By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat
Ambassador Benedicto V. Yujuico, a product of Wharton Graduate School of Business, has been elected as the new President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country’s largest business organization.
Ambassador Benedicto V. Yujuico
He was unanimously elected by the incoming 20-member Board of Directors of the PCCI during the recent PCCI Annual Meeting held last December 6, 2019. The newly elected directors are Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., Ma. Alegria S. Limjoco, Menardo R. Jimenez, Alfredo M. Yao, Francis C. Chua, Edgardo G. Lacson, Roberto C. Amores, Jose P. Leviste, Apolinar E. Aure, Edgard J. Sia II, Dennis A. Uy, Michael Chen, Felino A. Palafox Jr., Jeffrey T. Ng, Delia B. Jimenez (NCR), Gregoria G. Simbulan (North Luzon), Clarine P. Tobias (South Luzon),Samuel N. Chioson (Visayas) and Maria Teresa R. Alegrio (Mindanao).
Yujuico, who will occupy the position for two years, shared that his presidency will focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. He believes that these are essential catalysts that will supercharge the Philippine economy in the coming years. He also vowed to initiate projects to assist local government units to implement smart city technologies that will not only improve efficiency but reduce corruption as well.
The new PCCI president has served as a Special Envoy of the President, with the rank of Ambassador for Trade Relations for Eastern Europe, then North America and Latin America. He was President of the Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) from 2010 to 2014 serving as the 4th Filipino president in CACCI’s 50-year history. CACCI’s members are from the apex business organizations of 28 countries.
“It is an honor to serve the PCCI, the Philippines’ biggest business organization. I hope that my experience as President of the Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry will bring to PCCI the best practices of the world chamber movement. It is also my dream that through PCCI’s support of young entrepreneurs, they will not need to go find opportunities in other countries to utilize their talents, skill sets and to fulfill their ambitions.
Yujuico started school at the De La Salle College from elementary up to third year college (Liacom) but finished his undergraduate degree in Business and Economics at the St. Mary’s College of California. In 1970, at the age of 23, he graduated from the Wharton Graduate School of Business with a MBA in Banking and Finance.