The listed company has named former government water official Ramon B. Alikpala as his successor, effective Jan. 1, 2027, the company said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday.
The transition, first reported by InsiderPH early this week, comes a year after the company raised P34.3 billion in one of the Philippines' biggest initial public offerings.
From tollways to Maynilad’s landmark IPO
Fernandez has spent nearly three decades with First Pacific Group, the Hong Kong-based investment conglomerate behind Manuel V. Pangilinan's Philippine business empire, holding senior roles across packaging, telecommunications, tollways, infrastructure and water since 1997.
Before joining Maynilad, he headed Metro Pacific Tollways from 2009 to 2015, following earlier assignments at PLDT and Smart Communications.
He became Maynilad's president and chief executive officer in January 2016, beginning an 11-year tenure that included the water utility's P34.3-billion stock market debut in November 2025.
His leadership also saw Maynilad secure a revised concession agreement and a 25-year legislative franchise in 2022, strengthening its long-term operating framework.
Alikpala's regulatory experience
Alikpala brings extensive experience in water regulation, having served as executive director of the National Water Resources Board and chair of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System's board of trustees.
He also headed FutureWater Asia and held leadership positions in regional water organizations, including the ASEAN Working Group on Water Resources Management and the Philippine Water Partnership.
His advisory work for the Asian Development Bank, USAID and Germany's GIZ covered water security, climate resilience and utility performance, providing experience in the regulatory and operational challenges facing Maynilad's next phase of growth.
Alikpala holds a business economics degree from the University of the Philippines and an MBA in finance from Fordham University in New York, with additional training at the London School of Economics and World Bank Institute.
—Edited by Miguel R. Camus
