Ride-hailing platform Grab Philippines has appointed CJ Lacsican as its new country managing director, effective Dec. 1, succeeding Ronald G. Roda, who is stepping down after nearly a decade with the company.

The appointment was announced in a company statement issued on Thursday. Ms. Lacsican has spent nearly five years on Grab Philippines' leadership team, where she previously oversaw central operations, finance, and mobility operations. Her elevation marks the second consecutive country managing director to be appointed from within the company.

"Working hand in hand with the government, our driver- and merchant-partners, and the communities we serve, we will keep building a platform that opens opportunities and delivers services Filipinos can rely on every day," Ms. Lacsican said.

Mr. Roda, who was appointed country managing director in 2024, will step down from the role to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities, the company said. Beginning Dec. 1, he will serve as senior adviser and board executive to support the leadership transition and a phased handover scheduled to run through early 2027.

"Leading Grab Philippines has been one of the great privileges of my career. Together with our team and partners, we built and scaled new businesses such as GrabMart, GrabMall, digital lending and MOVE IT, expanded to more than 300 cities, and created hundreds of thousands of livelihood opportunities for Filipinos. I'm proud of what we have built, and I'm confident the business is in excellent hands with CJ," Mr. Roda said.

That track record — spanning new business lines, a footprint of more than 300 cities and hundreds of thousands of livelihood opportunities — offers a measure of the operation Ms. Lacsican inherits. The phased handover into early 2027, with Mr. Roda staying on as senior adviser and board executive to support the transition, also means the changeover at the top is structured as a gradual process rather than an abrupt switch.

Alongside the leadership change, Grab Philippines also announced the appointment of Alvin Ching as director for mobility and operations and Anton Bautista as head of deliveries and business development.

The company did not disclose further details about its business plans under the new leadership, leaving the strategic priorities of Ms. Lacsican's tenure and the progress of the phased handover toward its early-2027 conclusion as the immediate items to watch.

— Ashley Erika O. Jose, BusinessWorld

Source: BusinessWorld