PLDT Chief Financial Officer Anabelle Lim-Chua has been recognized as the top finance executive in the Philippines. Lim-Chua is this year’s recipient of the prestigious ING FINEX CFO of the Year Award, the country’s only search honoring outstanding financial stewards and aims to inspire the next generation of Philippine financial leaders. She is only the third woman to have received this prestigious accolade.

Now on its 15th edition, the Search was launched through a permanent partnership between Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) and Dutch financial giant ING Bank, N.V., one of the world's largest banks.

“Anabelle played a key role throughout this crisis. At the outset, we determined it best to turn to PLDT’s innate strengths―to our fundamentals, to those principles that are proven and basic and battle tested—and to trust our people, the bedrock of our businesses.” said Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of PLDT.

PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio commended Lim-Chua for being this year’s top Filipino CFO, "Congratulations on this well-deserved award! For me, it's been a long-delayed recognition for all the work that Anabelle has done through the years. Her passion and hard work push us all up and our company's financial performance to greater heights. I thank her for her invaluable contributions and leadership to the PLDT Group. Cheers to Anabelle, the CFO of the Year."

This is the second consecutive year, that organizers are shining the spotlight on the best game-changing chief officer. Last year’s award recognized the game-changer who guides. Faced with disruptions brought about by COVID-19 that have forced other businesses to their knees, this year, organizers fete the game-changer who has directed the order, one who has led the new game.

“I am immensely honored and grateful to be recognized by FINEX and ING as the 2021 outstanding CFO of the year. It is particularly gratifying to be commended as a Game-Changing CFO during this time. The pandemic and its far-reaching impact altered the rules not only in the way we do business but in the way we live. So to adapt to this new way of life, we have to become game changers,” said Lim-Chua, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Management Officer at PLDT.

Lim-Chua hopes that her achievement can inspire the country’s next generation of financial officers, “I have come to realize that by talking about my evolution and sharing the lessons I have learned, I can help others who are on a similar career path with similar aspirations. And just as MVP’s legacy of passion and excellence leaves its mark on all of us at PLDT, so I hope that my story will benefit the next generation of CFOs.”

Faced with the disruptions brought about by the global health crisis, PLDT was able to sustain its growth momentum in the third quarter of 2021. Leaning on its fastest and most reliable network, PLDT continued to draw in customers providing them with world-class connectivity that enabled them to survive and thrive amidst the global health crisis.

The trust that customers have placed on the country’s largest integrated telco along with its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) propelled the Group to record-highs in the July-September period.

Based on the company’s latest financial report, PLDT posted a record third quarter consolidated service revenue of Php 46 billion. In the same period, EBITDA, likewise, reached an all-time high of Php 24 billion, marking five quarters of consecutive record growth and leading to a record-setting Php 71.1 billion in the first nine months of the year 2021.

PLDT’s services are backed by the country’s most extensive fiber infrastructure now exceeding 615,000 kilometers. PLDT’s fixed network is complemented by Smart’s widest and fastest mobile network with LTE coverage now present in 96% of the country. Smart’s is also recognized as the country’s most reliable 5G mobile operator according to Ookla, the global leader in internet testing and analysis.