JULIE VERGARA

Julie Vergara places a strong sense of community and belonging in everything she does. She has dedicated herself to her family business, expanding it from humble roots to a tourism and healthcare powerhouse, while committing her free time to sharing the gift of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) with her contemporaries across the Philippines. An EO member since 2001, she joined the Global Board as a Director for a three-year term in 2022, after holding various global and chapter leadership positions.

Julie credits her membership in EO with equipping her with the tools and skills needed to think bigger and expand her business. After joining the entrepreneurial network in 2000, she became a founding member of the EO Philippines South chapter. She has also served as Global Chair of the network's MyEO Groups, a member-curated community of 500+ groups built by members for members around a variety of industries, affinities, and interests.

Julie's business, Almont Holdings, Tourism and Healthcare, began when her father purchased a small beachfront property in Cebu, which would soon become Almont’s first hotel – the 32-room Bluewater Maribago. She joined the family business in 1996, quickly ascending to the role of President. Almont Holdings now boasts six hospitality properties across the Philippines, with more than 500 rooms.

Following the 2003 SARS outbreak that devastated hotel occupancy rates, Julie diversified Almont’s portfolio into healthcare. The 100-bed Allegiant Regional Care Hospital (ARC) opened in 2018, dedicated to her late father and his dream of improving the medical experience in Cebu. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Almont Holding’s flagship resort, Bluewater Maribago, became a temporary hospital for non-Covid patients, freeing ARC to treat pandemic-related illness. In 2024, Julie pivoted once again, selling the hospital to refocus Almont Holdings exclusively on tourism.

Apart from EO, Julie is President of the Almont Foundation, which was founded to support communities impacted by the devastation wrought by super typhoon Odette in 2021. She has previously been a board member of the Cebu Puericulture Center and Maternity House. She holds a master’s degree in entrepreneurship from the Asian Institute of Management and bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of San Carlos. A dedicated mother, Julie lives in Cebu with her husband and three children.