Philippine Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Lucio C. Tan congratulates Gilbert F. Santa Maria (right) shortly after his appointment as PAL President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) was unanimously confirmed by the 15-man Board of Directors yesterday during its regular meeting at the Century Park Hotel in Manila. (MB Photo by Ali Vicoy)     By Emmie V. Abadilla Gilbert F. Santa Maria, formerly at the helm of a US-based global BPO firm, will take over as president and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL). The 15-man PAL board, in yesterday's regular meeting at the Century Park Hotel in Manila, unanimously confirmed the appointment of Santa Maria, a handpicked nominee of PAL Chairman and CEO Dr. Lucio C. Tan himself. He replaces Jaime J. Bautista who retired June 30, 2019. The new PAL president, who has three decades of executive management and leadership experience across multiple industries worldwide, declared it's a “privilege to serve the country's flag carrier.” He also urged fellow PAL workers to help him achieve Dr. Tan's vision of making PAL the airline of choice across all markets it serves. "PAL is the airline that meets the needs of local and global travelers by showcasing our brand's main strength – the passion for safety and service. Maintaining the current level of service is important and of course, profitability. Let us do our share to make PAL reach greater heights. I will be with you every step of the way," he stressed. "I call on all PAL executives and staff to support Gilbert Santa Maria. Let's work together and help him face PAL's many challenges," Dr. Tan stressed. "It is important for my father's vision to be translated into PAL providing consistent quality service to our customers and also, the flag carrier serving as a means to contribute to nation-building. With this new leadership, we will accomplish this further," added PAL EVP and Chief Administrative Officer Vivienne K. Tan. For the last decade and a half, Santa Maria was a key leader and contributor in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. Until early 2018, he served as Chief Operating Officer COO of Washington, DC-based BPO company Ibex Global and was responsible for its 18,000 employees around the World. Before that, he was COO and Chief Finance Officer (CFO) of IQ BackOffice, a California-based Finance & Accounting outsourcer that was an investee company of LiveIt Investments, Ayala Corporation’s BPO holding company. He supported the governance of LiveIt’s investee companies as a member of the boards of IQ BackOffice; Integreon, a London-based KPO; and Stream, a leading Massachusetts-based global Call Center company. Earlier, he led Corporate Development for Stream, having joined its leadership after its 2009 merger with Arizona-based eTelecare Global Solutions, where he led Corporate Development and eTelecare’s 11,000-employee Philippine Operations through the integration of the two companies. He joined the startup eTelecare in 2004. Prior to joining the BPO industry, Santa Maria helped lead a Singapore-based internet 1.0 startup called Similan.com. He was Executive Director of Argosy Partners, which was organized by Filipino business leaders in the wake of the Asian Currency Crisis in 1998 to be the Philippine affiliate of global Private Equity funds like Warburg Pincus, Chase Capital and GE Investments. He was one of the youngest general managers of Pepsi Cola Products Philippines’ Manila Operations. He was also a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton in New York where he led various strategy and operations consulting engagements for global clients like P&G, J&J, BOC of the UK and BHP of Australia. He started his career as a management trainee in production and engineering at Unilever in Manila. Santa Maria is leaving his Los Angeles-based advisory firm to join PAL in Manila. He has a Master’s in Public and Private Management from the Yale University School of Management and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. He was born and raised in Mindanao.