Who Is the New Country Head of Grab Philippines?

Grab Philippines has recently announced the appointment of Ronald Roda as its new Country Head, effective September 2024. After leading the company for the past four years, Grace Vera Cruz, who previously occupied the post, has transitioned into a regional role as the Head of Regional Corporate Strategy. She will continue to be based in the Philippines to ensure a smooth transition and operational continuity. 

Having recently served as Chief Operating Officer, Roda led the GrabCar division for over six years. His leadership oversaw the expansion of Grab’s presence from eight cities to over 200 across the Philippines since 2018, making the company's services accessible to more Filipinos.

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When the GrabCar business had to temporarily shut down during the pandemic, Roda quickly pivoted to maintain business operations, enhancing the service's reliability and affordability. He also played a crucial role in generating over 72,000 livelihood opportunities in the first half of 2024, raising the total to over 270,000 since 2023. This is in line with the company’s commitment to the Philippine government of creating 500,000 livelihood opportunities over the next five years.

Prior to joining Grab Philippines, Roda has had 20 years of experience across in a broad range of industries, including technology, management consulting, telecommunications, and transportation. This extensive background, he said, will equip him to tackle the various challenges he may face while leading Grab.

"When I joined Grab, it was more or less focused on one main industry, which was cars. Now, we're involved in seven or eight different kinds of businesses, ranging from food delivery, parcels, lending, ads, and many other services. You need a broad range of experience to appreciate all the different things that Grab, as a platform, is doing," he shared in an interview published on the company's YouTube channel.

When he learned about the promotion, Roda knew he could significantly contribute to Grab's goal to become a better platform for the country. He said in the same interview: "As we grow in Grab, we need to make sure that the different people or players on our platform, whether they are drivers, small merchants, small communities, or cities, all grow and improve together with us. Grow alongside; no one gets left behind," he said.

"And then, on the business side, I truly believe that as you get more people on your platform—whether they are drivers, passengers, eaters, or anyone else—the business just continues to grow and thrive. It’s a by-product of the help you provide."