Ms. Charo Santos-Concio is new ABS-CBN President

Chief Executive Officer and Chief Finance Officer Gabby Lopez III announced the appointment of Channel 2 Head Ms. Charo Santos-Concio as President effective March 1. Charo assumes the position formerly held by Freddie M. Garcia, then Cito Alejandro and then (temporarily) by Gabby himself, a long-overdue promotion for the network executive who has just completed a three-month stint, from August to November 2007, at Harvard Business School, where she attended an advanced management program.

Ms. Santos-Concio was previously head of the broadcast giant’s flagship station Channel 2, with “total business responsibilities” coordinating sales, marketing, and production.

She joined ABS-CBN as consultant when the network reopened in 1987, becoming director for programs in 1989, vice-president for production operations in 1991, and senior vice-president for TV Production in 1996.

Ms. Concio was promoted executive vice-president in 1998, taking on full responsibility in overseeing all the entertainment content of ABS-CBN.

Charo Santos-Concio started in the show-business industry as an actress. Some of her most memorable films are Itim, Kakabakaba Ka Ba?, Julian Makabayan, Gumapang Ka sa Lusak, to name a few. Charo won Best Actress in the 1976 Asian Film Festival for her performance in Itim.

While she was still active in the acting profession, she also worked in Bancom Films, Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, AudioVision, Vision Exponents, and Regal Films, before becoming an executive producer for Vanguard Films. It was during her stint at Vanguard that ABS-CBN invited her as a consultant.

She is the host of the multi-awarded drama anthology “Maalaala Mo Kaya.”

Good luck, Ms. Charo and ABS-CBN!