Santa Maria named new PAL president
Credit to Author: LISBET K. ESMAEL| Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2019 16:21:26 +0000
PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) on Monday welcomed Gilbert F. Santa Maria as its new president and chief operating officer, a month after his predecessor Jaime Bautista resigned.
with new PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Gilbert F. Santa Maria. PHOTO FROM PAL SPOKESMAN CIELO VILLALUNA
In a statement, the flag carrier said its 15-man board of directors approved the appointment of 53-year-old Santa Maria — whom tycoon Dr. Lucio C. Tan had handpicked — during a meeting in Manila.
Tan, also the airline’s chairman and chief executive officer, urged PAL officials and employees to back Santa Maria.
“I call on all PAL executives and staff to support Gilbert Santa Maria. Let’s work together and help him face PAL’s many challenges,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
For his part, Santa Maria expressed confidence on PAL attaining its goal to be the leading airline in the country and bring it back to profitability.
“PAL is the airline that meets the needs of local and global travelers by showcasing our brand’s main strength — the passion for safety and service. Maintaining the current level of service is important and of course, profitability. Let us do our share to make PAL reach greater heights,” Santa Maria said.
“It is important for my father’s vision to be translated into PAL providing consistent quality service to our customers and also, the flag carrier serving as a means to contribute to nation-building. With this new leadership, we
will accomplish this further,” PAL Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Vivienne K. Tan said.
Santa Maria has 30 years of executive management experience in various industries here and overseas.
For the last 15 years, he was a key leader in and contributor to the Philippines’ business process-outsourcing industry. He previously held leadership positions in Ibex Global, a BPO company based in Washington, D.C.; IQ BackOffice, a California-based finance and accounting outsourcer that was an investee company of LiveIt Investments, Ayala Corp.’s BPO holding firm; and Stream, a Massachusetts-based global call center company.
Born and raised in Mindanao, Santa Maria earned his Master’s degree in Public and Private Management from the Yale University School of Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.