Founding Partner
Prior to co-founding Ikhlas, Cesar was the Secretary of Finance of the Philippines and the Chair of Economic Development Cluster of the President’s Cabinet from 2010 to 2016. He briefly served as Finance Secretary in 2005 and Trade and Industry Secretary from 2004 to 2005. Additionally, he was a member of the Monetary Board of the Philippines Central Bank, and the Governor for the Philippines at the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. He served as Alternate Governor for the Philippines at the International Monetary Fund. Under his leadership, the Philippines received its first investment-grade ratings. He was named Finance Minister of the Year seven times in six consecutive years by a number of publications, a first for the Philippines.
Cesar is currently an Asia Fellow of Milken Institute, a global non-profit, non-partisan think tank. He currently serves as Independent Director of Ayala Corporation, Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Jollibee Foods Corporation and Universal Robina Corporation. He is also on the boards of AIA Group, BPI Capital Corporation, De La Salle University, International School of Manila and World Wildlife Fund-Philippines. In addition, he is a member of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (“SMBC”)’s Global Advisory Council, Singapore Management University’s International Advisory Council in the Philippines and ABS-CBN’s board of advisers. Cesar is also an Executive-in-Residence of the Asian Institute of Management and a mentor for Endeavor Philippines.
Prior to his stints in the government service, Cesar was the Chairman & Country Managing Partner of the Philippines’ largest professional services firm SGV & Co., and was a member of the Global Executive Board and Global Practice Council of Ernst & Young. He was also the Area Managing Partner for Asia-Pacific for Assurance and Business Service of Andersen Worldwide, the first and only Filipino to head the Area practice of a Big 4 accounting firm.
Cesar holds a BSc in Commerce, majoring in accounting and managing financial institutions, from De La Salle University and subsequently topped the CPA licensure examinations. He completed his MBA in international economics, finance and marketing at the JL Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and was conferred Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, by Angeles University.