ATTY. REGINALDO A. OBEN
Chairman
OBEN GROUP OF TOYOTA DEALERS
Atty. Reginaldo A. Oben serves as Chairman of the Oben Group of Toyota Dealers comprising of Toyota Balintawak, Toyota Otis, Toyota North EDSA, Toyota Marilao, Bulacan, and Toyota San Jose, Del Monte, Bulacan (the “Oben Group”).
While originally engaged in the shipping business, being the President and Chairman of Wallem Philippines Shipping Inc., one of the largest Ship Agency in the country, Atty. Oben’s stint in the automotive dealership industry started when the local automotive company, Toyota Motor Philippines, decided to appoint him, among many contenders, to be the Toyota dealership franchise owner in the northern portion of Metro Manila in 1989. His excellent credentials, strong business acumen,technical know-how, and utmost credibility paved the way for the beginning of Atty. Oben’s venture into the car dealership industry through Toyota Balintawak.
Since then, Atty. Oben has methodically strengthened the business, expanded the dealership’s customer base, and grown its footprint from 1 to 5 full Toyota dealerships and 1 service center, more than doubling its business and employee base. His expertise, timeless business strategies, deep sense of purpose and big bold goalstransformed the Oben Group into robust and resilient leaders in the industry.
Atty. Oben also brings the wealth of his experience and insights to a family holdings company which is a partner with stakeholdings in Cosco Shipping Lines Philippines Inc. and PIL (Pacific International Lines) Philippines Inc., both heavily engaged in the container liner agency in the country.
Apart from leading his business and professional ventures, a refreshing deviation that Atty. Oben indulges in is his cattle farms which he visits in his spare time. Here, he maintains a herd of 250 Akaushi Wagyu, breeding and fattening them.
A shipping and automotive dealership industry veteran, Atty. Oben graduated Cum Laude from the Faculty of Civil Law of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). He also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the same University, a degree he pursued with special permission from the Department of Education, while studying for his law degree. Following this academic distinction, Atty. Oben placed 6th in the 1961 Philippine Bar Examinations. During his early years as a lawyer, he was a Professor of Commercial Law in the UST Faculty of Civil Law. Atty. Oben further pursued an Academic Postgraduate Diploma in Law with specialization in Shipping Law at the University of London (University College London) from 1963 to 1964.
In 2002, Atty. Oben was conferred the Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Award, the highest honor bestowed by UST and the UST Alumni Association, Inc. upon Thomasian alumni, in recognition of his significant and exemplary contribution in the field of Business Management.