CEBU—From soap-making in her kitchen into GT Cosmetics Manufacturing Inc., now a trusted brand in the cosmetic industry in the country--such is the story of Engr. Leonora Salvane, gaining recognition as the Innovation Leader of the year during the 2025 Grand Chamber Awards on November 24 at the Waterfront Hotel Cebu.
“The recognition represents more than personal achievement, it's a testament to decades of purposeful innovation, unwavering faith, and a commitment to transforming lives through entrepreneurship,” Salvane said, in a media interview at the 2025 Grand Chamber Awards and Fellowship Night.
Salvane's journey to innovation leadership began in 1994 in the most unlikely of places—her home kitchen. Armed with only ₱500, a baking pan, and her chemical engineering degree from the University of San Carlos, she began producing handmade herbal soaps. With her children assisting in packaging, the family turned out roughly 50 bars each day.
"Life was hard. We were not earning enough for the family. I prayed hard for a business where I can practice my profession as a chemical engineer," Salvane recalled. Born to a poor peasant family in Bohol, she understood struggle intimately. But she also understood chemistry, formulation, and the transformative power of natural ingredients.
Today, GT Cosmetics operates a modern Cebu facility that has earned Halal, ISO 22716 (Good Manufacturing Practice for cosmetics), Food and Drug Administration, and Halal certifications. These credentials highlight the company’s growth from small-scale production to world-class manufacturing. GT is also compliant with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and the Department of Labor and Environment (DOLE).
Innovation as a Way of Life
GTCMI now has three distribution facilities and employs over 382 people nationwide. What once gave employment to some neighbors has grown into a company with far-reaching impact. What distinguishes Salvane as an innovation leader isn't just her company's growth, it's her consistent commitment to product development and market responsiveness.
From the original papaya and carrot soaps made from natural extracts, GT Cosmetics has expanded to offer a comprehensive line of skincare products including moisturizing and bleaching creams, sunblock, clarifying toner, and lotions. In 2018, the company launched an entire color cosmetics makeup line, demonstrating Salvane's willingness to evolve with market demands.
Salvane used her technical knowledge to experiment and develop formulations that resonated with Filipino consumers, particularly focusing on natural ingredients and affordable quality. She recognized that the Cebu market was particularly discerning—convince Cebu, and you could convince other markets. Her strategy worked. GT Cosmetics products are now distributed nationwide through major retailers.
Salvane's innovation extends beyond cosmetics
formulation into business model innovation and social entrepreneurship.
Understanding that empowerment requires more than products, she designed GT
Cosmetics' distribution network to encourage women to become entrepreneurs
themselves.
"Our products are designed to help women
feel confident in their own skin. More than that, we provide opportunities for
women to gain financial independence. Through our distribution network, we
encourage women to become entrepreneurs themselves, giving them the means to
build their businesses,” she explained.
This approach to business, viewing commerce as a vehicle for community transformation, led to one of her most ambitious innovations: GT Northeast Academy (GTNA). Established in 2014 with her husband Rogelio Salvane, Sr., both charismatic Couples for Christ members, the school represents an innovative approach to education focused on business, entrepreneurship, science, and technology.
The vision didn't stop at traditional education. In April 2022, Salvane inaugurated the GTNA Recreational and Events Center, a more than ₱60 million investment that seamlessly integrates hospitality education with actual business operations. The facility features 10 hotel rooms, three swimming pools, a function hall, and the Zef’s Plate, all serving as living laboratories where students learn hotel management and hospitality operations through real-world experience.
This integration of education, entrepreneurship, and practical training represents the kind of systemic innovation that distinguishes true innovation leaders from mere product developers.
The Innovation Leader of the Year award joins an impressive collection of honors that recognize Salvane's entrepreneurial excellence. Earlier in 2025, she received the Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneur Award at the Go Negosyo Women Summit on March 15, where First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque celebrated women entrepreneurs who are "breaking boundaries."
In 2015, she was named Grand Chamber Countryside Entrepreneur of the Year by the same Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry—a recognition of her journey from countryside roots to business success. She also earned the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2015 Philippines in the Most Promising Category and the Semper Fidelis Award for Leadership from the USC Alumni Association.
But ask Salvane about the secret to her
success, and she doesn't point to awards or revenue figures. Instead, she
identifies five principles: passion for excellence, hard work, humility, faith,
prayers, and sharing. These values, named GT—"God's Talent"—reflect
her conviction that her abilities are gifts meant to be used for others'
benefit. (Photos: GT Cosmetics)
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