Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) announced that its Senior Executive Vice President Ana Maria Aboitiz Delgado will take the helm of the bank next year from current President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista who had been asked to extend his term in 2022.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), the bank said Bautista’s 27-year career saw UnionBank go from becoming the front running digitalized bank in the country to setting it on a path to become a retail bank leader.
Bautista declares that his mission has been accomplished after completing two major milestones – the successful acquisition and migration of the Citibank Philippines retail business to UnionBank platforms and to ensure a qualified and ready successor by 2025.
Two years after winning the bid for Citi Philippines’ retail business assets, UnionBank completed the migration of Citi accounts last March 25, 2024.
Bautista will remain part of UnionBank’s Board of Directors to help ensure a smooth leadership transition. He confidently hands over UnionBank’s leadership to Delgado effective Jan. 01, 2025, to take the Bank to its next level of growth.
With now over 15 million customers as part of its growing retail base, Delgado’s expertise around customer experience design and digital innovations will build on the strong foundation that Bautista leaves the role with.
Delgado joined UnionBank as a management trainee in November 2003. Over the course of her career, she led the business development of SME Banking and Retail Consumer Finance, which included credit cards and loans.
She was likewise tasked to lead the design of the customer experience across the bank’s physical and digital touchpoints that will differentiate UnionBank from other traditional banks.
Last July 1, 2023, Delgado expanded her role to head the bank’s Institutional Banking business on top of heading Customer Experience and Digital Channels and serving as a Director of the UnionBank Board and as Chairman of the CitySavings Bank board.
Delgado is widely credited for leading UnionBank’s digital retail banking innovations such as the digital bank branch model and UnionBank Online.
“We are looking forward to taking UnionBank to greater heights with Ana at the helm. Her experience and expertise will allow her to lead the Bank’s continued digital transformation which was started by Edwin and has put UnionBank on an accelerated road towards its aspiration to be a great retail bank,” said UnionBank Chairman Erramon Aboitiz.