ACEN appoints new Philippines CEO, CFO

ACEN Corp. has appointed Roman Miguel G. de Jesus as chief executive officer of ACEN Philippines, Ma. Cecilia T. Cruzabra as group chief financial officer, and Theodore Ivan Paris as group treasurer, effective 1 January 2027, as the renewable energy firm shifts its focus to project execution, operational efficiency and measured growth.

The appointments form part of an organizational realignment following a decade of rapid expansion in which ACEN grew its attributable renewable energy capacity from about 100 megawatts in 2016 to approximately 7,500 MW today.

John Eric T. Francia will remain president and chief executive officer of the listed company.

The new structure places ACEN’s operations under three business units: ACEN Philippines, led by de Jesus; ACEN Investments, headed by Patrice Clausse, who oversees international investments and ACEN India; and ACEN Australia, led by Jose Maria Zabaleta.

“Our next phase is about translating the scale we have built into stronger operating performance and long-term value,” Francia said, citing project delivery, capital efficiency and selective investments as priorities.

De Jesus previously served as chief operating officer of ACEN Philippines and helped establish and grow its retail electricity business beginning in 2016.

Cruzabra currently serves as CFO of ACEN International and chief risk officer. She previously held treasury and finance positions within the Ayala Group, including at Ayala Corp., Manila Water and Globe Telecom.

Paris, meanwhile, previously headed financial risk management, capital markets and debt management at Ayala Corp.

ACEN also plans to streamline its project pipeline and voluntarily relinquish some service contracts in line with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) service contract cleanup initiative.