Filipino businesswoman found dead at Fullerton Bay Hotel was in Singapore to attend Fendi event

SINGAPORE – Filipino businesswoman Maricris Abad Santos Albert was in Singapore to attend a private event hosted by luxury brand Fendi when she was found dead at The Fullerton Bay Hotel last Saturday (April 23).

The 52-year-old, better known as Cris Albert, is believed to have been invited to and attended the World Of Fendi event at Marina Bay Sands, which was held from April 21 to April 25. 

The fashion house’s campaign involves numerous events across multiple countries, but for the South-east Asia region, they are held in Singapore.

A spokesman for Fendi confirmed Ms Albert was a guest at one of its events but declined to provide further details out of respect for the family’s request for privacy.

“We are deeply saddened at her passing and our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time,” said the spokesman.

Ms Albert, who was chief executive and president of Fila Philippines, had uploaded a photo of an item from Fendi, and also tagged the brand and luxury brand Louis Vuitton, in an Instagram post on April 21.

Another post on April 22 showed her at the Singapore Flyer with two friends, with the hashtag Fendi.

The mother of two, who is also the president of Isport Life and Athlete’s Gym & Dive, and the founder of MA Holdings, is believed to have been in Singapore with several other Filipinos from the fashion industry for the World Of Fendi event.

The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force were alerted to the incident at about 1.05am last Saturday.

The businesswoman was found lying motionless at the hotel and pronounced dead by a paramedic.

Louis Vuitton had hosted an event at The Fullerton Bay Hotel which concluded on April 12. A spokesman for the fashion brand said Ms Albert was not their guest.

News of Ms Albert’s death has been trending among the Filipino community here and back home on social media, with many expressing their condolences.

She joined Fila Philippines as a marketing manager in 1992, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, and became president of the group in 2007.

In 2019, she was named Woman of the Year at the Asia Leaders Awards, which recognises those making a difference in their respective fields and promoting the Philippines as a business hub.