Jaime Zobel de Ayala

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For the chairman and chief executive officer of Ayala Corporation, see Jaime Augusto Zobel

Jaime Zobel de Ayala (born 1934) is a prominent Filipino businessman and photographer of German and Spanish descent^{[citation needed]}. He served as both president and chairman of Ayala Corporation from 1984 to 1994 (succeeding his first cousin, Enrique Zobel), when he retired as president. In 2006 he retired as chairman; he is currently chairman emeritus of the corporation. His eldest son, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, is chairman and chief executive officer of Ayala while his younger son, Fernando Zobel, is president of the corporation.

Zobel graduated from Harvard University in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts in architectural science. He was Philippine ambassador to the Court of St. James's in London and the Scandinavian countries from 1970 to 1975. He is married to Beatriz Miranda Zobel de Ayala.

In the 2006 Forbes ranking of billionaires, "Jaime Zobel de Ayala & family" was ranked #606 with a net worth of US$1.3 billion.

In 2007, Jaime Zobel de Ayala tied with Henry Sy as the richest person in the Philippines with a net worth of $2.6 Billion according to Forbes magazine.

The February 2008 Forbes Asia magazine’s first Heroes of Philanthropy list included 4 Filipinos - Jaime Zobel de Ayala, John Gokongwei, Ramon del Rosario Jr., and Oscar Lopez.The list is composed of 4 philanthropists each from 13 selected countries and territories in Asia.^[1]