Injecting young blood into the empire

One might wonder why a veteran pilot would put down his wings to take up advanced management studies at the Harvard Business School.

But Capt. Stanley Ng did just that during the pandemic, taking advantage perhaps of a time when there weren’t a lot of flights and the travel and aviation industries were badly affected by the onslaught of COVID-19.

It was a foreshadowing of things to come. The Harvard course, a blend of virtual and on-campus studies, after all prepares one for “the highest level of leadership.”

“Market volatility, digital transformation, and innovation are changing the way companies compete in every industry – and increasing the demand for business leaders who are global changemakers. Whether you are looking to move up to the executive suite or are about to take on greater leadership responsibilities, the Advanced Management Program is designed to bring about a full-scale change that empowers executives to create and renew competitive advantage for their organizations,” Harvard said about its program.

Permission to fly PAL to greater heights

Capt. Stanley, Philippine Airlines senior vice president for airline operations, could not have done this at a better time. Now, he is reaping the fruits of his labor.

On Monday, the Lucio Tan-owned carrier named him as its new president and COO in an acting or OIC capacity, succeeding Gilbert Santa Maria whose engagement, PAL said, has ended following the recent successful completion of the Chapter 11 restructuring.

An Airbus A320 commander, Capt. Stanley is the first pilot to assume the presidency of the flag carrier since the early 1960s.

He brings to the job a wealth of experience in the airline industry, having started as a member of the flag carrier’s on-ground staff in 2003 before training at the PAL Aviation School.

He started flying in 2008 as a Second Officer and rose up the ranks until he was promoted to senior vice president in 2019 in charge of the airline’s internationally-respected pilots and cabin crew, as well as operational airport and engineering teams.

The key competencies and proactive mindset he has developed from his extensive pilot training and flight experience, combined with passion for airline management and operations allowed him to make important strategic decisions for the company, PAL says.

Indeed, Capt. Stanley is ready, having recently completed the Harvard course. Prior to his aviation studies, he took up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, major in Computer Applications at the De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde.

On top of his experience and educational background, Capt. Stanley is also well-loved, say insiders, so much so that the pilots’ chat groups have been buzzing non-stop with congratulatory messages and messages of support since talks circulated that he would be named as the next president and COO.

When he isn’t flying, Capt. Stanley, who is just in his mid-40s, enjoys playing basketball and maintains a healthy-active lifestyle.

But more importantly, Capt. Stanley speaks the language of the Tan family, perhaps literally and otherwise. He is the son-in-law of the taipan, married to Tan’s daughter Lilybeth, also a veteran PAL pilot. He speaks fluent Mandarin, Cantonese, Fukien, English, and Filipino.

Indeed, Capt. Stanley has permission to fly PAL to greater heights and following Santa Maria’s success in completing PAL’s Chapter 11, there’s a strong chance the flag carrier will see clearer skies.

New leaders

It’s still a curious case for me though why PAL would have a leadership change at this time when Santa Maria, as many industry observers say, was doing a good job steering the airline through turbulence and air pockets.

The answers point all the way to Biak-na-Bato, that sprawling residential quarters of Kapitan and wife Carmen.

Observers, including Lucio Tan’s old guards, say the recent movement in PAL is  part of the continuing changes in Kapitan’s empire – such as putting new and younger leaders in the different companies in the empire.

We saw this in 2019 when US-based and Stanford-educated engineering whiz kid Lucio “Han” Tan III was thrust into the limelight following the sudden death of his father Lucio “Bong” Tan II.

The young Tan now heads Tanduay,  together with his brother, executive vice president Kyle Tan, and has taken other roles in the business – joining the boards of PAL, Philippine National Bank, LT Group Inc., Lufthansa Technik Philippines, Inc., MacroAsia and many more.

In October last year, orders from Biak-na-Bato also put another Tan grandson Eduardo Luis Tan-Luy, eldest son of Tan’s daughter Irene Tan-Luy, as president, COO and director of MacroAsia after its long time president, Tan’s son-in-law Joseph Chua retired. Kyle Ellis was also elected director and treasurer of MacroAsia.

These are just some of the new changes in the Tan empire. I’m hearing there will be more movements and plot twists in this saga. It still doesn’t quite answer the succession question. Or maybe, it’s too early to tell.

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com