 |
| On his 84th birthday celebration, GMA Network Chairman Atty. Felipe L. Gozon (center) announced his retirement as the Network's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) which will eventually be held by President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Gilberto R. Duavit Jr. (left), effective January 1, 2024. Meanwhile, Joel Marcelo G. Jimenez (right), son of GMA co-founder Menardo R. Jimenez and CEO of Alta Productions Group Inc., has been elected as the new Chairman of the Network's Executive Committee which will be effective on January 1, 2024. (Image Source: GMA Network) |
During the celebration of his 84th birthday at the Isla Ballroom of EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City last December 9, 2023, Atty. Felipe L. Gozon announced his retirement as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the country’s leading multimedia conglomerate GMA Network. Effective January 1, 2024, the Network's President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr. will assume the role of CEO with Atty. Gozon continuing to serve as the company's Chairman of the Board and Programming Committee as well as Adviser to the Network.
In 1975, Gozon, along with Gilberto M. Duavit Sr. and Menardo R. Jimenez, revived the struggling Republic Broadcasting System Inc. (RBS), the precursor of GMA. The triumvirate made various initiatives to make the company financially viable — restructured debt, upgraded equipment, and locally-produced shows. But for many years, GMA was a very distant against competition in the Philippine television scene. This eventually changed when Gozon took the helm of the Network in 2000. With his transformational leadership, GMA rose to become the top broadcast network in the Philippines. In 2004, GMA’s programs were among the most watched shows in Mega Manila. In 2005, GMA bagged the coveted Asian Television Awards' Terrestrial Network of the Year Award. Two years later, GMA’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) was met with much enthusiasm and resounding success. In July 2011, GMA was the most watched broadcast network in the country. Today, GMA reaches over 73 million Filipinos across the country. It has grown into a network of 106 TV stations and 21 radio stations nationwide. A four-time winner and the only Philippine recipient of the highly prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, GMA has consistently been recognized by various international award-giving bodies such as the New York Festivals and the US International Film and Video Festival, among others. The Network was likewise named as the most trusted news brand in the country according to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Globally, GMA International connects with millions of Filipinos in over 100 countries. GMA Regional TV also continues to reach more Filipinos with its top-rating and award-winning flagship local newscasts and morning shows. The Network’s flagship AM station Super Radyo DZBB and FM station Barangay LS are likewise the number one radio stations in their respective categories in Mega Manila. GMA is also the first Filipino media and broadcasting company to sign with the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, remaining committed to making a meaningful and resonating impact while sustainably creating value for its various stakeholders. The Network’s socio-civic arm GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) has diverse programs designed to meet the specific needs of impoverished Filipinos, in four key areas: Health, Education, Disaster Relief, and Values Education. Demonstrating its commitment to quality content and superior coverage, GMA heavily invested in improving the Kapuso station's signals in provinces, launched new digital terrestrial television (DTT) channels (Heart Of Asia, Hallypop, I Heart Movies, Pinoy Hits), and created new products to make digital television accessible to millions of Filipinos (GMA Affordabox, GMA Now).
Duavit Jr., the eldest son of GMA co-founder Gilberto M. Duavit Sr., joined GMA’s Board of Directors in 1999 and has been the Chairman of the Network’s Executive Committee since August 2000. He was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in November 2000 and was elected as the company’s President in 2010. Duavit is also the Chairman of the Board of GMA Network Films and serves as President and CEO of GMA Holdings Inc., RGMA Marketing and Productions Inc., and Chairman, President, and CEO of Group Management and Development Inc., and Dual Management and Investments Inc. He is also the Vice Chairman of GMA Ventures Inc. and serves as the President and a Trustee of GMA Kapuso Foundation Inc., a Trustee of the Guronasyon Foundation Inc., and a Board Advisor of the HERO Foundation. Duavit holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Joel Marcelo G. Jimenez has been elected as the new Chairman of the Network's Executive Committee which will be effective on January 1, 2024. Jimenez, son of GMA co-founder Menardo R. Jimenez, is the President and CEO of Menarco Holdings and the Chief Executive Officer of Alta Productions Group Inc. He is a Director of RGMA Network Inc., Executive Committee Chairman and Director of GMA New Media Inc., Scenarios Inc., GMA Worldwide Inc., Citynet Network Marketing and Productions Inc., Malayan Savings and Mortgage Bank, and Nuvoland Philippines. He is also a Trustee of GMA Kapuso Foundation Inc. Jimenez is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Major in International Marketing and earned his Masters in Management from the Asian Institute of Management.
