Ramon Dimacali, an industry pillar who twice served as country general manager of IBM Philippines and a major driving force behind Asia Pacific College (APC), has died at the age of 72.
His former employer IBM Philippines confirmed his death, saying it was saddened by the news of Dimacali’s passing. “We mourn the loss of a great leader and continue to honor Ramon’s legacy as one of the Philippines’ IT industry stalwarts,” it said.
Dimacali succumbed from complications due to Covid-19 while confined at the Makati Medical Center in Makati City.
He leaves behind a rich legacy in the fields of technology, education, and insurance. His last major corporate role was president and CEO of FPG Insurance Co.
But, Dimacali made his mark in his two stints as the head honcho of Big Blue’s local subsidiary. He led IBM Philippines at two crucial junctures in its history: in 1994 to 1996 when the tech giant was just coming out from near bankruptcy, and in 2000 to 2001 when it was flying high again after successfully reinventing itself.
Under his leadership at the company, IBM Solutions Delivery was established and IBM Philippines won the 2001 Outstanding Personnel Program of the Year and Child-Friendly Company awards.
After his fruitful stewardship at IBM Philippines, Dimacali turned his energy on APC where he served as chair for a long period of time. His involvement at the tech-focused school actually started during his first tour of duty at IBM since APC was a joint initiative of IBM Philippines and the SM Foundation.
He later on entered the insurance industry via FPG Insurance and even became president of the Insurance Institute for Asia and the Pacific (IIAP) and chair of the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association.
Ramon Yap Dimacali was born on September 5, 1948. He studied civil engineering at the University of the Philippines in Diliman where he also became the ROTC Corps Commander.
He then took up his MBA, also at UP Diliman, and attended the IBM Management Acceleration Program in New York, USA and Senior Management Workshops at Columbia University in New York.
