BIZ BUZZ: DJ ‘John-C’ goes to AC
The era of succession plans continues in 2025, and the first to make the move is the country’s oldest conglomerate.
Juan Carlos “John-C” Syquia, currently the executive vice president and head of institutional banking at Bank of the Philippine Islands (and an excellent DJ in his spare time), would be the deputy chief financial officer (CFO) of Ayala Corp. effective May 1.
“We are pleased to have John-C join us at Ayala Corp.,” said Cezar Consing, president and CEO of Ayala.
“His extensive banking experience, strong financial acumen and proven leadership give us great confidence that Ayala’s financial leadership will remain in very capable hands,” he added.
This announcement, of course, comes with another big revelation: Alberto de Larrazabal, who has been the conglomerate’s CFO since April 2021, is retiring on Dec. 31 this year.
By Jan. 1, 2026, we expect “deputy” to be removed from Syquia’s official title.
His appointment is also not without basis. Apart from playing an important role in one of the country’s top banks, Syquia also has three decades of experience in corporate and investment banking.
Before he joined BPI in 2016, he ran the corporate finance and relationship management businesses at ING and Standard Chartered.
Outside of banking, John-C is a DJ with a purpose: He spins retro sounds at private events and donates all fees to a special fund set aside by Xavier School Batch ’83 Foundation for the emergency medical expenses of faculty members.
An alumnus of Fordham University in New York and Ateneo de Manila University, Syquia looks to be the most fitting candidate.
Let the era of transition begin!
