T eresita Sy-Coson is the matriarch of the Sy family and one of the most powerful and influential business leaders in the Philippines. She is the eldest child and a key heir of the late Henry Sy Sr., a self-made tycoon who started with a small shoe store and built the SM Group into the Philippines' largest and most dominant conglomerate. After her father's death in 2019, she and her five siblings inherited the vast family empire.

Having been deeply involved in the family's business for her entire career, Sy-Coson plays a pivotal leadership role. She serves as the co-chairman of the group's main publicly traded holding company, SM Investments Corporation, which has massive interests in retail (with its ubiquitous SM Supermalls), real estate (SM Prime Holdings), and banking. She is also the chairwoman of BDO Unibank, the largest bank in the Philippines. As the most visible and active of the Sy siblings, she is the public face of the dynasty and is responsible for guiding the strategy of its sprawling business interests.