BIZ BUZZ: PAL gets new president
The talk around the water cooler turned out to be true, after all.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is indeed getting a new president to replace Capt. Stanley Ng.
And the new man who will take over the helm is British national Richard Nutall, a veteran in the aviation industry with over 30 years of industry experience with multiple airlines.
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Most recently, Nutall was the chief executive officer of SriLankan Airlines, which he helped steer toward operational profitability after enduring years of financial strain.
Now what will happen to Ng, who served as president and COO of the Lucio Tan-led airline from January 2022?
Biz Buzz sources say that the captain will hold a new position within parent firm PAL Holdings, as part of a strategic reshuffling.
Nutall, meanwhile, is taking over a flag carrier that is ready to cruise at a higher altitude after registering four consecutive profitable years, albeit challenged by competition that continues to heat up with the entry of new players and expansion of local airlines.
Nuttall’s arrival signals PAL’s strategic efforts to strengthen its leadership team and widen its international footprint, competing head-on with global full-service carriers.
Here’s hoping Nuttall will deliver the expected gains for PAL. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao
New Globe CEO declares lofty goals
Looking dapper in his navy blue suit, Carl Raymond Cruz addressed the media on Tuesday with a calm demeanor and just the right amount of confidence.
It was a first for the telco veteran, who had just been appointed the new president and CEO of Globe Telecom.
And on his first day, Cruz already declared a lofty goal for the company: to become the country’s largest telecommunications company.
He wants Globe to not only be the “most profitable” but also “most admired” telco.
“All hands are on deck,” Cruz said, stressing the need to deliver quality services to both consumers and enterprises.
Globe, at its core, is a mobile business—and Cruz wants to sustain the company’s growth in this segment, especially at a time when many Filipinos use their smartphones to access the internet.
In the coming years, Cruz said they “plan to achieve the highest growth rate” in the enterprise segment.
“The intent for fiber and broadband is to improve our standing in that particular segment of the industry,” he added.
This year, the new CEO said the Ayala-led company would see low-to-mid single digit growth after registering all-time high service revenues in 2024.
But he expressed further optimism with how digitalization has been shaping up.
“We should be able to see an acceleration. As the economy improves, and we continue to be the fastest digital economy in Southeast Asia, then that low-to-mid single digit growth should improve,” Cruz said.
Prior to joining Globe, Cruz served as the CEO and managing director of Airtel Nigeria, which is the leading mobile network operator in Nigeria. He replaced Ernest Cu, who served the post for over 16 years. Tyrone Jasper C. Piad
Kadiwa mobile app in the works
Filipino consumers will soon be able to buy safe and affordable food items with just a few clicks.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is targeting to roll out the Kadiwa store mobile application, designed to connect consumers directly to farmers and other farm producers.
“It has a prototype but we are not yet releasing it to the public because of proprietary concerns,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra told Biz Buzz in a text message.
Launched in May 2020, the DA’s Kadiwa online marketing platform offers Filipino consumers a hassle-free way to order fresh and affordable farm products from different merchants. This online portal is currently accessible through its website.
Establishing Kadiwa stores nationwide is one of the agency’s wider push to sell agricultural produce at cheaper prices by cutting out middlemen. With a mobile app in the works, access to affordable food items might just be a swipe away. — Jordeene B. Lagare
