Her first teachers were drivers. Now she's taking the wheel at Grab Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines — Long before she led a platform that millions of Filipinos rely on every day, CJ Lacsican learned what a livelihood looks like at home in Dumaguete. Her father ran a tricycle business. Her grandmother kept a small grocery store.

On December 1, Lacsican takes over as Country Managing Director of Grab Philippines. Her mandate is clear: take Grab deeper into the country, bring more micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) online, and widen Filipinos' access to financial services.

"I grew up watching tricycle drivers and my grandmother at her store, working hard for every peso. They are who I build for. Every decision starts with one question: does this help them get ahead?" Lacsican said.

She knows the business from the inside. Since 2022, she has led Grab's Central Operations, Cities, Grab Financial Group, and Mobility and Operations teams in the Philippines. That range gives her an unusual view of the whole ecosystem, from the driver's seat to the merchant's counter to the digital wallet.

She takes the role as the country faces challenges that weigh directly on the drivers, riders and merchants Grab serves. The weight of that, she said, set in quickly.

"The excitement lasted about a day. Then the responsibility set in. This role isn't about what I want to build. It's about building on what our communities helped create, and taking it further. And I get to do it with a team that knows this country street by street."

Lacsican sees Grab's role reaching beyond the app. As the Philippines pushes to digitalize, she wants Grab to be a partner to government, local government units (LGUs) and industry in bringing more Filipinos, and more provinces, into the digital economy.

"The digital economy is already in many cities across the Philippines. What I want is for a merchant in Dumaguete to get as much out of it as a merchant in Metro Manila," she said. "Real national growth means the same access to opportunity, and to the digital and financial tools that come with it, no matter where you live."

Grab has pledged to help create 500,000 livelihood opportunities across at least 200 cities through 2028. Lacsican said the next phase is about depth as much as reach, and that it depends on local partnerships.

"Expansion isn't about planting a flag in a new city. It only works when we partner with the drivers, merchants and LGUs who know that city best. Partnership is our real growth engine."

Lacsican wants driver-partners and merchants to find their own path to asenso, whether that means growing their current livelihood or building a new one alongside it within the Grab ecosystem.

"Driving with Grab gives many families a solid livelihood. But it should never be a ceiling. If a driver wants to open a food stall and sell on GrabFood tomorrow, we should be the first to help. That's what asenso looks like."

Drawing on her time leading Grab Financial Group, she also wants to widen access to financial services for more Filipinos, especially those taking their first steps into the formal financial system and building a credit history.

"A loan at the right time, or insurance when something goes wrong, changes what a family thinks is possible," she said.

Since launching in the Philippines in 2012, Grab has grown from ride-hailing into a superapp spanning mobility, deliveries, commerce, financial services and business solutions.

Before Grab, Lacsican spent 17 years working overseas, in Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands and Hungary. She saw "the good, the bad and the ugly" of building a career far from home. Her years in finance taught her to lead with data when scaling a business. Building a career abroad as a Filipina, often one of only a few women in the room, showed her firsthand what many Filipino professionals overseas go through.

"Nobody hands you a seat at the table. You earn it, every single day. That taught me to let the work and the numbers speak first."

What brought her home was a purpose she shared with Grab.

"I didn't come home for a title. I came home because Grab let me do the work I care about, for the people I grew up with, at a scale I couldn't find anywhere else."

Lacsican wants her leadership measured by how closely Grab listens to the people who use and work on the platform.

"I want people to remember this chapter as the time Grab listened hardest. If there are better ways for us to do things, tell us. We will listen, and we will act."

What's next for Grab Philippines under CJ Lacsican's leadership? Catch her full conversation with Jing Castañeda, coming soon exclusively on Philstar.com's social media channels. 

Editor’s Note: This #BrandSpace story is created with Grab. It is produced by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom. 

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