Republic Cement CEO named new ECCP head

The head of Republic Cement Services Inc. has been elected the new president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), the business group said in a statement on Thursday.

On Nov. 21, ECCP officers held a board meeting, electing Nabil Francis, president of Republic Cement Services Inc., as the new chief of the business chamber.

ECCP said Francis had been in the Philippines for two years.

Before taking over the reins of Republic Cement, Francis held leadership positions in Morocco, India, Bulgaria, Egypt, Sri Lanka, France and Germany, mainly in the construction and cement industry.

“At Republic Cement, we recognize the hard work and the many good things that the Chamber has done over the past years and I look forward to continuing this during my term,” Francis said.

He replaced Guenter Taus, an official who has been vocal in the past about how political developments such as the war on drugs could put a dent on the business environment.

Among his previous comments, he said the government’s earlier plan to slash the budget of the Commission on Human Rights was “not sending the right signals” to foreign investors.

Taus served as president of the chamber for more than three years.

He is leaving ECCP since he is no longer part of an ECCP member-company.

He used to be the general manager of Jardine Engineering Corp., Ltd. in the Philippines, before resigning from the company in August last year, sources said.

Since his resignation in August last year, he has served as a consultant to the company, making him still eligible to have a seat at the board of directors in ECCP.

However, his job as a consultant ended a few months ago, sources said.

ECCP’s by-laws elect a company into the board of directors, not the individual.

“Since he is no longer connected to JEC, his term [in ECCP] has come to an end,” one source said.

“The ECCP thanks outgoing President, Mr. Guenter Taus, formerly of Jardine Engineering Corporation Philippines, for his contributions to ECCP during his term and wishes him well in his future endeavors,” said ECCP Executive Director Florian Gottein.