Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier is on a mission to positively touch and change the lives of millions of Filipinos for the better through his numerous pursuits.
Lhuillier has successfully transformed Cebuana Lhuillier to be the Philippines’ leading microfinance provider, starting as a pawnshop to becoming the largest and leading microfinance institution in the country with close to 3500 branches. Its core products and services such as pawning, money transfer and insurance have aided millions of Filipinos achieve financial wellness and empower them to provide for their loved ones.
“We constantly innovate and improve our products to tailor fit the needs of our Ka-Cebuanas. I’ve always believed that if we give people good financial options, they are capable of making smart decisions financially,” he said.
Lhuiller makes sure that clients are given the best possible products and services through groundbreaking innovations. On top of offering pawning, money transfer and insurance products, Cebuana Lhuillier has now made savings and investment accessible to the unbanked and underbanked providing micro-savings, jewelry selling and micro-investment.
Through its micro-savings product, the company has addressed the pain points in opening a savings account by offering a low start-up amount with less documents and no maintaining balance. Micro-savings is made accessible for the masses through all Cebuana Lhuillier branches nationwide.
The Iponaryo Movement, another innovative idea of Lhuillier, has already registered 7 million account holders.
Cebuana Lhuillier has also enabled Filipinos to gain access to affordable investment through jewelry selling and micro-investment. The company encourages the public to invest in gold through FB Live, its pawnshop branches, the website and other marketplaces.
Realizing the need to make it easier for people to start a business, Lhuillier spearheaded the creation of the Ka Negosyo Center, a one-stop business shop on June 2023. The program provides business mentorship through videos, provides assistance on sales and marketing, lends financial and legal advises, as well as offers financial assistance through loans, micro-savings and insurance.
As the head of the Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation Inc. (CLFI), Lhuillier has helped make education more accessible by donating classrooms, learning centers, conference rooms, and buildings. Part of CLFI’s major thrust is the implementation of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) along with 3 other initiatives – Nationwide Scholarship Program, Spiritual and Social Enhancement Program, and Special Projects on Education.
An avid support of sports development, Lhullier helped create the Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group tennis which has held more than 50 tournaments nationwide in over 10 years. He also managed the Davis Cup and Southeast Asian Games national teams while supporting individual international campaigns of top tennis players Ruben Gonzales and Francis Casey Alcantara.
Lhuliier is the president of the Unified Tennis Philippines (UTP) for 7 years running, alongside his leadership of the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) for 17 years now.