your current scope.
In accepting the assignment without guarantees, Tan learned a lesson that would define his leadership path—when opportunity comes without choice, conviction matters more than comfort.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
