In a move poised to significantly impact the Philippine technology landscape, Google Cloud today announced the appointment of Jennifer Ligones as its new Country Manager for the Philippines.
This strategic leadership addition underscores Google Cloud’s intensified focus on supporting the nation’s burgeoning digital economy and its commitment to accelerating digital transformation across various industries.
Ligones, a highly respected veteran with over 30 years of experience in the information technology sector, will be responsible for leading Google Cloud’s local go-to-market strategy and operations for both Google Cloud and Google Workspace. Her mandate includes collaborating with teams across Google to empower organizations with enterprise-grade, AI-powered cloud technology. She will report to Mark Micallef, Managing Director for Southeast Asia at Google Cloud.
“Jennifer joins us at an exciting phase of Google Cloud’s growth in the Philippines, where we’ve been collaborating with businesses of all sizes, enabling them to harness industry-leading platform services, such as Vertex AI, Google Agentspace, and BigQuery, to accelerate AI innovation, boost their competitiveness, and unlock new revenue opportunities,” said Micallef.
“Building on our work with various government agencies, Google Cloud stands ready to support the government’s National AI Strategy for the Philippines (NAIS-PH). With her strong business acumen, technical foundation, and passion for fostering growth among Filipino companies, Jennifer will play a pivotal role in advancing our local private and public sector engagements, helping more organizations thrive in a digital economy that’s projected to be worth up to US$150 billion by 2030,” he further stated.
Ligones, for her part, said: “I look forward to expanding our local team and partner ecosystem to advance Google Cloud’s growth ambitions in the Philippines. Together, we can increase the scope and scale of our collaborations with the government and businesses. Our goal is to drive deeper understanding and adoption of unique Google Cloud capabilities that address companies’ full spectrum of AI innovation needs. These include supercomputing systems for cost-effective, large-scale AI inference; Gemini models and generative media models that consistently outperform industry benchmarks; and easy-to-use tools for deploying interoperable AI agents securely
and responsibly. Coupled with upskilling programs like Google Cloud Skills Boost, these capabilities will supercharge organizations’ delivery of next-generation digital services to better serve all Filipinos.”
A proven leader for a digital-first Philippines
Jennifer Ligones, the new country manager of Google Cloud
Ligones joins Google Cloud from Third Pillar, an IT consultancy and services company she founded in 2013. As President and CEO, she successfully established Third Pillar as a trusted enterprise solutions partner, spearheading digital transformation for more than 100 Filipino companies across diverse industries.
Her leadership at Third Pillar also saw the company become a valued partner of leading global technology vendors, notably facilitating Salesforce’s entry into the Philippines market for large enterprises and achieving Salesforce Summit Partner status for four consecutive years.
Organizations in the Philippines have been turning to Google Cloud to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems. These include Alfamart, Chooks-to-Go, FWD Insurance, Globe Telecom, Kumu, PLDT, Primer Group, SM Supermalls, St. Luke’s Medical Center, the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Tonik Bank, ZALORA, and many more.
Prior to Third Pillar, Ligones spent 14 years as the Country Manager of SAP in the Philippines, where she was instrumental in driving double-digit business growth. Her impressive career also includes distinguished leadership roles at SAS and IBM, cementing her reputation as a formidable leader with a strong technical foundation, keen business acumen, and a deep commitment to fostering growth among Filipino organizations.
A new era for Google Cloud in PH: Driving AI and digital transformation
Ligones’s appointment signals a new chapter for Google Cloud’s presence in the Philippines, with significant implications for the broader industry:
- Accelerated AI adoption: With Ligones at the helm, Google Cloud is set to intensify its efforts in driving the understanding and adoption of its AI capabilities. This includes advanced tools for large-scale AI inference, powerful Gemini models for diverse applications, and user-friendly platforms for deploying AI agents responsibly. This push will empower Philippine businesses across all sectors – from established enterprises to emerging startups – to leverage AI for innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage.
- Enhanced cloud transformation: Her expertise in spearheading digital transformation for numerous Filipino companies positions her to significantly influence how local businesses migrate to and optimize their operations on the cloud. This will lead to greater operational resilience, scalability, and cost-effectiveness for organizations of all sizes.
- Strengthened partner ecosystem: Ligones emphasized her eagerness to “expand our local team and partner ecosystem.” This focus on collaboration will likely result in increased opportunities for local IT service providers, system integrators, and software developers to build solutions on Google Cloud, further stimulating the Philippine tech economy.
- Support for national digital agenda: As the Philippines continues its journey towards a more digital economy, Ligones’s leadership will be crucial in aligning Google Cloud’s initiatives with national digital strategies. This includes fostering skills development through programs like Google Cloud Skills Boost, ensuring that the local workforce is equipped to harness the power of advanced cloud and AI technologies.
- Increased collaboration with government and businesses: Ligones expressed her goal to “increase the scope and scale of our collaborations with the government and businesses.” This indicates a concerted effort to support both public sector modernization and private sector growth, reinforcing the Philippines’ position as a key digital hub in Southeast Asia.
Global AI innovations, local leadership set to reshape PH digital services
Google Cloud has recently reinforced its commitment to providing world-class technology and training, with announcements like the availability of Gemini 2.5 Flash, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Veo 3 models on Vertex AI, and a generative AI certification for non-technical learners.
These global developments, combined with Ligones’s local market insights and leadership, are set to supercharge organizations’ delivery of next-generation digital services, ultimately benefiting all Filipinos.
Ligones holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science from De La Salle University. Based in Manila, she also enjoys competitive golf and tennis, and channels her creativity into designing and building houses. Her appointment marks a pivotal moment for Google Cloud in the Philippines, poised to drive significant advancements in the country’s digital journey.
