CEO Profiles: Ernest Cu

The globally renowned president and CEO of Globe Telecom, Ernest Cu, is also one of the pioneers in the Philippines’ BPO industry.

Ernest Cu is the multi-awarded president and CEO of Globe Telecom, the largest mobile network and digital solutions provider in the Philippines. Before making waves in the telecommunications industry, he was credited for pioneering the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) model in the Philippines, which earned him recognition as one of its founding fathers.

Current Company and Role

President and CEO, Globe Telecom (since 2009)
Director and Executive Committee Member, Globe Telecom (since 2009)

Other Roles

Chairman, Globe Capital Venture Holdings
Chairman, 917Ventures
Chairman, Globe Fintech Innovations
Chairman, Techglobal Data Center
Director, AC Mobility Holdings
Director, Asiacom Philippines
Director, GTI Business Holdings
Director, Innove Communications
Director, Kickstart Ventures
Director, Bridge Mobile Alliance
Director, GLOBE STT GDC
Director, Prople BPO
Trustee, Ayala Foundation
Trustee, Hero Foundation
Member, Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), Digital Infrastructure Sector

Previous Company and Role

President and CEO, SPi Technologies (1997-2008)

Awards and Recognition

CEO of the Year, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific (2012)
100 Most Influential Telecom Leaders Worldwide, Global-Telecoms Business Magazine Power 100 (2013-2017)
Philippines’ Best CEO, Finance Asia (2017)
CEO of the Year, Asia Communications Awards (2017)
Asia’s Best CEO, Corporate Governance Asia 10th Asian Excellence Awards (2020)
Best Telecommunications CEO, International Finance Awards (2021)
Best Telco CEO, The Global Economics (2022)
Industrial Engineer Luminary, Philippine Institute of Industrial Engineers (2023)

Education

BS Industrial Management Engineering degree, De La Salle University (1982)
Master’s Degree in Business Administration, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University (1984)

Key Quotes

“I was trained to be an entrepreneur at an early age—handling my father’s company employees while I was still in college.”
On becoming an entrepreneur

“We had to define who we were. We had to pitch it to the world—to promote what was called ‘IT-enabled services.”
On leading SPi Technologies, one of the country’s pioneers in the business processing outsourcing (BPO) space

“The pandemic has highlighted the importance of digitalization as a way of doing business. Globe’s internal dynamics had a drastic change; however, we were able to adapt quickly as we have prepared digitization inside Globe.”
On Globe Telecom’s agility during the pandemic

“We continue to grow and transition from a telecommunications company to a company beyond telco, focusing on digital solutions that provide convenience, data security, and positive social impact.”
On Globe Telecom’s future

“My plan for the coming years is an open book. Still, one of the legacies I want to leave in business is to create successions—a team of passionate and talented individuals committed to making a difference in the lives of our customers.”
On his own future

Learn more about Ernest Cu’s journey to the C-level and how he pioneered digital solutions, as well as his words of advice for other would-be innovators.