Top-ranked banker Aurelio ‘Gigi’ Montinola III stepped-up as the new Chair of the WWF Philippines Board. Montinola is the former President and CEO of the Bank of the Philippine Islands and chairs numerous organizations, including the Far Eastern University. He graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1973 and obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in 1977.
Montinola was the first Filipino awardee of the highly-coveted Asian Banker’s Leadership Achievement award, regarded by bankers globally as the penultimate accolade for both the Asia-Pacific and Gulf regions.Montinola’s four decades of experience greatly enhances WWF’s ability to positive influence development and conservation in the Philippines.
Diversity is strength and leaders of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have long been drawn from various sectors. Scientists, educators, businessmen and conservationists have all shared their unique expertise and leadership qualities to make WWF as dynamic and multi-faceted as it is today.
“Individually, we are but one drop but collectively, we are an ocean.We must work as one to transform our country into a living space our children will appreciate,” shared Montinola during WWF Partners’ Night,an annual gathering of top WWF supporters in the Philippines.
After serving with distinction as WWF Philippines Board Chair since 2008, former Philippine Energy Minister and Alternergy CEO Vincent Pérez has assumed the chairmanship of the WWF Philippines National Advisory Council from prominent businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, who helped set-up and lead WWF Philippines since its inception in 1996.
Pérez, a known renewable energy advocate, has served on the WWF US National Council since 1995 and arranged numerous Debt-for-nature swaps. He was among the founders of WWF Philippines and currently serves on the WWF International board of trustees comprised of environmental leaders from across the globe.
“Though stepping down from the board, I still dream of more wind farms spinning clean energy,” mused Pérez. “I dream of forest plantations that grow sustainable lumber for our homes. I dream of more students committed to protecting our environment. There’s still so much to do but through the leadership of Aurelio ‘Gigi’ Montinola, WWF and its valued partners in the Philippines will continue to catalyze these dreams into reality.”