SGV & Co. announces the election of Cirilo P. Noel as Chairman effective February 1, 2010. A lawyer and licensed certified public accountant, Atty. Noel succeeds David L. Balangue who has retired from the firm.

A partner since 1993, Atty. Noel was appointed head of the Firm’s tax division in 2001. He was elected vice chairman and deputy managing partner in 2004 and managing partner in 2009. His areas of expertise include international inbound and outbound investments, tax advisory and planning, tax advocacy and litigation.

Prior to joining SGV & Co., Atty. Noel worked in private practice. He also clerked for the late Venicio T. Escolin, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He also taught international taxation at the Ateneo Law School from 1995 to 2007.

Atty. Noel was a Fellow of the Harvard International Tax Program of Harvard University in 1992 and obtained his Masters in Law from the Harvard Law School in the same year. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1981 and his Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of the East in 1977. He also completed the Management Development Program of the Asian Institute of Management in 1989.

Atty. Noel is currently the vice president and a trustee of the Harvard Law School Association of the Philippines. He is executive vice president of the SGV Foundation. He also chairs the tax committee of the American Chamber of Commerce and is corporate secretary of the Philippine Business for Social Progress. He is a member of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

SGV & Co. is the largest professional services firm in the Philippines that provides assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Nationwide, our close to 2,500 professionals from various disciplines are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

SGV & Co. is a member firm of Ernst & Young Global.