Mica Tan, the 30-year-old financier at the helm of private equity firm MFT Group, proves that being a young entrepreneur is not a weakness, but an advantage
“I’ve always believed failure to be the best teacher,” remarks 2019 Gen.T honouree Mica Francesca Tan, co-founder and CEO of private equity firm MFT Group. At just 19 years old, the bold entrepreneur decided to forego university and dive into starting her own business. Now on its seventh year of operations, the eponymous investment company boasts a rich portfolio worth PHP 3 billion spanning various industries, primarily family legacy establishments, in global markets—10 countries, including 20 different business districts to be exact. But Tan will be the first to admit that she is not without her fair share of mistakes.
Her passion for finance—and specifically, how finance empowers others—was inspired by her father, Dr Eduardo Tan. As a respected oncologist, Dr Tan dedicated his career to making world-class cancer treatment more accessible for Filipinos, seeking entrepreneurial partners to help realise his dream. “Because of that, I grew up with the courage not to be afraid of asking for help,” says the wide-eyed woman.
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Though she was often underestimated along the way, getting an early start certainly had its advantages. Making such a daring leap at a young age instilled a resoluteness that only strengthened over time while allowing Tan to embrace the growing pains much sooner. “The one thing that finance continues to teach me is how to overcome disadvantages and turn crisis into opportunity,” she muses. “I saw how my father tirelessly talked about his vision with successful businessmen capable of undertaking remarkable ventures. I may not have the long list of qualifications for it, but I continue to learn from many mistakes, which leads to building teams that can turn good ideas into great companies.”
This commitment to staying undaunted amid defeat is an attitude that the CEO has integrated into the company’s philosophy and her own management style. Tan shares: “The exciting part is building teams where you can talk about failure openly and objectively. Analyse what went wrong and use this to change the course. . . intellectual humility is at the core of this transformation.”
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