PLDT and Smart president and CEO Alfredo Panlilio has been named as the CEO of the Year at the Asia Communications Awards (ACA) following his successful efforts in steering the telco giant to profitability and better market share in 2021.
Organized by London-based industry publication Total Telecom, the ACA is an annual recognition program for outstanding telco players.
Panlilio shared the honor with his leadership team and the PLDT Group’s over 17,000-strong workforce .
“How timely that the ACA highlighted our ongoing group-wide transformation, having learned so much as one PLDT and Smart family since we launched it earlier this year,” Panlilio said.
“It is a journey that has deepened our commitment to the nation’s digital transformation and understanding of PLDT Group’s pioneering influence on Philippine society,” he added.
Total Telecom recognized Panlilio’s role in PLDT’s full year 2021 performance and transformation.
“He’s led great improvements in customer experience, market share, and profitability. PLDT’s consolidated service revenues grew six percent to P182.1 billion and Home connected a record 1.13 million new fiber customers,” said Total Telecom managing director Rob Chambers.
Social initiatives under Panlilio’s leadership, particularly education improvements for over 6,000 students under the School-in-a-Bag program and digital trainings for over 1,700 farmers, were also lauded by Total Telecom.
Upon his return to the PLDT Group in 2019, Panlilio served as chief revenue officer of PLDT and president and CEO of wireless unit Smart.
In 2021, he became the telco giant’s president and CEO, succeeding bilyonaryo Manuel V. Pangilinan.
