McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director Margot B. Torreshas recently been named Business Leader of the Decade by the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards.
Manila — McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director Margot Torres was named Business Leader of the Decade by the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards, recognizing a career defined by creative excellence, authenticity, and purpose-driven leadership.
Introduced as part of the Tambuli Awards’ 20th anniversary Decade Awards, the recognition honors industry leaders and organizations that have shaped business and society over the past decade—where McDonald’s Philippines also secured Corporate Program of the Decade, with “Feed the Mind” that advocates education through Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit, McDonald’s Classroom and ReClassified programs.
A trailblazer in marketing, Margot was also the first recipient of the APAC Tambuli Chief Marketing Officer of the Year Award in 2011, setting a benchmark for marketing that delivers both strong business results and meaningful impact.
Margot began her McDonald’s journey in 2003 as Chief Marketing Officer and was appointed Managing Director in 2018. Over the years, she has helped steer McDonald’s Philippines into one of the most dynamic and culturally relevant brands in the country—introducing innovations that have become benchmarks in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry and beyond.
“Margot transformed McDonald’s from a global brand into one that truly belongs to Filipinos, deeply connected to their culture and everyday lives. Under her leadership, the company has become future-ready, driven not just by performance, but by the impact it creates for people, communities, and the nation,” said Kenneth S. Yang, President and CEO of McDonald’s Philippines.
Leading business transformation through digital innovation
Yang also highlighted Margot’s role in advancing McDonald’s digital transformation, positioning digital not simply as a channel but as a core growth engine.
Her leadership drove key milestones—from the launch of the brand’s first delivery website in 2009 and mobile app in 2014, to the development of a fully integrated omnichannel ecosystem. This includes self-ordering kiosks and cashless payment systems introduced in 2018, alongside strengthened McDelivery and Drive-Thru services and early partnerships with platforms such as Grab and Foodpanda. More recently, the launch of MyMcDonald’s Rewards in 2025 further enhanced customer engagement and loyalty.
This integrated ecosystem proved critical during the pandemic, allowing the brand to continue serving customers seamlessly across channels. Beyond improving customer experience, the transformation accelerated business growth — from 241 in 2003 to over 860 today —now supporting more than 75,000 employees nationwide and positioning the Philippines as Top 10 market in the McDonald’s system worldwide.
Championing creative excellence in the field of marketing
Under Margot’s leadership, McDonald’s Philippines has consistently delivered some of the industry’s most memorable and effective campaigns, combining deep cultural insight with strong strategic execution.
At the forefront is “Unbranded,” one of the brand’s most celebrated campaigns, which earned McDonald’s Philippines its first-ever Cannes Lions win and became one of the most awarded campaigns in the country with multiple Grand Prix and gold wins across global, regional, and local stages, including MAD Stars, New York Festivals, Spikes Asia, and Kidlat.
Other standout campaigns during her tenure as Chief Marketing Officer, including “Pa Cheeseburger Ka Naman” (2008), “McTollbooth” (2015), “Boy Who Loves to Study” (2015), and “AlDub (2015),” also resonated deeply with Filipino audiences, strengthening the brand’s cultural relevance.
The culture of creative excellence she has built culminated in a quadruple win in 2025, with McDonald’s Philippines named Marketer of the Year (Marketing Excellence Awards Philippines), Company and Advertiser of the Year (Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards), Brand of the Year (SMARTIES), and National Advertiser of the Year (PANATA Awards) across the industry’s most prestigious platforms.
Margot is widely regarded as a leading voice in marketing and communications, championing creativity not only as storytelling, but as a driver of business growth and societal impact. This influence extends beyond the brands she leads into shaping the broader industry.
She served two terms as President of both the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) and the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines (DMAP). She has also served on distinguished juries across global and regional award platforms, including the Cannes Lions Creative Strategy Jury in 2025.
Her contributions have been recognized through numerous accolades, including the CEO Excel Award (IABC, 2020), Woman Marketer of the Year (Asia Marketing Federation, 2019), Women Leading Change Award (Campaign Asia, 2018), recognition as one of Asia’s Most Influential Chief Marketing Officers, and the Lifetime Agora Award for Marketing Management.
Developing people and their potential
But beyond the accolades, Margot’s leadership is ultimately about people.
This is best embodied in “Best Me,” one of McDonald’s Philippines’ most impactful employer branding campaigns under her leadership. The campaign highlights how employees grow into their fullest potential through the skills, values, and opportunities they gain while working at McDonald’s. Together with “McDo Taught Me,” it reframed the brand as more than a workplace—positioning it as a training ground for future leaders.
This people-first approach strengthened McDonald’s employer brand and contributed to its recognition as Employer of the Year by the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) in 2025.
At the heart of this is Margot’s leadership philosophy: the ability to see potential where others may not, and the conviction to help people realize it. She challenges individuals and teams to believe in what they can become, and to act on that belief.
A passionate advocate for learning and development, Margot has also extended this commitment beyond McDonald’s to the broader industry. She founded the PANA Brand Camp in 2011—an intensive program that equips young Filipino marketers with world-class capabilities in strategy, creativity, and storytelling, culminating in the Cannes Lions Young Marketers Competition.
Held annually, Brand Camp has become a cornerstone initiative in developing the next generation of Filipino talent. Through the program, several teams have brought home Gold and Silver wins on the global stage, demonstrating that Filipino creativity can compete with and win at the highest level.
Creating meaningful impact for Filipinos
One of the most defining chapters of Margot’s leadership came during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she mobilized the private sector in support of national recovery.
As communications lead for Task Force T3, she brought together competing brands under the “Ingat Angat Tayong Lahat” campaign—a nationwide movement that helped restore public confidence, promote safe behaviors, and support the reopening of the economy. The initiative later evolved into “Ingat Angat Bakuna Lahat,” which played a critical role in increasing vaccine confidence and accelerating vaccination efforts across the country.
Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon, then Deputy Chief Implementer of the National Task Force for COVID-19 Response, highlighted the campaign’s impact: “That really made a difference, and that’s why we were able to vaccinate millions of people in such a short span of time. Without Margot’s campaign, that would not have happened. She helped us build the country back again.”
Beyond the pandemic, Margot continues to champion initiatives that uplift Filipino communities. She serves as private sector lead for Pilipinas Kontra Gutom, a multi-sector movement addressing hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity, mobilizing partnerships across business, government, and civil society. Among its initiatives was Kain Tayo Pilipinas, which has since become a flagship program of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), where she now serves as Vice Chairman.
She is also Vice President of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Philippines, supporting programs that provide access to early childhood education through Bahay Bulilit Learning Centers and safe spaces for families with children undergoing treatment through Ronald McDonald Family Room.
Today, Margot leads a growing network of over 860 McDonald’s stores while keeping the brand anchored in its commitment to nation-building. She brings malasakit to life across the organization, guiding how the company serves customers, develops its people, and supports communities.
“Since Tambuli gave me my first award 15 years ago, I’ve remained committed to doing work that makes a difference,” Margot shared. “My purpose is to shine a light on ideas that create meaningful change.”
With nearly four decades of leadership spanning business, industry, and nation-building, Margot Torres exemplifies what it means to lead with both boldness and heart of purpose—proving that the best ideas don’t just grow brands, they change lives.
