Japan-based telecommunications giant NTT has appointed IT veteran Ireen Catane as the new CEO for its Philippine office, while local firm CIS Bayad Center has named telecom executive Lawrence Ferrer as its new head honcho.
The appointment of Catane comes after the rebrand of DTSI Group and Dimension Data as NTT in the Philippines on October 1, 2019 to offer clients in the country greater depth in skills and capabilities across technologies under a single brand.
Catane will lead the ongoing integration efforts of NTT in the Philippines as she assumes the leadership role with immediate effect. She will report to Kim-Meng Png, Asean CEO for NTT.
“The Philippines is on a growth trajectory with immense opportunities for digital transformation. Ireen’s passion for leading with innovation and delivering value through outstanding client relationships is pivotal in this fast-evolving technology services sector. With her track record in leading the growth of various respected brands in the industry, I’m confident of Ireen’s ability to drive operational excellence and lead our high-performing teams to do great things for our clients in the Philippines,” said Png.
Catane has over 28 years of experience in the IT industry with country leadership roles in HP, Dell, IBM and most recently as enterprise commercial director at Microsoft Philippines.
“NTT is uniquely positioned to offer clients a full stack of world-class solutions with local customization to address different client’s digital challenges. It is a privilege to be trusted to lead the next phase of growth and contribute to the overall success of NTT,” said Catane.
Catane holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science major in Computer Technology from De La Salle University. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Business Administration from Jack Welch Management Institute.
Ferrer, on the other hand, will replace Manuel L. Tuason who has retired after 15 years at the helm of Bayad Center.
He brings with him more than two decades of immersion in the fields of telecommunications, financial technology, and banking. He handled various brands such Smart Money, Smart E-Load, Smart Padala and PayMaya.
As the new CEO and President, Ferrer said he aims to steer the company towards continued expansion and digitalization.
“A new world order is taking shape and digital innovation is imperative. As the most trusted payment authority in the country, it is our mandate to serve the ever-evolving needs of our customers. We will continue to advance our onsite to online platform, ensuring that they have a seamless and meaningful payment experience,” he said.
Currently, Bayad Center has 39,000 payment touchpoints nationwide, handling more than 10,000,000 transactions monthly. Its portfolio of services has grown to include not bills payment but also domestic and international remittance, insurance sales, medical reimbursement, ferry and airline ticketing, ATM cash withdrawal, and loan disbursement.
