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February 22, 2026 | 12:00am

Will Howell on leadership, momentum and belief in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — As a child, Will Howell dreamed of becoming a pilot or a professional athlete — drawn to speed, precision and the thrill of competition. Today, he channels that same energy into leading 2GO Group Inc., the country’s largest integrated transportation and logistics provider, where vessels, trucks and aircraft move goods that keep communities and businesses running.

Howell’s career path has taken him from public accounting in the United States to high-stakes mergers and acquisitions, from energy to banking, and eventually to Manila under the umbrella of SM Investments Corp. What may seem like sharp industry pivots was a deliberate progression, with each role building the discipline, financial rigor and operational insight that would later prove critical in transforming 2GO.

Now serving concurrently as chief financial officer and chief operating officer, Howell has helped guide 2GO through overlapping business structures, a global pandemic and one of the longest lockdowns in the world. And his corporate report card emerged from all these with four straight years of improved performance. At the heart of it all is a belief in the Philippine growth story, the talent of Filipino teams, and the idea that logistics, when done right, is not just about moving cargo, but about moving a nation forward.

From accounting and audit to M&A transaction advisory to corporate finance to energy and now logistics — these are interesting career moves. What prompted your jump between these industries?

I see it as a natural progression and one that I’ve purposefully driven. Public accounting and audit taught me the fundamentals of business in numerous industries such as software and technology, manufacturing, distribution, real estate and professional services. You learn the inner workings and about what has already happened.

Mergers and Acquisitions or M&A transaction advisory was very exciting and action-packed. You’re performing financial and operational due diligence and thinking about what could happen should you advise a client or your company to buy or sell a business. It’s a very fast-pace working environment with highly intelligent people and ever-changing information and assumptions. You learn to focus on outcomes and what’s important for decision-making.

After these experiences in the United States, I had the opportunity to join the SMIC Investments Portfolio team in Manila, focusing on deals and investments and then eventually taking leadership roles in the businesses that we invested in. It’s been challenging and rewarding to experience the growth that comes from being an advisor to actually having operational responsibility in our portfolio companies.

Can you share some of the early challenges you faced when you joined 2GO, and how you addressed them?

When I joined 2GO, the company had overlapping services offered by its various business units at the time, often competing for resources against each other. Systems and processes were not clearly defined.

Our team, with the guidance of our board of directors, really sought to focus on our core services, to be experts in providing the fastest and most reliable air, land, and sea transportation service our customers. And as we focused, we invested in making our processes more standardized, invested in technology, and in upskilling our team.

Shortly after you joined 2GO, the pandemic hit and the world went into lockdown. What was it like at 2GO during that time?

We worked more than ever during the pandemic. First, our services were essential, so we did our best to keep goods moving and ensure that food, medicines, essential goods were delivered nationwide, whether via our vessels, our reefer trucks and air shipments.

Second, the lockdown restricted movement so operations were less efficient, we had to really focus on how we utilized our resources as we needed to balance costs to ensure that our company survived during the pandemic.

Looking back, I am very thankful for the hard work, dedication and malasakit of our 2GO team in ensuring that we contributed to the nation during the pandemic while also helping the company survive that challenging period.

The pandemic highlighted the critical role of logistics in the daily lives of consumersb — baffecting their families, communities and work. What vulnerabilities did you see then?

For 2GO specifically, as a service provider we represent our customers in delivering goods to their end customers. The pandemic brought us closer or allowed us to coordinate more with our customers in terms of when and how they want their goods delivered to service their end customers. We’re able to understand their needs and collaborate to provide a more tailored-fit service.

Congratulations on recording a net profit for consecutive years. Looking back, what strategic moves did you and the company make to achieve this positive trajectory?

The year will be four years of improved services for our customers, growth and profitability for 2GO.

Three moves: (1) we’ve defined and focused our core services to provide fast, accurate, reliable services to our customers; (2) we’ve invested in technology to drive operational efficiencies and (3) we’ve invested in our people, upskilling them and providing the right tools to deliver results.

You currently hold concurrent roles as COO and CFO. There is often a healthy tension between business and finance leads when driving and sustaining growth. How do you manage these responsibilities while wearing both hats?

It’s felt quite natural as our basis for decision-making is driven by and grounded in data and common sense. Operations has its metrics such as days to deliver, utilization of vessels, trucks or couriers, and these translate directly to financial results.

I’ve been fortunate to have had the time to learn and experience how our operational metrics and financials work together. The key is to make decisions quickly and keep the business moving toward the direction we’ve set.

How do you view the current competition in the logistics market — both from large and small players, domestic and regional/global?

The industry is extremely competitive. There is a lot of competition and it seems that everyone wants to be in logistics.

Our focus continues to be about our customers – providing them with the fastest, most accurate and reliable service. We continue to improve by investing in technology and our assets (whether vessels, cold chain reefers, last mile capabilities and facilities) and our people.

I believe that the Philippines has so much potential and that Filipinos are among the best and brightest people. And the Philippine growth story is something that I would like to humbly contribute.