Aboitiz Land, Inc., the real estate arm of the Aboitiz Group, has appointed Rafael Fernandez de Mesa as chief executive officer beginning January next year.
De Mesa will succeed current president and CEO David Rafael who will retire at the end of the year after leading Aboitiz Land for five years.
De Mesa’s appointment marks the return of Aboitiz Land’s leadership to an Aboitiz family. A fifth-generation family member, he will lead the conglomerate’s land and residential business unit. He will, however, continue his current responsibilities as head of economic estates in Aboitiz InfraCapital, bringing with him a wealth of industry expertise.
De Mesa played a key role in the success of the award-winning Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates.
The thriving hubs in Batangas, Cebu, and Tarlac now span over 2,000 hectares, host over 250 global industry leaders, employ more than 100,000 Filipinos, and attracted over P155 billion in investments.
De Mesa spent 10 of his 15 years with the Aboitiz Group at Aboitiz Land where he most recently served as first vice president of operations from 2016 to 2020.
During his tenure, he held leadership roles across various areas, including business development, project management, technical services, construction, property management, and the residential, industrial and commercial business units.
Prior to joining the Aboitiz Group he worked in banking for BBVA and Banco Santander in the United States.
He holds various directorships within the Aboitiz Group, serving on the boards of AboitizLand, Aboitiz InfraCapital, and Aboitiz Construction.
