Panlilio inheriting the mantle will be finalized at the annual stakeholder's meeting in June. Pangilinan said he would remain as the telco's chairman.
His path to being a veteran executive was cemented when he took the position of vice president at the Lopez Group of Companies in 1997. He was on top of business development for the Lopezes' communication units ABS-CBN Broadcasting, telco firm BayanTel, and SkyCable. As Panlilio headed PLDT's international arm, he also completed his executive master's degree in business administration, a joint program by the Kellogg School of Management in Northwestern University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
"After one conference, I realized that this wasn't for me so I hung up my sneakers to join the corporate world," he was quoted as saying in a feature published onFast forward to 2016, Panlilio was elected as president of SBP. On his watch, the Philippines remained a dominant force in the region and a competitor on the world stage.