“I eat pressure for breakfast,” laughs Steven Tan, his easy charm making it difficult to envision the kind of weight weighing down his job. As senior vice president of SM Supermalls, he oversees the leasing, marketing and operations of all 51 malls of the country’s most patronized chain of malls – three of which are considered the biggest in the world, not to mention the five in China.

While there are division heads, regional managers and vice presidents that report to Tan, it’s no understatement to say that the bulk of the responsibility to keep SM at the top of the chain falls under his shoulders. “The most difficult part is staying number one,” he says, adding that the most challenging aspect of the job is staying relevant by knowing just what the customers want.

For sure, the Masters in Business Administration that Tan obtained from the Paris School of Management in 1999 has helped this young executive prepare for a job that requires one to be attuned to the latest trends in shopping, fashion, food – virtually most everything that has to do with the retail industry.

“After finishing my master’s in Paris, I was offered a job with a French company (L’Oréal) but that project was for China, so I came back to Manila and joined Barcelo, a Spanish company that runs hotels and resorts,” he discloses. The job with the hotel management company got him acquainted with Hans and Elizabeth Sy who were handling the transformation of Taal Vista into a world class hotel, and for which the Barcelo group was tapped.

   Tan eventually resigned from Barcelo and was all set to relocate to Paris in 2004 to see what opportunities were waiting in the City of Light when he suddenly received a call from an unidentified landline number. “I picked up the phone, and it was Tessie Sy-Coson (TSC) herself who was calling, asking me if I wanted to join the SM Group.”

Caught by surprise, he asked what position was being offered. “We need somebody to take care of our Podium,” TSC said, referring to the smallest mall of SM Prime Holdings (the mall and retail unit of the SM Group). “What are you going to do in Paris? Everything is happening in Asia! Just go on vacation for a month, then come back and work (for us)!” the lady instructed – which is precisely what happened.

Tan admits that the opportunity to learn from an industry icon like Tessie Coson was the big draw, describing her as a “visionnaire,” someone able foresee what is going to happen not only in the Philippines but globally. From managing the smallest mall, Tan subsequently found himself getting bigger responsibilities as he was tasked to handle the opening of the iconic Mall of Asia in 2006. Currently the youngest executive in the company, Steven Tan has also been the fastest to move up the corporate ladder – which goes to show that the Sys track the performance of employees, ascertaining that they are able to deliver and are quick on their toes when something needs immediate attention.

As SVP, Tan is on-call 24/7, and it’s not unusual to get a call in the middle of a movie and step out to take care of the emergency. It has happened before. “We are in the service industry,” he says by way of explanation.

Having had no prior experience with the retail industry, Tan thought he would have difficulty adjusting. Apparently, running a hotel is like running a mall: it’s important to make sure that customers are happy so they will come back. “You see to it that the parking is clean, the place is well-lit, and that we have the right tenancy to cover everything that the customers are looking for that will give them the best kind of experience,” he points out.

A tall order considering that the clientele of SM Supermalls is very diverse: kids, teens, young adults, working professionals, lolos and lolas. “You need to understand each and every sector,” the youthful exec continues. Obviously, he has to be updated about trends, and his capacity to absorb ideas and information like a sponge and be cognizant of the psychology of the consumer help keep him in good stead. Even Sunday get-togethers with family become opportunities to learn what would interest consumers.

“You think at my age I would be listening to Ariana Grande or Iggy Azalea, or be interested about the latest Japanese anime? But you have to keep yourself young, always open to ideas. Fortunately, I love eating, I love traveling, I love listening to music so I love what I am doing which is all about enjoying life,” he says – which is really fortunate because Steven Tan has the kind of joie de vivre – the great exuberance for life – that makes him so perfect for his role with SM.