ABOITIZ Land, Inc. has named Rafael Fernandez de Mesa as its new chief executive officer (CEO), effective Jan. 1 next year.
The new appointment marks the return of Aboitiz Land’s leadership to the Aboitiz family, as Mr. Fernandez de Mesa is a fifth-generation family member, the real estate company said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.
He will succeed current president and CEO David L. Rafael, who will retire by yearend after leading Aboitiz Land for five years.
Aside from being Aboitiz Land’s CEO, Mr. Fernandez de Mesa will also continue his current responsibilities as the head of economic estates in Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc., the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz group.
He holds various directorships within the Aboitiz group, serving on the boards of Aboitiz Land, Aboitiz InfraCapital, and Aboitiz Construction.
Mr. Fernandez de Mesa spent ten of his 15 years with the Aboitiz group at Aboitiz Land, where he served as first vice president of operations from 2016 to 2020. He held leadership roles across various areas, including business development, project management, technical services, construction, property management, and the residential, industrial, and commercial business units.
Before joining the Aboitiz group, Mr. Fernandez de Mesa worked in the banking sector with BBVA and Banco Santander in the United States.
Aboitiz InfraCapital has economic estates in Batangas, Cebu, and Tarlac spanning nearly 2,000 hectares. These host more than 250 global industry leaders and employ over 100,000 Filipinos. The economic estates have also attracted over P155 billion in investments.
Aboitiz Land is the real estate arm of listed conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV).
The conglomerate also has a presence in other segments such as power, banking and financial services, food, construction, and data science and artificial intelligence.
On Tuesday, AEV stocks rose 1.62% or 60 centavos to P37.75 per share. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
