ericflo.com

Manual Magazine, October 2004

Bench began 17 years ago with one stall in a corner of SM Makati. Today, it is every mall owner’s locator of choice, with 11 brands in 230 stores in 5 countries, and with 2500 employees in 30,000 sq m of retail space. It sells clothes, underwear, toiletries, cosmetics, furniture, grooming services, and internet access. Its Oracle-managed central warehouse in Pasay City is 11,000 sq m big, with a further 16,000 sq m lot on standby for future expansion.

While visionary executive creative director Ben Chan remains the company’s public face, his favored nephew works quietly behind the scenes.

Bryan Lim, 30, son of both the company president and vice-president (who happens to be Chan’s sister), has been with the family-owned company since 1995; has been general manager (and acting chief operations officer) of Suyen Corporation since 2001; and is today deeply involved with Bench, HerBench, Bench Fix, Bench Body, Celio, Greyhound, Human, Dimensione, PCX, Kashieca, and Be Connected. Because practically everyone working in the retail giant now reports to him, he is in some ways already at the peak of his powers, arguably more powerful now than he will be when he and his sisters actually inherit the company.

The self-deprecating heir is mildly even apologetic for being a Son of Owner, even though he’s worked his way up from the bottom, starting out as operations staff assistant for the marketing department. Careless whispers from cynics, however, are a small price to pay for his priceless apprenticeship as Ben Chan’s Anointed One.