Filipino entrepreneur Josh Yugen on managing three Miss Universe franchises

Josh Yugen (left) with actress and beauty queen Frankie Russell/ARMIN P. ADINA

Josh Yugen, the Dubai-based Filipino public relations practitioner and publisher who owns the rights to send the delegates from Bahrain, Egypt, and Pakistan to the Miss Universe pageant, has been thinking of giving up some of his franchises as he expands his business in his motherland.

He first secured a franchise from the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) with Bahrain in 2021, and sent Manar Deyani, the first-ever delegate to parade in a modest burkini on the Miss Universe stage.

Yugen was also responsible for Pakistan’s debut in the Miss Universe pageant courtesy of Erika Robin, who finished in the Top 20 in 2023. He also gave Egypt its first placement with 2024 bet Logina Salah, a mother with vitiligo, who advanced to the Top 30 last year.

Bahrain’s 2024 bet, part-Filipino TV presenter Shereen Ahmed, meanwhile, won a Silver award in the 73rd Miss Universe pageant’s “Voice for Change” initiative.

“I’m so happy. I feel like I can already cancel some franchises,” he told a small group of journalists and content creators who attended the opening of House of Yugen’s first-ever headquarters outside Dubai, at the Park Triangle Corporate Plaza at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City earlier this week.

Yugen said he has already told his team that he is exhausted with handling three MUO franchises. “What if I let go of two? For me, if I will no longer renew the franchises in the future, I’m so happy because they already posted placements,” he said

“We started it. We started the Miss Universe franchise in the gulf, when it was deemed impossible. We started it in Pakistan when everybody was against it. Even the government was against Erika [Robin],” he shared, adding that the Pakistani bet was even featured in a BBC report when a former prime minister said she was “shameful.”

Yugen also shared that he embraced MUO co-owners Anne Jakrajutatip and Raul Rocha after the coronation show of the 73rd Miss Universe pageant in Mexico. “Of course, I’m super thankful because Egypt placed, right? I’m so happy because I get placements every year. For me, that’s a super blessing because there were a lot of great contenders there,” he said.

As publisher of “Expedition” magazine, Yugen has had partnerships with the MUO even before holding franchises. He was the first to bring a reigning titleholder to Dubai for a campaign, with 2018 queen Catriona Gray, who also had a photoshoot in New York City for the publication.

With House of Yugen’s expansion outside the Middle East, particularly in Manila, Yugen aims to harness opportunities in Southeast Asia through Expedition’s Asian edition.

And before the year ends, Yugen will also release the magazine’s first-ever European edition through “Expecition Scandinavia” when he sets up office in Denmark.

Yugen also shared his dream of producing a movie in the future, one of the business interests that he may pursue through his now expanding global footprint.