MANILA, Philippines - Elizabeth H. Lee has resigned as president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc (CAMPI) and chief operating officer of Universal Motors Corp. (UMC) amid speculations she will be appointed as the next commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
In a resignation letter sent to reporters, Lee said she is resigning as CAMPI president after holding the post for six years.
Jose Alvarez of Asian Car Makers, and current vice president of the group, will take over as interim CAMPI president until the chamber holds elections.
“My retirement from UMC and resignation from CAMPI is part of my discernment process to give me the much-needed space and time to consider other opportunities and conquer new fields,” Lee said in her letter.
Lee has been with UMC for 11 years and nine months, serving in various capacities, as senior vice president, EVP and COO.
She said the volume and peso sales were the highest recorded in UMC’s 56-year history. Making this record even more remarkable is that UMC had actually a limited product line-up. CAMPI auto sales also broke a historic record high with 168,490 vehicles sold nationwide in 2010, surpassing the previous record of over 162,000 in 1996.
“I see my stint at CAMPI and UMC as an excellent chapter in one’s corporate life. But like in a good play that deserves an encore, a new chapter will open up for me in a different setting, maybe with different set of players, and probably with even greater challenges,” she said.