WEST ZONE concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. has appointed Christopher Jaime T. Lichauco as its new director and chief operating officer (COO), effective Sept. 1.
He will replace Randolph T. Estrellado, who will retire after nearly 19 years of service at Maynilad, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The newly appointed COO will also concurrently serve as president and director of Amayi Water Solutions, Inc. and president of Boac Water Solutions Company, both subsidiaries of Maynilad.
Mr. Lichauco has been with Maynilad for 27 years, starting as project manager and later becoming business area operations head. He also headed the customer experience and retail operations (CXRO) division, the company’s largest business unit, in 2013.
Following Mr. Lichauco’s appointment, Maynilad also named Rudy O. Baylas, Jr. as the new head of CXRO.
Mr. Baylas joined Maynilad in 2002 through its cadet engineer program and has been with the company for more than 20 years.
He has led functions ranging from non-revenue water reduction and planning to customer care and business operations central services, and most recently served as north business district head.
Maynilad serves parts of Manila, Quezon City, and Makati. It also operates in Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, and Malabon. In Cavite province, it supplies Cavite City, Bacoor, and Imus, as well as the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Maynilad’s majority shareholder, is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of First Pacific Co. Ltd., alongside Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
