Rupert Paul “RP” Manhit is the Chief Operating Officer of the Stratbase Group. He started off his career at Stratbase in 2010 as Business Development Director. As part of developing new business for the firm, he became one of the youngest members of the Philippine business delegation during the Foreign Trade and Investment Roadshows of President Benigno  “Noynoy” Aquino III. Mr. Manhit joined investment missions to the United States, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. These investment missions helped him develop new business and government networks for the firm.

To keep the pace of Stratbase Group’s continuous growth, Mr. Manhit has played a key role in the group’s strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations. He continues to develop and implement strategic campaigns around complex regulatory issues and provide strategic public affairs advice to the Stratbase Group’s corporate clients. His considerable networks and high-level relationships in both the private and public sectors benefit both the firm and its clients as he provides them with valuable advice on how specific public policies are created, shaped, and decided.

In his leadership capacity, he has consistently advanced conversations at the intersection of business, governance, and technology. He believes that regulatory frameworks must evolve alongside technological innovation to ensure that policies remain enabling, inclusive, and forward-looking.

Through the years of client and government engagement, he has expanded his expertise in the sectors of Infrastructure, Transportation, Power, and Energy, especially in the field of renewable energy, Cybersecurity, Healthcare, Consumer and Retail, Trade and Investment, and Agribusiness through new technologies. He is currently the lead and point person of the abovementioned sectors for the Stratbase group. He has been an active participant as well in Trade and Security Dialogues as early as 2014 between the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines.

Mr. Manhit has also been engaged in exploring how innovation and entrepreneurship intersect with governance, competitiveness, and sustainable growth in the Indo-Pacific, with the growing role of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in shaping business and policy.

Mr. Manhit was one of the key influencers of landmark legislations in the country, namely the National Integrated Cancer Control Act, Public Service Act, Public Private Partnership Law, Foreign Direct Investments Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act, and other most recent tax measures. At present, he is active in advocating priority legislation of the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government, specifically Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, Department of Water Resources, Create MORE Act, and Reforms to Capital Markets, and promoting the development of the Philippine downstream natural gas industry.

He is a strong believer that economic security leads to national security, thus he takes promoting new partnerships and investments between foreign and Philippine companies and the rightful Public and Private Partnership project seriously. He views entrepreneurship and innovation as drivers of economic activity, and cooperation can create ecosystems where small businesses can thrive amidst disruption.

Aside from his duties at Stratbase, he is also the Executive Director of the Philippine Trade Foundation Inc., an alliance of the top 60 CEOs and corporate owners in the Philippines.

RP Manhit studied in Ateneo de Manila University from his grade school years until his postgraduate years.