MANILA, Philippines - GE recently held a Customer Night to welcome the company’s newly appointed chief executive officer Jocot de Dios. It is the first time in six years that a Filipino has been tapped to assume the position in the Philippines. The dinner reception, held at The Atrium, Enderun Colleges in Fort Bonifacio Global City, was a well-attended affair graced by around 100 key customers and GE business leaders.
De Dios’ appointment emphasizes GE’s commitment to transform the lives of Filipinos through advances in technology and innovative solutions. With his leadership style and business acumen, De Dios will be at the helm of implementing the “One GE” approach that leverages GE’s broad capabilities and ensures that customers’ relevant needs are addressed. He will be working closely with GE ASEAN, corporate teams and GE business leaders in identifying market expansion opportunities and growing GE’s businesses in the country.
De Dios holds a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School. Among his many achievements in his nearly two decades of experience, he is recognized for his work as managing director and CEO of Nido Petroleum Ltd., a publicly listed oil and gas exploration and production company based in Australia and the Philippines. He was also previously Undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Energy and chairman of the Philippine National Oil Company Exploration Corp.
Stuart Dean, CEO of GE ASEAN, led everyone in welcoming De Dios and expressed his enthusiasm during a short welcome speech: “We are happy to welcome Jocot to the GE family. We believe his expertise and experience will be essential in growing the company’s diverse businesses in the Philippines.”
In his remarks, De Dios said, “It is both an honor and a challenge to lead the GE Philippines team. Our mission is to continue to drive growth for GE in different areas, especially those still untapped. We are faced with a lot of opportunities that we intend to fully explore and I am excited to work and partner with you in unearthing these opportunities while building stronger ties, better businesses and thus, contributing to the country’s growth. Together with you, our valued partners, I am optimistic that we can make it work. I extend my warmest thanks to all our guests for sharing this occasion with us.”
GE in the Philippines dates back more than 100 years when in 1890, its predecessor, the Thomas Houston Electric Company, installed the first electric streetlights on Real Street in Manila. From that point onward, GE steadily strengthened its commitment to the country, and in October 1935, incorporated GE Philippines, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary engaged in a broad range of manufacturing, trading and service businesses. GE Infrastructure is a leading presence in the areas of energy (power generation, transmission and distribution), transport (aircraft engines), and water and process technologies.
ASEAN-wide, GE’s key businesses help fuel development in areas like healthcare, business solutions, finance, and media. Today, GE has more than 1,000 employees in the Philippines.