ACEN taps Miguel de Jesus as Philippine CEO, Cruzabra is new CFO

Insider Spotlight

• Miguel de Jesus will lead ACEN Philippines beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
• Ma. Cecilia Cruzabra becomes group CFO, overseeing strategy and financial management.
• The appointments support a shift toward project delivery, capital efficiency and selective growth.

Ayala’s ACEN has appointed Roman Miguel de Jesus CEO of ACEN Philippines effective Jan. 1, 2027, putting its domestic business under his leadership as the renewable energy company shifts its focus toward executing projects and improving operating performance.

InsiderPH learned that De Jesus, chief operating officer of the Philippine business since 2025, will oversee project delivery, operations and commercial activities. He previously led the establishment and growth of ACEN’s retail electricity business beginning in 2016 and held other operating and development roles.

Miguel de Jesus

Appointed by the board as the CEO of ACEN's Philippine operations

Finance leadership

The board also appointed Ma. Cecilia Cruzabra ACEN group chief financial officer effective the same date. She will lead corporate strategy and financial management, covering capital allocation, funding, financial risk management, balance sheet strength and sustainability management.

Cruzabra currently serves as ACEN International CFO and ACEN chief risk officer. A former ACEN group treasurer, she has also served as Ayala Corp. treasurer, Manila Water CFO and Globe Telecom head of treasury and enterprise-wide risk management.

Cecile Cruzabra

ACEN's new group CFO

Other appointments

Theodore Ivan Paris will become group treasurer on Jan. 1, overseeing treasury operations. He previously headed financial risk management, capital markets and debt management at Ayala Corp.

John Eric Francia will remain president and CEO of listed ACEN. Its realigned organization has three business units—ACEN Philippines under de Jesus, ACEN Investments under Patrice Clausse, covering international investments and ACEN India, and ACEN Australia under Jose Maria Zabaleta.

Eric Francia...

... will stay on as CEO of the listed firm overseeing the entire renewable energy business.

Execution takes priority

The appointments follow a decade of expansion that increased ACEN’s attributable renewable energy capacity from approximately 100 megawatts in 2016 to around 7,500 MW. The company now aims to translate that scale into stronger profitability and capital efficiency.

Selective expansion

ACEN’s immediate priorities are bringing projects under construction into operation, improving existing asset performance and aligning capital deployment with market conditions. Future investments will be assessed for their economics, commercial arrangements and strategic relevance.

The company is also streamlining its pipeline and plans to voluntarily relinquish some service contracts, consistent with the Department of Energy’s ongoing cleanup initiative.

— Edited by Daxim L. Lucas