Two years after the global outbreak of COVID-19, the resulting pandemic has proven that the digital journey is non-linear and everything is at a constant rate of change. Corporate leaders who have built digital resilience into their businesses would naturally stand out in their respective fields.
One of these industry experts is Dr. Richard Parcia, Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Concepcion Industrial Corp. (CIC) and the Philippine winner of the 2021 Future Enterprise Awards from the International Data Corp. (IDC), a global market intelligence organization. He was recently feted by IDC Philippines as CIO and Chief Digital Officer of the Year for 2021.
With CIC’s vision to create happy spaces and become an integral part of every Filipino home and business, it needs to cater to evolving customer demands and needs through the integration of technology platforms that empower the organization. As Group CIO, Dr. Parcia provides the strategic direction for the conglomerate’s transformation initiatives, including projects that involve digital maturity and data management.
Prior to joining CIC in 2018, he served as the CIO and Chief Technology Officer of the Asian Institute of Management. He was previously based in France as head of the LafargeHolcim Global Operations Center covering 93 countries, after heading Holcim’s regional IT infrastructure and operations in East Asia as well as having leadership stints in Fortune 500 companies such as the United Health Group and Intel Corp.
In 2020 and 2021, IDG Communications named Dr. Parcia as one of the Top 75 Technology Leaders of Southeast Asia encompassing the ASEAN region and Hong Kong. An IDC affiliate company, IDG Communications is the publisher of CIO Magazine, considered the most prestigious publication for enterprise CIOs and business technology executives worldwide.
What an outstanding feat for Dr. Parcia – who started from the bottom as a computer clerk at Asia Brewery Inc. and worked his way up the corporate ladder to become the multi-awarded CIO that he is today.
RACING FOR MARKET DOMINANCE
The Department of Energy (DOE) has released the latest market share data of companies engaged in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry. According to DOE Director Rino Abad, officer-in-charge of the Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB), Republic Act 8479 requires the OIMB to provide the total industry information only.
As of the third quarter last year, Liquigaz Philippines Corp. and South Pacific Inc. (SPI) were statistically tied for the top rank, with less than one percentage point difference between them in terms of market share. Out of the total country volume of 15,479.19 MB, Liquigaz had 23.32% while SPI’s share was 22.64% or a difference of 0.68% only. Erstwhile frontrunner Petron Corp. dropped to third place at 18.65%, followed by Pryce Gas and Isla LPG to round up the top five.
SPI garnered the top spot in Metro Manila, while Liquigaz was dominant in Northern Luzon and Southern Luzon. Petron was number one in the VisMin area, but Pryce Gas was not far behind. It may be noted that both SPI and Liquigaz have a minimal presence in the Visayas and none at all in Mindanao.
J. Albert Gamboa is a Life Member of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX). He is the Chairman of the FINEX Media Affairs Committee and the Editor-in-Chief of FINEX Digest. The opinion expressed herein does not necessarily reflect the views of these institutions and the Manila Bulletin. #FinexPhils www.finex.org.ph