He had served in the company for more than three decades.
On Tuesday, April 21, Globe Telecom disclosed that its chairman, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (JAZA), had stepped down as Chairman of the company, where he has served in the said capacity since December 1996 and Director since March 1989.
In light of that, Cezar Consing has been elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors at their recent Organizational Meeting, which was held immediately after their Annual Stockholders’ Meeting.
In its disclosure, Globe honored JAZA’s legacy, which it told was m defined by his “visionary and transformative leadership” and an unparalleled commitment to excellence.
“Serving our Board for 37 years, and 30 years as our Chairman , JAZA has been the principal architect of Globe’s evolution from a cable company into the country’s first digital telco and today’s leading mobile network operator,” one of the country’s leading telecommunications company noted.
JAZA has been a key figure in the Globe-Mackay merger with Clavecilla Radio Corporation, which launched the long-standing strategic partnership with Singaporean telecoms giant Singtel, as well as expanded their services through the acquisition of IslaCom, Bayantel, and Vega Telecom.
Moeover, under his leadership, Globe also underwent a massive network and IT modernization program, which the company regarded as one that ushered in the age of data in Philippine telecommunications, and reinvented themselves as the “purveyor of the Filipino digital lifestyle.”
Zobel de Ayala also led Globe to becoming an “instrumental contributor to democratizing access to connectivity.”
Throughout his stay, he led the company from an era when mobile services was treated as a privilege available only to small percentage of the population.
But with technology and distribution investments, a large majority of Filipinos now benefit from the access to communications and information around the archipelago.
“Leveraging this platform, it launched mobile payments via GCash, the country’s number one finance super-app and the largest digital cashless ecosystem,” Globe continued. “It invested and ventured into various cutting edge, tech-driven initiatives through Kickstart Ventures and 917Ventures, and offered top-tier telco and technology-adjacent platforms through both the Asticom and Brave Group of Companies, and ST Telemedia Global Data Centers.”
JAZA is also said to be a staunch advocate of sustainability and responsible business practices, as with his support, Globe positioned itself as an established climate leader in the country—becoming the first publicly listed company to get its net-zero roadmap validated from SBTI, and today’s highest ESG rated telco company in the country.
“Globe would not be the institution it is today without JAZA’s vision and belief in what Globe could achieve,” the company underscored.
Despite his decision to stepp down, JAZA will still oversee Globe in his capacity as Chairman of Asiacom Philippines, Inc., the joint venture company of Ayala Corp and Singtel, the major shareholders of Globe.
“The Board, together with the management and employees of Globe, express their deepest gratitude and utmost respect for JAZA’s undeniable achievements throughout his years of service to the company,” the statement closed.