GOTIANUN-led East West Banking Corp. (EastWest) has officially announced the appointment of top Filipino bankers Imelda Capistrano and Cristina Orbeta to its Board of Directors last January.
“In addition to bringing the wisdom and strength of women to top positions in the bank, Capistrano and Orbeta also deliver crucial experience in governance and banking as EastWest continues to navigate the industry through the challenges posed by the global Covid-19 pandemic and the expectations of an economic rebound,” the bank said in a statement last Tuesday.
Capistrano, who has 40 years of experience in the industry, served as the director and country manager of American bank Wells Fargo for nearly 11 years.
“She has extensive expertise in various specializations in banking, including business development, governance and offshore bank and representative office management,” the statement read. “She has also had stints in Wachovia Bank, Standard Chartered Bank Australia, First Interstate Bank of California and Unionbank.”
Orbeta has over 42 years of valuable experience in banking and governance. According to EastWest, Orbeta is currently a World Bank consultant for deposit insurance.
“She was Executive Vice President of PDIC [Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.] for nine years until she assumed the top post as President and Vice-Chairman of the Board from 2014 up to her retirement in 2017,” the bank said. “She was previously a member/advisor to the Boards of UCPB [United Coconut Planters Bank], UCPB Savings Bank and UCPB Leasing. She brings with her expertise in various fields of banking such as borrowing and lending operations, loan negotiations, credit analysis and risk management.”
The bank added that Orbeta’s 5-year stint with Credit Lyonnais Manila Offshore branch “familiarized her with banking operations in an international setting.”
“We at EastWest are glad about the addition of Capistrano and Orbeta to our Board of Directors,” EastWest Chairman Jonathan T. Gotianun was quoted in the statement as saying. “We truly look forward to their guidance as we aim to propel the bank to greater heights this year and for many more years to come.”
