MELESA “ELSIE” D. CHUA

Ms. Melesa “Elsie” Chua, Chief Executive Officer of CDC Holdings, Inc. is a recognized leader of the Philippine real estate industry. She has over 30 years of management experience in the development, management, marketing, and sales of residential, commercial, office and hospitality real estate projects.  

Today, she leads CDC which has grown to become a group of real estate companies engaged in the development, marketing, and management of residential and mixed-use projects catering to the middle- and upper-middle-income markets. The corporate group also derives significant revenue from the development and operation of serviced apartments targeting extended-stay business and leisure travelers. 

When she established CDC Holding, Inc., it was built on the vision of providing quality affordable homes for middle-income Filipinos. Project locations are notably close to the established business districts to provide residents with the benefits of living close to their workplace. This focus continues today. 

Melesa’s interest in property development began in the 1980s, when she identified growth opportunity in the condominium market. Shortly afterward, she opened her first condominium building, Crisanta Towers, named after her mother. Through the 1990s, she led benchmark projects that showed it was possible to provide quality homes at affordable prices.   

In the early 2000s, she quickly recognized the potential of serviced residences in the Philippine market, partnering with Singapore-based The Ascott Limited to launch Ascott’s first property in the Philippines, Somerset Millennium Makati, in 2000. A second partnership project with Ascott — Citadines Millennium Ortigas Manila — opened in July 2017. 

She is an active organizer of various socio-civic endeavors by numerous organizations, most notably the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. As Executive Vice-President of CREBA, she helps push for the Chamber’s major advocacy initiatives in housing and real estate concerns among government agencies, legislators and global business contacts.