The Internal Audit Group (IAG) of PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) ranked first among more than 100 leading organizations in the Philippines after receiving the Audit and Analytics Visionary Award at the 2025 Diligent Connections – Asia Pacific. This recognition reinforces the PLDT Group’s commitment to strong governance, effective risk management, and operational resilience in service of its customers.
Presented by Diligent, the award recognizes organizations that demonstrate forward-thinking leadership in internal audit through innovation, analytics, and digital transformation.
“This recognition reflects our commitment to strengthening governance through foresight, discipline, and the responsible use of technology,” said Gina B. Santos, PLDT and Smart FVP and Internal Audit Group Head. “By integrating analytics and automation into our work, we are better equipped to identify risks early, provide deeper insights, and uphold the trust placed in us by our customers, partners, and other stakeholders.”
Shown in the photo taken during the Diligent Connections ceremony held in Manila are MarKeith Allen, Diligent Chief Customer Officer; Gina Santos, PLDT Group Internal Audit Chief Audit Executive; Jasmin Adolfo, Head of PLDT Group Audit Analytics and Innovations; and Lih Chin Ong, Diligent Principal Client Success Advisor.
The Audit and Analytics Visionary Award highlights PLDT and Smart’s sustained efforts to embed analytics, automation, and emerging technologies across the audit lifecycle, strengthening IAG’s role as a key pillar of good governance. Through these initiatives, IAG has expanded assurance coverage and accelerated audit execution, while delivering forward-looking, insight-driven recommendations that influence business outcomes, drive improvements, and support innovation across the organization.
This milestone reflects years of transformation and collective commitment of the IAG Team to audit excellence and integrity across the PLDT Group. It builds on IAG’s growing recognition in analytics leadership, including inclusion in Diligent’s Modern Governance 100, which previously honored Jasmin Adolfo, Head of Audit Analytics and Innovations, among the world’s top GRC professionals.
