Our Leadership

Mr. Catalino S. Abacan was appointed as a director of Sun Savings Bank in December 2019, and subsequently elected Chairman of the Board on January 2, 2020. He previously served as an Independent Director on the Board of Robinsons Bank Corporation, a commercial bank within the Gokongwei Group. He held key positions on several committees there, including Chairperson of the Audit Committee, Vice-Chairperson of the Risk Oversight Committee, and Member of the Related Party Committee.

Before joining Sun Savings Bank, Mr. Abacan served as the former President & CEO of City Savings Bank, a thrift bank subsidiary of Union Bank of the Philippines (UBP) and a member of the Aboitiz Group.

Mr. Abacan began his career in 1975 at the Philippine Banking Corporation (PhilBank), starting as a Credit Investigator/Appraiser and progressing to Head of the Credit Investigation & Appraisal Unit. He later moved into Branch Operations as Manager and then became an Area Manager for Manila branches. His final position at PhilBank was Vice-President & Group Head for Operations of Transaction Banking (Loans & International), Foreign Currency Deposit Unit, and Treasury.

In 1994, Mr. Abacan joined Lippo Bank of Indonesia as Vice President for Operations of their Manila Offshore Banking Unit and played a significant role in establishing a Lippo Bank branch in Cambodia.

In 1997, he joined Union Bank of the Philippines (UBP) as VP/Region Service and Operations Head of North Luzon branches. He subsequently held various senior positions at UBP, including VP/Operations Head of UBP Visa Credit Card Unit, Head of Liabilities Products, Branches Operations & Credit Card Operations, and Executive Vice-President of the Channel Management Center until 2014.

In 2013, Mr. Abacan was appointed Vice Chairman of the Board of City Savings Bank, and later became its President/CEO in 2014. He was then transferred as President/CEO of PR Savings Bank in 2018 to oversee its merger with City Savings. After the merger was completed in February 2019, he served as Senior Adviser to the Board of City Savings Bank until his retirement on October 31, 2019.

Mr. Abacan graduated with Latin honors from the University of the East with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) Major in Accounting, and passed the CPA Board in 1975. He also completed the academic requirements for a Masters in Business Administration at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business in 1978.

Mr. Francisco A. Dizon currently serves as the President and CEO of Sun Savings Bank. Concurrently, he holds the positions of Chairman and President at Pacific Northstar Inc. (PNI) and Project Quest Corp., the investment fund organized by PNI. Additionally, Mr. Dizon is Chairman of BPO International and Phoenix One Knowledge Solutions. He also serves as an Independent Director of Makati Medical Center and Semirara Mining and Power Corp.

Mr. Dizon's extensive banking career spans 51 years and includes significant leadership roles. In the year 2000, he was elected as a Director of the Philippine National Bank and later appointed Chairman of the Board, serving from 2001 to 2005. Prior to this, he served as the President and CEO of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation from 1997 to 2000. Before his tenure at RCBC, he was President and CEO of Asian Bank Corporation.

Mr. Dizon also played a pivotal role as Vice-Chairman and President of AB Capital Investment Corporation, which he helped establish in 1980. During the 1980s and 1990s, AB Capital Investment Corporation and its subsidiary Anscor Hagedorn Securities were prominent Philippine investment banks and stock brokerage firms. He also served as a Director of Ayala Property Ventures Corp. in 1987 and of Cebu Holdings Inc. from 1988 to 1994, the developer of Cebu Business Park.

Mr. Dizon holds a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from the Asian Institute of Management and earned his Bachelor's degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.

Mr. Augusto Gonzalez holds the positions of Executive Vice President, Treasurer, and Director at Sun Savings Bank. Additionally, he serves as Vice President of PNI and is involved in significant advisory transactions, including the sale of Prudential Bank and Citytrust Banking Corporation. Mr. Gonzalez also holds directorships at Project Quest Corp., Pointwest Technologies, and Phoenix One Knowledge Solutions.

Before joining PNI, Mr. Gonzalez held the role of Senior Manager at AB Capital and Investment Corporation, where he managed various debt and equity underwriting transactions. Prior to that, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst at SGV & Company.

Mr. Gonzalez obtained his MBA from Northwestern University and earned his Bachelor's degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.

The Santos family, of which Mr. Gonzalez is a member, formerly owned Prudential Bank, which was acquired by the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) in 2005. Additionally, the Santos Family co-owned the former Pilipinas Bank building on 111 Paseo de Roxas with BPI; however, the family bought out BPI's share in 2012.

Ms. Carissa G. Dizon was elected as Director on October 21, 2021, after previously serving as Senior Adviser to the Board. Her extensive experience in marketing and technology will be instrumental as Sun Savings Bank aims to expand its digital banking offerings and scale its customer base.

Ms. Dizon joined Google in 2012, where she led product marketing for Hardware, Android, Retail, and Chrome OS across Asia Pacific, and also served in Strategy & Operations for the marketing function.

Recently, she held the position of Director of Business & Operations for the Next Billion Users team, overseeing Google's business strategy in Africa. Prior to Google, Ms. Dizon held marketing leadership roles at Procter & Gamble in Singapore and Nokia in Singapore, Bangkok, and Sydney.

Ms. Dizon holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Mr. Renato S. Gonzalez was appointed Senior Adviser to the Board on April 29, 2021, and elected Director of the bank on October 21, 2021. He graduated from Ateneo De Manila University with a degree in Legal Management and brings extensive experience in retail, consumer behavior, and retail operations.

Before joining Sun Savings Bank, Mr. Gonzalez served as a Supervisor at Landco Pacific Corporation and an Account Officer at All Asia Capital. Currently, he holds the position of Purchasing and Leasing Manager at Grand Union Supermarket, Inc. His deep understanding of consumer behavior, particularly in the Philippine middle-class market, is invaluable as the Bank expands its reach through initiatives such as its mobile app, SME loans, and private sector salary loans.

Mr. Gonzalez possesses expertise in retail payments and has experience with various payment platforms used by consumers for purchasing goods and services. His insights will significantly contribute to the Bank's strategies involving Instapay and other upcoming digital platforms.

With substantial experience and established relationships in the real estate industry, Mr. Gonzalez played a pivotal role in expanding the branch network of Grand Union Supermarkets. He is well-versed in the market potential of locations in the NCR Plus areas (Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite), which collectively contribute 60% to the country's GDP.

Ms. Catherine M. Cheung was appointed as an Independent Director of Sun Savings Bank, Inc. in August 2022. A Certified Public Accountant, she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy from the University of San Carlos – Cebu in 1982.

With nearly four decades of experience in banking, Ms. Cheung has held leadership roles in sales, operations, and loans across major financial institutions. Before joining Sun Savings, she served as Senior Vice President and Salary Loans Business Head at City Savings Bank, where she led core sales activities for the public school teachers' loan market across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Prior to her tenure at City Savings, Ms. Cheung spent 30 years at Union Bank of the Philippines, holding key positions including First Vice President, Team Head for Visayas, and concurrent Sales Director for Metro Cebu (Retail Banking). She also served as Regional Service Operations Officer for Cebu and Visayas and Senior Commercial Loans Officer for the region.

Her extensive expertise and leadership contribute to the growth and strategic direction of the bank.

Mr. Noel A. Santiago assumed the role of Independent Director at Sun Savings Bank, Inc. in February 2023. He is also the Executive Vice Chairman of Zip Technologies, a Fintech company that focuses on digital and payment solutions for the financial services sector.

He was the Chief of Party of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) leading a national digital transformation program for the Small Medium Enterprise industry. He was also previously the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SXI Solutions Exchange, Inc., overseeing the Philippines and ASEAN operations.

Prior to that, Mr. Santiago held the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at (BPI) Bank of the Philippine Islands, where he spearheaded the bank's Digital Transformation and Payments Strategies.

Mr. Santiago has also contributed his expertise as a Member of the Board of Directors for several companies, including Bancnet, HCX Technologies, and Cartera. He notably served as the Risk Committee Chairman at Bancnet.

In addition, Mr. Santiago played a crucial role as a member of the Leadership Committee for the country's Automated Clearing Houses (ACH), namely Instapay and Pesonet. His leadership was instrumental in driving the implementation of the National Retail Payment System roadmap, a significant initiative of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Concurrently, he chaired the Operations Committee at Instapay ACH.

With extensive regional experience, Mr. Santiago has held key positions at two of Asia's largest regional banks, Development Bank of Singapore and United Overseas Bank, based in Singapore. His contributions were pivotal in advancing digital innovations in the banking sector, including direct debit payments, multi-factor security authentication, and mobile banking solutions. He has also authored position papers on Electronic Banking and Payment Services, the Basic Banking Act, Multi-Purpose Card Payments, Shared ATM and Payment Services for Qualifying Foreign Banks, and National Chip Card conversion, contributing to regulatory discussions.

Mr. Santiago is a sought-after speaker and resource person at industry conferences and publications, leveraging his deep insights and experience.

He has completed Executive Leadership Programs at INSEAD (Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires), Harvard Business School Executive Program, and Macquarie Graduate School of Management. Mr. Santiago earned his Bachelor's Degree in History and Political Science from De La Salle University in 1986.