PBCom names Security Bank veteran John Cary Ong next CEO
John Cary L. Ong
Lucio Co-led Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCom) named veteran financial executive John Cary L. Ong as its president and chief executive officer-designate, weeks after his departure from Security Bank Corp.
Ong will formally assume the top executive roles following a minimum three-month transition period and the procurement of necessary regulatory clearances to ensure a seamless handover of responsibilities, PBCom said in a filing with the Philippine Stock Exchange.
He succeeds Patricia May T. Siy, who will continue to steer the universal bank during the transition phase before joining its board of directors. Under Siy’s stewardship, PBCom achieved a critical operational milestone by securing a universal banking license from the central bank, expanding its capacity to offer a broader suite of financial solutions and investment services.
Siy was also recognized in May at the Asia’s Influential Leaders Awards 2026 for her role in driving the lender’s corporate transformation.
Ong enters the top post at PBCom with more than two decades of institutional banking experience in local and international financial firms. He most recently served as the executive vice president and head of the wholesale banking segment at Security Bank, a position he resigned from earlier this month.
Security Bank announced his departure on June 9, acknowledging his role in expanding its wholesale franchise. Security Bank President and CEO Victor Lee thanked Ong for his leadership and service, wishing him success in his future endeavors.
Prior to his tenure at Security Bank, which spanned from 2020 to 2026, Ong held several senior management roles within the region's banking ecosystem. He was the head of the transaction banking center at Union Bank of the Philippines from 2016 to 2020, where he also managed fixed-income brokerage operations for UnionBank Financial Services and Insurance Brokerage Inc. His international banking credentials include a stint in treasury and trade solutions at Citibank NA from 2013 to 2016, and an eight-year tenure at Deutsche Bank AG, where he served as head of operations and global markets operations from 2003 to 2011.
The leadership transition comes as PBCom looks to leverage its expanded universal banking platform to capture a larger share of corporate and retail lending markets amid steady economic expansion in the Philippines.