Dr. William S. Co, who wears many hats as a businessman and private sector leader for decades now, has been designated chairman of this year’s Philippine Business Conference & Expo (PBC & E), the biggest annual gathering of businessmen in the country slated on October 16 and 17 at the historic Manila Hotel.
Co, who owns an information and technological school and other chain of businesses ranging from agriculture to technology, is the unanimous choice to chair the 45th edition of the PBC, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) president Ma. Alegria "Bing" Sibal Limjoco said.
Limjoco and other PCCI national leaders commended Dr. Co for taking the challenge of hosting and mounting this year’s business conference. “It’s certainly not an easy task but we are happy that Dr. Co took the challenge to be the host of the 45th PBC&E,” Limjoco emphasized.
The two-day business summit provides a collaborative venue for policymakers, business and industry captains to meet and exchange ideas on the current issues and business opportunities.
This year’s theme, “Enabling Business in a Digital Economy,” focus into the dynamics of a digitally-driven economy and how it impacts on people’s growth and business sustainability. The conference is expected to gather close to 1,000 business delegates from local and foreign networks.
Dr. Co is presently the Vice-Chairman and Board of Director for Agriculture and Fishery at the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Concurrently, he is the Treasurer for the Employers Confederation of the Philippines; an Executive Committee Member of the Export Development Council; one of the Trustees for the Philippine Exporters Confederation of the Philippines; Honorary Consul of the Consulate of the Republic of Namibia and the Head of the Social Development Cluster of the Consular Corps of the Philippines.
Aside from his active involvement with export promotion, he was also the former Philippine Agriculture Attaché to the People’s Republic of China. As an active advocate of modern agriculture and mechanized farming, he is very interested in the promotion of hybrid rice and corn, modern fishery and aqua resources, and the promotion of Philippine export of tropical fruits around the world. Dr. Co assisted in establishing the Phil-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilSCAT) in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. Dr. Co is the founder of the Philippine Colleges & Universities China Studies Association (PCUCSA)