IBPAP names first female CEO

MANILA, Philippines — The leading industry group for the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector will welcome its first female chief executive, Celeste Ilagan, who will lead the industry through the disruptions caused by artificial intelligence (AI).

Announcing the appointment on Wednesday, the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said Ilagan is now the group’s president and CEO-designate and will formally assume the post on Oct. 11.

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Ilagan, who was IBPAP’s chief operating officer, will succeed Jack Madrid, who has led the association since 2021.

“Celeste’s experience and deep understanding of our industry will provide both continuity and strong leadership as we navigate the opportunities and disruptions brought by AI and the shift toward higher-value work,” IBPAP chair Ayhee Campos said in a statement. 

Ilagan began her career in investment promotion at the Board of Investments, the country’s top investment promotion agency, where she helped attract some of the Philippines’ early IT-BPM and shared-services investments.

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She later served two terms on the IBPAP board of trustees from 2019 to 2022, then joined the association’s management team that year as chief policy and regulatory affairs officer. She subsequently became COO.

At IBPAP, Ilagan has overseen the group’s policy and legislative agenda, investor engagement and workforce development initiatives, including coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Commission on Higher Education and Department of Education.

Ilagan’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for the Philippine IT-BPM industry, a major source of jobs and export revenues, as it faces growing competition from other outsourcing destinations while navigating rapid advances in AI.

Because of these shifts, IBPAP now expects industry revenues to reach $43.3-$50.5 billion by 2028, a sharp downgrade from the $59-billion target set when the association launched its six-year roadmap in 2022.

The original roadmap projected that the IT-BPM sector would employ 2.5 million workers by 2028. But IBPAP has since lowered its employment projection to between 1.85 million and 2.14 million workers. /pai