(London, United Kingdom) PHINMA Corporation President & COO and PHINMA Education President & CEO Dr. Chito B. Salazar has been inducted into the Education Leaders Forum Fellowship 2026 for his dedicated services to education. The prestigious lifetime achievement award was conferred to Dr. Salazar last January 20, in a special ceremony at The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in London, attended by leading figures in global education.

“It is my great honour to induct Dr. Chito B. Salazar into the Education Leaders Forum Fellowship 2026 for his tremendous achievements in furthering education. Chito’s work has impacted over 170,000 underserved youth in the Philippines and Indonesia. Through his leadership, his passion, and his dedication to education, so many lives have been changed,” Education Leaders Forum Executive Chair Vikas Pota said.

“His example is an inspiration to us all. Education needs leaders like Chito if we are to meet our commitments to the next generation and to the young minds of the future,” he added.

Dr. Salazar is the sole Filipino inductee into the 2026 Fellowship. Over several decades, he has worked across the private sector, civil society, and policy reform making him a central force in advancing a more equitable, competitive, and future-ready education system in the Philippines— through his leadership at PHINMA Education and Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), as well as his being a member of the Advisory Council for the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II).

At PHINMA Education, Dr. Salazar pioneered a “bare-bones, no-frills, brass-knuckles” model of higher education that reduces costs without compromising learning. Designed for students who have high aspirations for a degree but with limited financial capacity, many of whom are the first in their families to go to college—this model equips them with skills and support to not only graduate, but to succeed as professionals and top licensure exams. 

Following a turnaround business model, Dr. Salazar led its acquisitions in key education cities, improving both operational efficiency and academic quality to provide local communities with an accessible quality option. Today, PHINMA Education is the largest private higher education network of 13 colleges and universities in 17 campuses across Southeast Asia, currently serving 178,000 students.  Since 2004, the network has produced over 88,000 graduates, 42,000 licensed professionals, and 200 topnotchers.

“We are grateful to the Education Leaders Forum for this recognition, and for giving us a space to meet partners who share our belief that education can change lives for the better. We continue to grow and look for opportunities where we are most needed; constantly looking to our north star—the millions of underserved, low-income learners who need access to quality education to improve their lives. Our mission is ultimately to create more options and pathways to their success.” Dr. Chito B. Salazar said.

The awarding ceremony took place at the culmination of the Annual CEO Retreat of the Education Leaders Forum, which convenes global education leaders to discuss how leadership can transform learning. Dr. Salazar was joined at the retreat and ceremony by PHINMA Education Philippines Country Head Happy Tan.

The Education Leaders Forum Fellowship honours the lifetime achievement of pioneers in education. Past inductees include Dr. Paul LeBlanc, former President of Southern New Hampshire University; Nasreen M. Kasuri, Founder & Chairperson of the Beaconhouse Group, Pakistan; Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha, Founder & Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ashoka University, India; and Anant Agarwal, Chief Academic Officer of 2U & Founder of EDX, USA.

About PHINMA Education

PHINMA Education is the largest private school network in Southeast Asia, operating schools across the Philippines and Indonesia: PHINMA Araullo University (AU), PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College (COC), PHINMA University of Pangasinan (UPang), PHINMA UPang College Urdaneta, PHINMA University of Iloilo, PHINMA Rizal College of Laguna, PHINMA St. Jude College Manila, PHINMA St. Jude College Quezon City, PHINMA St. Jude College Dasmariñas, Cavite, PHINMA Union College of Laguna, Southwestern University PHINMA, Horizon University Indonesia and Kalbis University.

About PHINMA Corporation

PHINMA Corporation is a proudly Filipino conglomerate dedicated to making lives better and building the nation through successfully managing our businesses which are anchored on our core values of Integrity, Competence, Professionalism and Love of Country. Through our core businesses in education, construction materials, property development, hospitality, and community housing, we provide access to the essentials of dignified lives, uplift the underserved, and drive national progress.

As we continue our journey, 70 years and beyond, we reaffirm our belief that business must serve as a Force for Good—harnessing the transformative power of business to address social challenges and create a lasting impact.

About the Education Leaders Forum

The Education Leaders Forum is the world’s leading community for C-Suite leaders in the education sector. CEOs from across the private, public, and non-profit sectors meet each January in London for the Annual CEO Retreat of the Education Leaders Forum to discuss how, through their collective efforts and shared ideas and experiences, they can make better decisions for the sector and transform learning.