Ernest L Cu

President and CEO, Globe

 

Ernest L Cu leads Globe's transformation to digital technology innovator

Ernest Cu's advocacy of digitalising the nation is transformative and far-reaching. It is rooted in the belief that digital connectivity can act as an equaliser in society, granting access to information, services, and opportunities irrespective of Geographical location. Under the leadership of its president and CEO, Ernest L Cu, Globe has expanded into digital technology to secure its leadership as the top telecommunications company in the country. A remarkable testament to Globe's relentless pursuit of digital excellence is its seven-year sustained leadership in the mobile market revenue. Further cementing this leadership is Globe’s mobile subscriber count at 53.727 million as of July 30, 2023, the highest among telco players and 1.2 million higher than the nearest competitor.

GCash, its flagship product in the financial technology category, is a phenomenally successful mobile wallet now used by roughly 80 per cent of the Filipino population. Globe is also behind the corporate incubator 917Ventures, the country’s most prominent corporate venture builder that has pioneered tech solutions companies like Konsulta MD, HealthNow, KodeGo, and EdVenture, to name a few. In August 2023, GCash also announced that it had gained approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission to publicly launch its online trading services, GStocks PH, through a partnership with AB Capital Securities Inc.

With non-telco revenues doubling since 2021, Cu plans on sustaining that growth with increased investments. “I want to build a better future by empowering Filipino entrepreneurs, content creators and artists,” he said, “which could also mean helping a portfolio company become the Philippines’ next unicorn or launching a ground-breaking digital solution.”

 “Change is one thing. Simply making organisational changes would have been tough by itself. However, transformation and disruption of the industry is another thing entirely. We must develop entrepreneurial and technical talents, creating solutions to unique problems.”

Awards


2021

Best Telecoms CEO (International Finance Awards)

2020

Asia’s Best CEO (Corporate Governance Asia Awards

2017

Philippines Best CEO (Finance Asia)

2010

Philippines Best CEO (Finance Asia)

Did You Know?


Before the pandemic, Ernest Cu and his family would retreat to their villa in Tuscany for two weeks at least twice a year.