These visionary leaders bring extensive experience in assurance, tax and consulting.
Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines, the Philippine member firm of the PwC network, is pleased to announce the admission of four new partners and principals, effective 1 July 2025. The partnership warmly welcomes Assurance Partners May Centeno-Malabanan and Christian Aldrin Francisco, and Tax Principal Aimee Rose dela Cruz. PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Services Philippines Co., Ltd., a member firm of the PwC network, is also proud to introduce its new principal, Karthik Viswanathan.
“As we celebrate our 103rd anniversary, I’m thrilled to introduce our incoming partners and principals. Their extensive expertise in assurance, tax and consulting will fortify our firm and drive us toward continued success,” says Roderick “Rick” M. Danao, Chairman and Senior Partner.
Meet the new partners and principals
Joining the leadership team of the firm’s Energy, Utilities and Resources (EUR) practice is Christian Aldrin Francisco. With 14 years of assurance experience, Aldrin has spearheaded engagements for comfort letters related to bond issuances and initial public offerings (IPOs). He has also managed Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act–compliant integrated audits.
Aldrin heads the PwC Methodology Group—which ensures the alignment of PwC Audit with International Auditing Standards (IAS)—and participates in PwC’s global Engagement Compliance Review (ECR) process. A certified public accountant (CPA), he holds a degree in accounting from the University of Santo Tomas.
As tax principal, Aimee Rose dela Cruz brings broad expertise in corporate registration, incentive applications, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), regulatory compliance, and tax consultancy. She assists multinational clients expanding into the Philippines and facilitates investment training programs. She also co-leads the tax risk management practice and heads the tax Korea Business Desk.
Aimee earned her law degree from the Arellano University School of Law and completed the Management Development Program at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).
May Centeno-Malabanan is stepping into a leadership role within the Consumer and Technology team of the firm’s assurance practice. Her experience includes multi-location audits for multinational and local companies under the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP), and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (PCAOB) standards. As part of the firm’s assurance risk management team, May leads System of Quality Management activities.
May was seconded to PwC US’s Minnesota office, auditing Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)–listed and Fortune 500 companies. She is a CPA and a graduate of De La Salle University–Dasmariñas.
Karthik Viswanathan joins the leadership of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Services Philippines Co. Ltd. With over 20 years of experience in consulting services, he has demonstrated expertise in the delivery, sales and pre-sales functions. He has played a key role in the successful implementation of SAP S/4HANA, a cutting-edge enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, for leading companies in Asia.
As consulting principal, Karthik will co-lead the firm’s SAP business in the Philippines, working with clients from industries such as oil and gas, retail and manufacturing. He brings a strong educational background with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a Master’s in Technology focused on Petroleum and Energy Studies.
“By diversifying our leadership, we strengthen our foundation to continue building trust in society and solving important problems,” Rick affirms. “We remain committed to delivering exceptional service and creating lasting impact for our clients, communities and stakeholders.”
