Charo Santos-Concio


María Rosario "Charo" Navarro Santos-Concio is a Filipino actress. She is the host of Maalaala Mo Kaya, the longest running television drama anthology in the Philippines. During her stint as media executive, she was the president, chief executive officer, and board member of ABS-CBN Corporation, the largest entertainment and media conglomerate in the Philippines. Santos-Concio plays a role in TV and film production in the Philippines and as such, she is a talent of the conglomerate's and network's talent agency Star Magic.
On March 3, 2008, she was promoted as the fifth president of ABS-CBN Corporation and in charge of the company's total business portfolio, taking over from interim president Eugenio López III. She took over as CEO after López retired on December 31, 2015.

Early and personal life

Santos-Concio was born to Winifredo Santos, a physician, and Nora Navarro-Santos, with children Millet, the wife of Edgar Mortiz, Suzanne Santos, Malou N. Santos, Joey Santos and Mae Santos.
She grew up in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, where she was discovered by the famous 1970s fashion designer Rikki Jimenez, who asked her to participate in fashion shows and was crowned Miss Calapan. She first met her would-be husband Cesar Concio Jr. when she was hired as a print ad model for his company. She later married him amid a 24-year age gap, at an intimate ceremony held at Pebble Beach, California, on November 9, 1982. They had two children, Cesar Francis and Raphael Martin. Talia and Julia are the daughters of Francis and wife Carla. Julia, Talia and Basti are their grandchildren. Luca is the son of Martin Concio and his wife Ystacey. Concio Jr. got infected by COVID-19 and died on October 7, 2023, at age 91.

Career

Santos-Concio was first noticed by the media as Baron Travel Girl in 1976. She also worked as a production assistant pre-martial law with Radio Philippines Network.
In the 1980s, Santos-Concio produced a number of films, such as Oro, Plata, Mata and Himala under the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines. She also was the creative force behind the productions of Vanguard Films and Vision Films before moving to Regal Films.
She established herself as an award-winning dramatic actress early in her career, winning the trophy for her performance in Mike de Leon's Itim during the 1977 Asian Film Festival. She was critically acclaimed for her performance in Lino Brocka's 1990 film Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak, which won several awards including a Best Director FAMAS for Brocka. Santos has also won four FAMAS Award nominations. She obtained two Best Actress nominations for Pag-Ibig na Walang Dangal and Kontrobersiyal and Best Supporting Actress nominations for Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak and Ms. Dolora X. She also earned three Gawad Urian nominations for The Woman Who Left, Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak, and Itim.
In 1987, while working for Regal Films and hosting Eat Bulaga! on RPN, she was invited to join the new ABS-CBN, which had reopened on September 14, 1986. Santos-Concio was promoted from Production Manager, to Program Director to Executive Vice-president. She is credited in the production of several phenomenal television series of ABS-CBN including Esperanza, Mula Sa Puso, Pangako Sa 'Yo, and Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay. Her film background played an important role in the creation of Star Cinema. She is also behind the longest-running Philippine TV drama anthology program Maalaala Mo Kaya, which she has hosted since it premiered in 1991.
On December 26, 2007, the Film Academy of the Philippines awarded Santos-Concio with the Manuel de Leon Award for her work in the industry.
On March 1, 2008, she was appointed as the fifth president of ABS-CBN, making her the first woman president of the media conglomerate and its parent Lopez Holdings Corporation.
On January 1, 2016, Santos-Concio stepped down as president and CEO of ABS-CBN Corporation and was succeeded by Carlo Katigbak, the chief operating officer of the company at that time. She is currently the president of ABS-CBN University.
From 2024 to 2025, ABS-CBN's board of directors elected Santos-Concio as a director, in place of Augusto Almeda-Lopez, who died.

Awards and recognitions

  • 2025 Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, St. Paul University Manila
  • 2015 Fleur-de-lis Award, St. Paul University Manila
  • 2014 Female Makabata Star, Anak TV Awards
  • 2014 Gold Stevie Award in the Female Executive of the Year in Asia, Australia, or New Zealand category, Stevie Awards for Women in Business
  • 2014 Asian Media Woman of the Year, ContentAsia
  • 2014 Woman Achiever for Tourism and International Understanding, 24th SKAL Tourism Personality Awards
  • 2014 Woman of the Year for the Philippines, 1st Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards
  • 2014 FitzGerald Belfry Lifetime Achievement of The Year, 94th Las Familias Unidas FitzGerald Awards
  • 2013 OFW Gawad Parangal, Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anak ng Migranteng Manggagawang Pilipino, Inc.
  • 2013 Anak TV Seal Award, Anak TV Awards
  • 2013 Golden Wheel Award for Corporate Media Management, Rotary International District 3780 and the Quezon City government's The Rotary Golden Wheel Awards
  • 2013 Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas Lifetime Achievement Award, 21st Golden Dove Awards
  • 2013 25-year Service Award, ABS-CBN Corporation's Kapamilya Awards, 2013 Tourism Award, Rotary Club of Manila's 9th Tourism Awards
  • 2012 Gawad Tanglaw Sa Sining ng Telebisyon, 10th Gawad Tanglaw Awards
  • 2012 Outstanding Paulinian, St. Paul University Manila
  • 2011 Female Makabata Star, Anak TV Awards
  • 2011 Woman Super Achiever Award, CMO Asia's Woman Super Achiever Awards
  • 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award, Golden Screen TV Awards
  • 2011 Gawad Parangal, Quezon City Government's Gawad Parangal
  • 2010 CEO Communication Excellence in Organizations Award, International Association of Business Communicators CEO Excel Awards
  • 2010 Anak TV Seal Award, Anak TV Awards
  • 2007 Manuel de Leon Award, Film Academy of the Philippines Awards
  • 2007 Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award, 21st Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for Television
  • 1978 Best Actress for the film "Itim," Asian Film Festival

    Filmography

Television

Film