Panlilio named new Smart prexy

MANILA, Philippines — PLDT executive vice president and chief revenue officer Al Panlilio has been appointed as president of Smart Communications Inc. as the telco giant’s wireless unit seeks to regain its dominance in the wireless space.

The appointment, which was effective yesterday, was announced by PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.

“That is the focus and that has been the marching order of MVP, to try our best to regain leadership,” Panlilio said.

“Clearly we’re behind that’s why our focus is on driving wireless and home and we need a team to drive it,” he said.

Smart, TNT and Sun has managed to acquire 8.7 million new subscribers in the first half, pushing the total to over 66.8 million as of end-June.

Global debt watcher Fitch Ratings said in a recent report that Globe has emerged as the country’s largest mobile operator after surpassing PLDT in late 2015.

“Smart was the number one wireless business in the country. For quite a long time it has maintained that position but you know it has lost its way and we were pushed to the depths. Globe, with its digital pivot earlier than we did, we are now paying the price for that,” Pangilinan said.

Panlilio, who first joined PLDT as senior vice president for the Corporate Business Group  in 1999, hopes to turn things around under his leadership.

“At the end, as always customer will be at the center of our business. We will have the customer as the centerpiece of our business and everything and it will revolve on what is needed for us to fulfill the needs of our customers,” he said.

“We will strengthen customer focus not only from a product point of view, but really from a culture and perspective point of view for everybody on PLDT and Smart. At the end of the day, our job is to put our view from the lens of the customers,” Panlilio said.

Panlilio said he also wants to make sure that PLDT and Smart are ready for the future by building its digital competencies and assets.

Panlilio spearheaded Manila Electric Co.’s strategic shift toward digitalization and pushed innovations in customer service practices and processes during his stint in the power utility.

He was asked to return to PLDT  as the group’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer on July 1.