New AC era with ‘John-C’

Change is in the air at Ayala Corp. (AC), the country’s oldest conglomerate, as it sets the stage for a smooth financial baton pass while ensuring its signature stability remains intact.

AC president and CEO Cezar Consing dropped the big news on Thursday: Juan Carlos L. Syquia — known to many as John-C — has been tapped as the next deputy chief financial officer (CFO) starting May.

Syquia will be shadowing current CFO Alberto M. de Larrazabal until January 2026, when Larrazabal hangs up his corporate gloves after years of service.

Syquia’s official debut as deputy CFO will be stamped at the Organizational Board Meeting, right after the company’s annual stockholders meeting on 25 April.

“We are pleased to have John-C join us at Ayala Corp.,” Consing said in a stock exchange report. “His extensive banking experience, strong financial acumen, and proven leadership give us great confidence that Ayala’s financial leadership will remain in very capable hands.”

Shooting for innovation

Meanwhile, the incoming finance chief said: “I am very honored to join Ayala Corp. I look forward to working closely with Albert and the rest of the senior leadership team to drive Ayala’s pursuit of growth, innovation and nation-building.”

Syquia holds three decades of corporate and investment banking experience under his belt. As executive vice president and head of Institutional Banking at the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), he’s made his mark in leading institutional banking efforts since 2016.

Before that, he sharpened his skills at ING and Standard Chartered, dabbling in everything from strategy and business development to corporate finance and relationship management.

On the academic front, Syquia boasts an MBA in Finance and International Business from Fordham University in New York where he graduated with honors and a Bachelor’s degree in Management Economics from Ateneo de Manila University.