Mariles is an accomplished Marketing & Advertising professional and an Arts & Culture advocate. For two-thirds of her career, she excelled in the advertising industry, holding positions at prestigious global firms like McCann-Erickson and Lowe (now Mullen-Lowe). During this time, she managed high-profile accounts for major brands including Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Johnson & Johnson. In 2011, after a distinguished 12-year term as President of Lowe in the Philippines, she made the bold decision to retire early and join the Ayala Foundation as Senior Director for Arts and Culture, where she oversaw the Ayala Museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library.
In her role at the foundation, Mariles transformed the museum and library with fascinating exhibitions, innovative programs and experiences to engage a diverse and expanded audience. She spearheaded significant global initiatives including collaborations with Asia Society Museum in New York in 2015, Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid in 2022, and participation at the Venice Biennale in 2017.
From 2019 to 2021, Mariles navigated the comprehensive renovation of the museum, successfully overcoming challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, the museum adopted an omnichannel operational model, facilitating audience access both onsite and online, notably through the launch of the country’s first digital art gallery.
Mariles concluded her tenure in 2024, celebrating the Ayala Museum’s 50th Anniversary. She officially retired from the Ayala Foundation and stepped down as head of the museum in December 2024. Currently, she serves as a Senior Consultant of the foundation for a new contemporary arts center project and is a board member of EON: The Stakeholders Relations Group, a communications consultancy committed to building trust through expert crisis management, public relations, public affairs, government relations, digital marketing, and experiential marketing.