Conchita L. Manabat

A Certified Public Accountant, holder of MBA and PhD degrees and participant in executive programs, Conchita L. Manabat studied at the University of the Philippines, Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute, Harvard Business School and Pennsylvania State University. She is an incorporator and fellow of Institute of Corporate Directors.

She has held key positions (Comptroller/Chief Finance Officer/directorships) in various entities:  publicly-listed entities, educational/non-profit and professional organizations. Her industry exposure includes textile, garments, nylon, stock brokerage, steel, real estate, hotel, semi-conductors, telecoms, technology, financial institutions, trading, agri-business, exchanges and public practice.

Ms. Manabat is the President of the Development Center for Finance, based at the Virata School of Business, University of the Philippines. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of University of San Carlos, Cebu City and Children’s Hour Foundation, and a member of the Board of Directors of Zonta Manila Foundation. She has been a member of the Consultative Advisory Group (CAG) of the International Auditing & Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) since 2005, and the CAG of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) since 2009 of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).

Her past foray in the academe on part-time capacity includes: founding Dean of the School of Accountancy at St. Scholastica’s College, Manila as administrator and faculty member for 25 years, professor at the De La Salle Graduate School of Business and Economics, and the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. 

She was the Chair of the Board of Accountancy of the Professional Regulation Commission (member in 1992-95 and Chair in 1995-97). She was the President of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) in 2002 and Chair of the FINEX Research & Development Foundation in 2003. 

Ms. Manabat was the Chair of the Capital Market Development Council for four years, with the Philippine Secretary of Finance and the Chairman of the Securities & Exchange Commission as co-chairs (2003- 2006). In 2007-2009, she assumed the leadership as Chair of the Market Integrity Board (MIB) of the Philippine Stock Exchange. 

Nominated by Ooredoo of the Republic of Qatar, she served as independent director of the Liberty Telecoms group in 2011 – 2015. In 2016-2018, she was an independent director of Philippine Dealing System group. She also served as independent director of Fujitsu Phils., Inc. in 2006-2011. She set up and led EcoResorts Development Corp. in Palawan, 2008-2015.

She co-founded and managed an accounting firm, Laya Manabat Salgado & Co. in 1988-1997 that got the representations of Ernst & Whinney, followed by Grant Thornton and later, Coopers & Lybrand. Then, she founded and led her own firm, C.L. Manabat & Co. in 1999-2007 that got the representation of Grant Thornton that was succeeded by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

She was the Chief Finance Officer of the Marsteel Group of companies in 1976-1986 and was consultant to the Chemphil Group in 1976. Invited to become a member of the Management team of a textile/garment group of companies, she was Treasurer of the Philippine Polyamide Industrial Corp. and Executive Vice-President of Friendship Tours in 1974-76. Ms. Manabat started her career at the Management Advisory Services Division of Carlos J. Valdes & Co. (1968-1974), then representing Touche Ross Bailey & Smart that became Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Among the recognitions given her are the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award for The Pursuit of Excellence in Accountancy & Finance by the University of the Philippines (UP) Alumni Association on August 19, 2017; outstanding alumnus of the Virata School of Business of the UP in 2001; prominent alumnus of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, and outstanding Biñanense by her own hometown (Biñan City, Laguna). The Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) recognized her as PICPA Honorary Life Member in 2001, Most Outstanding CPA in Public Practice in 1995, and Most Outstanding CPA in Professional Development in 1991. In December 2018, she was recognized by PICPA as an Accounting Author. 

On September 14, 2018, Ms. Manabat received the FWN’s 100 Most Influential Filipina Woman in the World AwardTM for her professional work with the award category – FOUNDER and PIONEER. Ms. Manabat is the first woman to set-up and led an accounting firm that got a Big 4 international accounting firm (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu) representation in the country.