BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Amb. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr.
Chairman
Former Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines
Former Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States of America
Amb. Cuisia was the Philippine Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America and non-resident Ambassador to Trinidad & Tobago, the US Virgin Islands, Grenada, Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of Jamaica and the Republic of Haiti, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, the Commonwealth of Dominica, The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Amb. Cuisia also previously served the Philippine Government as Governor of the Philippine Central Bank and Chairman of its Monetary Board from 1990-1993, was Governor for the Philippines to the International Monetary Fund and Alternate Governor to the World Bank, the Administrator and CEO of the Philippine Social Security System from 1986-1990, and also appointed Commissioner, representative of the Employer’s Group, for the Social Security System (SSS) from September-December 2010. He was also President and CEO of Philam Life for 16 years.
Amb. Cuisia is currently the Chairman of The Covenant Car Company, Inc. and FWD Life Insurance Company, Adlemi Properties Inc., Five J’s Diversified Inc. and JVC Holdings Corporation. He was Vice-Chairman of the Board and Lead Independent Director of SM Prime Holdings and former director of Manila Water Company, Inc. He holds directorates in Century Properties Group, Inc., PHINMA Corporation, and Asian Breast Center, Inc. He previously held the Chairmanship of the Board of Far East Bank and Trust Company, Union Bank of the Philippines, Asian Institute of Management, BPI-Philam Life Assurance Co., Philam Foundation, Tower Club, Inc., and De La Salle University. He was previously elected as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Asia & the Pacific in 2019; elected to the Board of Trustees of the De La Salle Medical & Health Sciences Institute and De La Salle University -Dasmarinas in December 12, 2019 as well as the De La Salle Santiago Zobel School and the La Sallian Institute for Evangelization and Catechesis, and the former Chairman, Current Trustee and Treasurer of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation. He is also a Convenor-Trustee of the PBED and a Trustee of the Makati Business Club.
Amb. Cuisia is a recipient of numerous awards including 2016 Ten Outstanding Filipinos, 2016 Order of the Sikatuna with the rank of Datu given by President Benigno ‘ Noynoy’ Aquino III, and Management Man of the Year Award for 2007 from the MAP, among others.
Finally, Amb. Cuisia obtained his BSC-Accounting and AB- Social Sciences degrees (magna cum Laude) from De La Salle University and Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
Amb. Howard Q. Dee
Chairman Emeritus
Richard C. Dee
Member
Mr. Richard C. Dee serves as the President of Dao Investment and Management Corp. from 2007 up to present. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of United Laboratories, Inc. (UNILAB) and a Trustee in Assisi Development Foundation.
In April 1983, he finished his Bachelor of Commerce course from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He has a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Esther O. Santos
Member
Ms. Ma. Ester O. Santos joined the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) as President in 2011. She is an alumna of the University of the Philippines, Diliman where she took up her master in Development Economics and BA in Economics. In 2013, Ms. Santos was also a member of the pioneer batch that completed the Advanced Management Program of the University of Asia & the Pacific and the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
She also worked for financial institutions and local conglomerates in various capacities as financial analyst, research head of equities and trust divisions, and a fund manager. Before joining PSF, she was the only Filipino to be designated country delegate for Fundacion Codespa, a non-profit organization dedicated to international development cooperation that creates development strategies and programs, with his Royal Highness the Prince of Spain as honorary chairman. She also worked with several local foundations and advocacies for women and the youth. Her foundation experience mostly entailed strategic fund management, building strategy framework for implementation, and project management.
Ms. Santos is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the League of Corporate Foundations and Radio Veritas.
Rafael “Rapa” C. Lopa
President and CEO
Rapa Lopa has been involved in development work for nearly four decades. His continuing life’s work engages with business, government and civil society leaders to catalyze collective action for positive social change and sustainable development.
Lopa currently leads and sits in the boards of several non-governmental organizations. He is currently the president of Restart Micro Enterprise, Inc. (RestartME), a NGO that helps in post-disaster recovery efforts for micro and small entrepreneurs. Originally a USAID funded revolving loan fund for livelihood recovery in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, RestartME traces its origins in the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) where Lopa served as its Executive Director from 2010 to 2016. RestartMe was officially incorporated as non-stock, non-profit NGO in 2017 together with PBSP’s partners and co-founders ASA Philippines Foundation, CARD, Inc., TSKI, and NWTF.
Furthermore, Lopa concurrently serves as chairman of WeSolve Foundation, Inc. (WSF), a NGO that endeavors to build multi-stakeholder coalitions to address wicked and systemic societal issues. Lopa is also the president and executive director of the Aquino Foundation, a foundation that perpetuates the legacies of former Senator Ninoy and former Presidents Cory and Noynoy Aquino. He also serves as a trustee of Angat Pinas, Inc., a NGO that continues Angat Buhay, the flagship anti-poverty program of former Vice President Leni Robredo.
He is a recognized leader in the Civil Society sector of the Philippines as he was previously elected and served as a trustee of the Association of Foundations (AF) and the Philippine Center for NGO Certification (PCNC).
As a consultant, Lopa served as senior consultant to former Vice President Leni Robredo from 2016 to 2022. He was also contracted by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to undertake several studies on how to mobilize private sector financing and investments towards sustainable development goals.
Imelda H. Centeno
Member
Imee Centeno has 30 years of experience in human resources management and organization development. She is a seasoned leader known for driving organizational transformation, fostering leadership development, and aligning culture with business strategy. Throughout her distinguished career, she has consistently delivered results in strategic HR management, business process optimization and change management, contributing to the success of several leading companies.
Centeno has held various senior leadership roles, including Senior Vice President for Human Resources and Organization Development at Unilab, Inc., where she played a pivotal role in the company’s culture transformation and organizational growth.
She has spearheaded the design and implementation of key organizational initiatives, including corporate strategy deployment, performance management systems, workforce planning, and the creation of a corporate university. Her leadership earned Unilab national and international recognition, such as the Philippine Quality Award and multiple “Best Employers in Asia” honors.
Centeno has deep expertise across all aspects of HR, from talent acquisition and succession planning to performance management and employee relations. She has effectively navigated complex HR challenges in both unionized and non-unionized environments, driving employee engagement and fostering positive labor relations.