Broadband services provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. bared key movements within its leadership team as it announced the retirement of industry old-hand Jesus “Boboy” Romero.
During the Board of Directors Organizational Meeting held on Friday, May 30, after the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting, Converge said Romero signified his desire to retire from the company as chief operations officer (COO) after nine fruitful years of service.
The Board of Directors unanimously approved Romero’s retirement effective end of business day of June 30, 2025. He will be replaced by Benjamin Azada as the new COO effective July 1, 2025.
Converge CEO and co-founder Dennis Anthony Uy cited Romero for his role in translating the demand for fiber broadband faced by the company at the height of the pandemic into tangible gains.
“Boboy has seen us through the bold entry of Converge in the broadband market, to the hypergrowth years during the pandemic, and we are truly grateful. And now as we leap into the future, we look forward to continuing having Boboy as a supportive business partner,” Uy added.
Uy said Azada will lead the operations of Converge as it enters a new era defined by dynamic changes and innovations.
“In line with this, we’re proud to put Benj, a trusted and seasoned executive whose talents have spanned the areas of Strategy, Sustainability, and Product Development, Sales and Marketing, to lead overall company operations,” said Uy.
Azada finished his BS Industrial Engineering degree at the University of the Philippines, and earned his Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (with Merit) from the University of Durham, in England.
Prior to joining Converge, Azada was the consulting managing principal and a management board member of PwC Philippines, and also a partner of PwC’s South East Asia Consulting Practice.
After serving as Converge Chief Strategy Officer for almost four years, Azada was appointed Chief Commercial Officer early in 2024 and helped steer Converge to sustained growth with total revenues jumping almost 15% in 2024 compared to its year-ago level as the residential subscriber base increased by 20% to more than 2.5 million at the end of that year and now reaching over 2.7 million customers.
Azada, who was also Chief Sustainability Officer, will hand over his sustainability portfolio to Converge Corporate Compliance Officer Laurice Esteban-Tuason who was named as Corporate Sustainability Officer, concurrent with her position as Converge Corporate Compliance and Data Protection Officer.
Esteban-Tuason was recently lauded as the Best Data Privacy Officer (in the sector of General Management and Services) by the Information Security Officers Group (ISOG). She also recently completed her Master’s in Cybersecurity, With High Distinction, at the Asian Institute of Management.
Meanwhile, Converge treasurer Christine Renee Blabagno has been appointed concurrently as Chief Risk Officer to focus on strategic risk management of Converge, especially with the changing business and social climate in the Philippines and the evolving broadband landscape.
Blabagno brings over 25 years of financial management to Converge, having been a financial leader and strategist for over 14 years at a telco company in various leadership positions, the last being Vice President of Consolidated Core Business Controllership.
She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant with a professional diploma in Enterprise Risk Planning & Management from the National University of Singapore.
“With these changes in our leadership team, we are entering a new chapter — one that positions us more strategically for greater growth. By revamping the leadership bench while reinforcing our core values, we’re building the momentum needed to seize new opportunities and navigate the future as we transition to a techco,” said Converge president and co-founder Maria Grace Uy.
