Romleah Pulido Ocampo, a veteran of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), became the agency’s new executive director on June 1, 2024.
Ocampo, previously the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Cagayan Valley regional director, thanked outgoing officer-in-charge Malou Mediran for her support. She outlined her vision for a stronger, more collaborative CITEM that would reclaim its position as the country’s leading export promotion agency.
“We will be collaborative and strategic, inclusive, and an important and indispensable part of a robust ecosystem that supports MSME development, industry development, and export development,” Ocampo said.
Her plans include revitalizing the CITEM brand and core functions, aiming for unmatched credibility and industry authority in export promotion. She expects the organization to intensify its efforts across all channels, including social media. CITEM will focus on expanding regional export development and participation throughout the Philippines, she said.
Ocampo underscored the importance of building partnerships with research institutions, academia, and local government units. The CITEM leader expects more initiatives to adapt global best practices and marketing benchmarks while encouraging staff development and providing efficiency tools.
Ocampo began her career at CITEM in 1984, rising through the ranks and building a 23-year career in export marketing, promotion, industry development and MSME development. After resuming government service in 2009, she excelled in project management, leading teams for Manila FAME, IFEX Philippines, CREATEPhilippines and overseas trade fairs.
In 2019, she moved to DTI Region 2, where she tackled challenges faced by MSMEs. Her leadership delivered capacity-building opportunities for the Cagayan Valley region’s agricultural sector, which includes the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya.
Ocampo demonstrated innovation during her Cagayan tenure. The Walang Sayang Project bridged supply and demand chain gaps during harvests and calamities, while promoting digital and financial literacy for local farmers. In July 2021, she spearheaded the Buy Local Advocacy, which guarantees sales for local MSMEs. Under this program, government agencies allocate 10% of their procurement budget for local products. Today, over 90% of the region’s local government units participate.
Ocampo concluded by emphasizing the need for CITEM’s goals to align with DTI’s, and for success to be measured by “realistically defining our success measures.”
Ocampo, a top-three Career Executive Service Officer III nationwide in her batch, holds a bachelor’s degree in social sciences with majors in economics and sociology from the University of the Philippines. She also earned a master’s degree in government management from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
