Former Globe, Manila Water CEO joins Holcim Philippines Board of Directors 

Leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc. recently welcomed to its Board of Directors Mr. Gerardo C. Ablaza, Jr., an experienced executive who has successfully led some of the top companies in the Philippines. His nomination as independent director was approved during the Annual Shareholders Meeting on May 11. 

Mr. Ablaza joins the company’s Board of Directors headed by Chairman Tomas I. Alcantara, Holcim Group Head of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Martin Kriegner, Holcim APAC Group Head of Learning and Development Tan Then Hwee, former Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Thomas G. Aquino and former Senior Partner  at SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. Medel T. Nera. 

Holcim Philippines Chairman Tomas I. Alcantara: “We are pleased to have Gerry as a member of the Board of Directors at Holcim Philippines. His strong track record in leading a number of top corporations in the country will definitely strengthen the Board’s ability to set direction in further strengthening Holcim Philippines’ business performance and positive impact. We look forward to more enriching and insightful discussions during our meetings with Gerry on board.”  

Holcim Philippines President and CEO Horia Adrian: “Gerry’s experience in driving change and growth in the companies he led are invaluable as we accelerate our transformation in Holcim Philippines. We have reached exciting milestones in becoming the leader in innovation and sustainability in the local building materials industry and excited to continue these with Gerry’s support.” 

Mr. Ablaza is a Board Director in a number of publicly-listed companies and privately-held corporations in the Philippines in the fields of retail banking, property development, education, infrastructure and health. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees in a number of non-profit foundations engaged in social initiatives, namely Ayala Foundation, BPI Foundation and Gawad Kalinga Foundation. 

Mr. Ablaza retired from full-time executive work in 2017, after performing various corporate executive roles over 43 years in a variety of industries. His last executive assignment, from 2010 to 2017, was as President and CEO of Manila Water Company (PLC) which operated the water distribution concession serving six million customers in the East Zone of Metro Manila. During his term, Mr. Ablaza took Manila Water beyond its singular presence in Metro Manila and led an expansion into new markets in the provincial areas of the Philippines, as well as in Vietnam. 

Before this, Mr. Ablaza was at the helm of Globe Telecom, Inc. (PLC) from 1997 to 2009. He led Globe Telecom from being a start-up company with 97 thousand subscribers in 1997 to becoming a large business with 25 million customers at the end of 2008, the year before he stepped down from the CEO post. Revenues grew exponentially from P 3 billion in 1997 to P63 billion in 2008.