Henry Chusuey retires as Henann Group of Resorts chairman

BORACAY, Philippines — After 25 years of taking the reins, Dr. Henry Chusuey steps down from the management of Henann Group of Resorts and passes the baton to his three children.

Chusuey announced his retirement last September 26 during the 25th anniversary party of the Henann Group held in Henann Regency Resort and Spa in Boracay, the first property he invested in 1998.

"I have decided, I think, this is about time since the pandemic is over, I have decided to retire from the management of Henann," he said during his speech at the dinner anniversary.

"I will lease my new position. If I retire, my new position will be a collector. Because I will lease my property to my children and, of course, to some old employees and to some stockholders who want to join and I will just get a certain percentage so that hindi na ako stressful. So my role is a collector and auditor," he quipped.

His children all take an active part in their business. The eldest, Alfonso Louis, is the group's president and handles the development of resorts. The second son, Karl Hendrik, is the vice president and takes care of marketing, while the youngest and only daughter, Christina Ann, is the head of accounting.

'Man of vision'

Described as a "man of vision" by former Aklan governor Florencio Miraflores during his speech that night, Chusuey built his first property in Boracay, a 43-room hotel at a time when Boracay experienced one crisis after another.

The former governor recalled how Chusuey took the risk to build what was then called Boracay Regency, now Henann Regency Resort and Spa.

He met the Iloilo businessman in 1997, a time when the island was plagued with the coliform crisis. At about the same time, the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997