Sustainability Committee

Mr. Almendras concurrently serves as senior managing director of Ayala Corporation and president & chief executive officer of AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation. He is also a member of the Ayala Group Management Committee since August 2016. He is also a director and a member of the Executive Committee of Manila Water; and director of the following companies within the Ayala group: AF Payments Inc., Light Rail Manila Holdings, Inc.,  MCX Tollway Inc., AC Energy and Infrastructure Corporation (formerly AC Energy, Inc.) and ACEN Corporation (formerly AC Energy Corp.).

He spent 13 years with the Citibank group where he started as a management trainee and landed his first CEO position as president of City Savings Bank of the Aboitiz Group at the age of 37. In 2011, he was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Sustainability Champion for his efforts as president of Manila Water. During his stint as Manila Water’s president and chief operating officer, the company received multiple awards and was recognized as one of the Best Managed Companies in Asia, Best in Corporate Governance, one of the Greenest Companies in the Philippines and hailed as the world’s Most Efficient Water Company. Under the Administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III, Rene served as a member of the Cabinet holding the position of Secretary of the Department of Energy, Office of the Cabinet Secretary and the Department of Foreign Affairs. In June 2016, he was acknowledged by the administration for his remarkable performance in addressing the country’s urgent issues and was awarded the highest Presidential Award given to a civilian — Order of Lakandula, Rank of Gold Cross Bayani.

He graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 1981.

Ms. Heras-de Leon, Filipino, previously served as managing director and member of the management committee of Ayala Corporation (2011-2015) and president of Ayala Foundation, Inc. (2011-2015). She was also vice president for policy, government, and public affairs of Chevron Geothermal Philippines Holdings (1997-2011), where she led corporate affairs for Chevron’s geothermal and natural gas interests and activities in the Philippines.

Ms. Heras-de Leon has held various leadership positions in Greater Houston Partnership and First City National Bank of Texas. She was a former trustee of Assumption Antipolo, Museo de La Salle, Word Wildlife Fund-Philippines, and Asia Society Philippines. She also served on the Advisory Board of Texas Children’s Hospital and Asia Society Texas.

Ms. Heras-de Leon holds a Master of Business Administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian Studies from the University of British Columbia.

Mr. Urquijo, 33, Filipino, is the Assistant Vice President of Business Development of the International Business unit of ACEN and a Director of ACE Enexor and ACE Endevor, Inc. Prior to this, he was a Strategy and Development Manager at Ayala Corporation.
From 2014 to 2016, he was seconded to AF Payments, Inc., where he served as head of Business Development overseeing the launch of the Beep Card payment system. Prior to joining the Ayala Group, he was an associate at JP Morgan in New York. He is a board member of the Philippine Rugby Football Union and is the current President of the Notre Dame Club of the Philippines.

Mr. Urquijo received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA, and obtained his Masters in Business Administration in INSEAD, France.