SFIO Founder and CEO Jeths Lacson built his career in engineering. But his heart has been in F&B since 2015, when he founded Epiphany Cafe, the flagship brand of our F&B division. Since its opening in Hamilton, New Zealand, Epiphany has scaled nationwide through strategic partnerships and growth partners.
That same ecosystem approach forms the backbone of Starfleet Innotech's philosophy as a global investment holding company.
With over 15 years of experience holding leadership positions across industries, Jeths is a visionary founder and expert in asset management and business development. He is a Chartered Professional Electrical Engineer and Certified Asset Management Assessor (ISO 55001). He led a team managing a multi-million dollar electricity distribution company in New Zealand, and was the Lead Technical Consultant in the establishment of the Waikato Institute of Technology's Polytechnic University in Saudi Arabia. Over the years, he co-founded Epiphany Cafe, Ardent Bakers, Gorgeous Coffee, and A+ Electrical—all of which are now pillar companies in the SFIO ecosystem.
Mark is a Chartered Professional Engineer and APEC engineer with over 16 years of experience in asset management and business development. Alongside Jeths, he co-founded Epiphany Cafe, Ardent Bakers, Gorgeous Coffee, and A+ Electrical. Today, he leverages his experience across business development, franchising, distribution, and food manufacturing in overseeing SFIO's day-to-day operations, supporting the conglomerate's growth and managing its bottom-line.
With over two decades of leadership experience in electrical design and project engineering, Richard has spearheaded multi-million dollar projects across Saudi Arabia and New Zealand. As SFIO's secretary, Richard utilizes his Electrical Engineering background to manage the company's efficient administration and ensure statutory and regulatory compliance across the conglomerate's global operations.
Michael is a Certified Public Accountant, Registered SMSF Auditor, and Registered Tax Agent based in Australia. Beginning his career with SGV & Co., a member practice of Ernst and Young in the Philippines, Michael now operates MLV accounting, a Melbourne-based CPA public practice that he has grown 20-30% every year since 2013. Today, MLV accounting is part of the SFIO ecosystem, servicing roughly 5,000 clients across Australia.
Santiago is a Columbia University-Trained Multimedia Journalist and a Certified Design Thinking Practitioner from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He was the digital platform editor of Business world, under the Philippine Star Group, helping shape the publication's business and editorial strategy as it transitioned into the digital age. In that time, he's had the unique opportunity to work hand-in-hand with both industry leaders and startup innovators. Santiago serves as an innovation and venture storytelling consultant for startups, conglomerates, and global entrepreneur networks like endeavor.
Chito brings over 35 years of experience in franchise business development, retail site expansion, sales building, customer service, negotiations, and business relationship-building to his role spearheading SFIO's franchising operations. He played crucial roles in the growth teams of F&B giants such as 7-11 and the Jollibee group, with a career taking him across the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India, and New Zealand.
Jorge is a 25-year veteran in manufacturing and supply chain management. Having led the Universal Robina Corporation as Head of Production Planning and Inventory Control, he was responsible for securing the company's ISO 9002, GMP, and Halal Plant Certifications. Today, Jorge oversees SFIO's coffee roasting operations as the director of gorgeous coffee co.
Katherine is a Global Expert in Hotel Management and Wellness Hospitality, championing Science-based Integrated Health Care Programs. Since 2012, she's led the creation of new business models around integrative medicine and preventive care, taking projects from conceptualization to execution and management. Katherine has spearheaded the development of top wellness resorts and integrative medicine clinics across the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Caribbean. As a pioneer in promoting preventive health through natural medicine, Katherine leads SFIO's wellness-oriented township projects under the Moraya real estate brand.
Elvin has over 25 years of experience in master planning, architecture, and property development, with projects across Singapore, New Zealand, and the Philippines. As the Director of AG Architects, he leverages experience designing award-winning projects like Crowne Plaza — Changi Airport in Singapore, integrating natural environments into interior spaces. His expertise spans residential, commercial, public and urban, industrial, and institutional development projects.
Richard is a serial Tech founder and Venture builder, with over 15 years of global experience in innovation consulting, focusing on startups and conglomerates in Asia and North America. Through the startup ecosystem he's built, Richard has deployed software applications, turnkey website solutions, e-commerce platforms, security audit services, smart contract/blockchain systems, and more. As an educator, Richard regularly conducts workshops and seminars on Web3.0 design, Ethical Hacking, and Cybersecurity. In the Philippines, he has established numerous innovation hubs in public universities—bridging promising tech talent with opportunities across the expansive network he's built in Silicon Valley and beyond.
.svg)
