Phoenix Petroleum appoints former Shell exec as new COO

MANILA, Philippines - Listed independent oil player Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. has taken in a former Shell executive as its chief operating officer.

The company appointed Henry Albert “Bong” Fadullon as COO effective Monday, replacing Romeo “Romy” De Guzman.

Prior to his appointment at Phoenix, Fadullon served Shell Shared Services (Asia) B.V. as general manager for its global businesses, bringing in 25 years of experience in the petroleum industry.

“Bong’s appointment is a clear demonstration of our rigorous search for the best management talent in the petroleum industry. It reflects our fundamental belief that Phoenix Petroleum is on track to becoming a major player in the business,” Phoenix Petroleum president and chief executive officer Dennis Uy said.

De Guzman, on the other hand, will move into his new role as vice chairman of the board of directors and senior strategic adviser.

He joined Phoenix Petroleum in 2009, when the company was just starting to expand outside Mindanao. As COO, he oversaw the expansion of retail outlets from 32 stations in 2009 to 505 in 2016, the growth in commercial accounts in various industries, and the increase in volume sales from 28 million liters to 1.5 billion liters.

“We thank Romy for his leadership and for helping steer Phoenix Petroleum into a major player in the oil industry. In his new role as vice chairman and senior strategic adviser, Romy will continue to guide us with his valuable expertise, experience, and knowledge of the industry,” Uy said.

The company registered a record income of P1.09 billion in 2016 after hitting an all-time high sales volume.

Fuel sales volume grew 25 percent to reach 1.5 billion liters, driven by solid growth in retail and commercial volume.

Starting with a single station in 2005, Phoenix Petroleum has built at total of 505 outlets as of the end of 2016.

Based on the latest data released by the Department of Energy, Phoenix Petroleum registered a market share of 6.7 percent, making it the fifth largest oil firm in the country.

It aims to become the country’s third largest oil company by the end of 2017.