ABS-CBN names Carlo Katigbak as new CEO, president

ABS-CBN Corp. said Carlo Katigbak, its Harvard Business School-trained chief operating officer who helped lay the groundwork for the media holding company’s foray into the digital space, will assume the top management post starting next year.

ABS-CBN said in a stock exchange filing Friday that Katigbak will assume the role of CEO and president starting Jan. 1, 2016. He will replace Ma. Rosario “Charo” Santos-Concio who will retire by the end of December.

Concio will continue to serve as ABS-CBN’s chief content officer as well as president of ABS-CBN University and executive adviser to company chair Eugenio Lopez III, who is a cousin of Katigbak.

ABS-CBN said Katigbak has 20 years combined experience in financial management and business operations, corporate planning and general management.

The top post comes just months after he was named COO last March 2015. Katigbak was previously the head of Access, where he led initiatives into new technologies and ventures. He also managed the operations of Sky Cable, ABS-CBNmobile and ABS-CBN TVplus.

Katigback, who started with ABS-CBN’s SkyCable in 1994, was credited with spearheading the establishment of ABS-CBN’s internet business in 1999. He also served as Managing Director of ABS-CBN Interactive, which ventured into online and mobile businesses.

Katigbak moved back to SkyCable as its COO in 2005 and was named president of the cable company in 2013.

“Under his leadership, Sky launched the Digibox, which eventually staunched the number of illegal connections and allowed customers greater flexibility in customizing their subscriptions. Sky also re-launched its broadband products, which are now the fastest growing segment of its business,” ABS-CBN said in a statement.

Katigbak completed an Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School in 2009. He graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Management Engineering in 1991.