Speaker Bio
Ernest Cu is the President and CEO of Globe Telecom, the leading telecommunications
company in the Philippines. Under his visionary leadership, Globe has outperformed
industry growth, breaking records across all key product groups, brands, and market
segments, catapulting Globe as the no. 1 mobile brand in the country. Ernest plays an
active role in the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), Digital Infrastructure Sector of
the Philippines. He works closely with the government on national digitalization
initiatives, advocating for policies that enhance universal access and foster meaningful
connectivity for Filipinos.
Prior to Globe, Ernest was President and CEO of SPi Technologies. At the cusp of the new
millennium, he spurred the beginning of the BPO business model for the Philippines,
earning him recognition as one of the founding fathers of BPO in the country. Lauding his
pioneering spirit, Ernst & Young named him ICT Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003.
After only two years in the telco industry, he was hailed as the Philippines' Best CEO by
Finance Asia and received the award again in 2017. Ernest was also named CEO of the
Year in 2012 by Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific and CEO of the Year at the Asia
Communications Awards in 2017. For five years (2013 to 2017), he was included in the list
of 100 most influential telecom leaders worldwide by London-based Global-Telecoms
Business Magazine Power 100. He was named the Best Telecommunications CEO at the
2021 International Finance Awards and Asia’s Best CEO by Corporate Governance Asia at
their 10th Asian Excellence Awards in 2020. Ernest was hailed as the Best Telco CEO by
London-based business magazine ‘The Global Economics’ in its 2022 Awards and was also
recognized as one of the Industrial Engineer Luminaries by the Philippine Institute of
Industrial Engineers (PIIE) in 2023. Recently, he was conferred with the Lifetime
Achievement & Contribution to the Telecoms Industry 2024 at the Twimbit Telecom
Awards in May 2024.
He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Management Engineering from De La
Salle University in Manila and an M.B.A. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of
Management, Northwestern University.