Former ABS-CBN anchor joins PLDT management

MANILA, Philippines — Multi-awarded financial journalist Cathy Yang has joined PLDT Inc. as group head of corporate communications, the telco giant announced yesterday.

PLDT-Smart public affairs head Mon Isberto is retiring after serving the company for 25 years.

Yang, who recently served as anchor and managing editor of the ABS-CBN News Channel, will serve as communication strategist and advisor of PLDT’s top management team.

PLDT said she would also oversee the communications needs of the broader MVP Group of Companies, of which the company is part of.

Yang takes on the rank of first vice president and will be part of PLDT’s senior management team.

“We welcome Cathy into the senior management ranks of PLDT and Smart.  Cathy is an excellent communicator and a journalist of unquestioned integrity.

Her extensive experience as a financial and media person, here and abroad, will add a new dimension to our communication strategy in articulating and presenting who we are and how we perform.

She will bring our era of communication into the digital space. Again, a warm welcome to Cathy,” PLDT chairman, president and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

“It’s a privilege to have a reputable, experienced and globally-acclaimed executive as part of our team. We will, together, take the company to new heights. Welcome to the group,” Smart president and CEO and PLDT chief revenue officer Alfredo Panlilio said.

For her part, Yang said she is tremendously privileged to be part of the Philippines’ biggest telco firm, “helping consumers and businesses thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic, streaming content and delivering products and services through digital connectivity.”

“We have yet to witness the power of digital connectivity on e-learning, as PLDT plays a key role in transformational education with schools resuming under the new normal.  I look forward to working with the PLDT Board, our shareholders and stakeholders, in ensuring we stand front and center as a key enabler in the economy’s recovery,” she said.

Yang has an extensive broadcast career spanning 28 years, during which she has garnered global recognition for her work as a financial journalist.

Prior to her PLDT appointment, Yang was anchor-managing editor of the ABS-CBN News Channel, hosting programs like “Market Edge” and “Business Nightly.”