Jacob Ang isn’t quite a household name yet, but within automotive circles in the Philippines, he’s a pretty big deal. As one of the heirs to the vast San Miguel Corporation empire led by his father Ramon Ang, Jacob, or Jake to his family and close friends, has taken on a role helping oversee the operations of the conglomerate’s automotive unit. Besides being a Special Assistant to the chairman of SMC, Ang is currently a director and the Chief Planning Officer of Velocita Motors Inc (VMI), the SMC unit that is the official Ferrari importer, dealer, and distributor in the Philippines. He is also actively involved with BMW Philippines through SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp. (SMCACDC), the importer, distributor, and service provider of BMW automobiles in the country. That means Ang is busy handling both Ferrari and BMW, two of the world’s most recognizable automotive brands.
It might be easy to dismiss Jake Ang’s new role as a natural consequence of him having the correct last name, but, if anything, the connection only adds more pressure for him to do his job well. While he acknowledges the major role his father played in influencing his own passion for automobiles, he’s actually cultivated an interest in cars and racing since he was in his teens. In fact, he competed professionally in karting and won a few races locally and abroad.
