JLT steps in as VSB dean

Post date: Nov 20, 2019 1:12:26 AM

The University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents appointed Mr. Joel Tan-Torres as the 14th dean of the Virata School of Business (VSB) during its meeting, October 11.

Dean Joel Tan-Torres (JLT) is an alumnus of the UP College of Business Administration (CBA), having earned the degrees Master in Business Administration (MBA) in 1983, and BS Business Administration and Accountancy (BSBAA) in 1979. He completed the International Tax Program (equivalent to a Masters in Law) in Harvard Law School at the United States of America in 1988. He also took the Asian Tax Program offered by the UP College of Law in 1981.

Dean JLT was given several awards by the UP including a Commendation for his appointment as Commissioner of Internal Revenue in 2010, the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004, and the Award for Public Service in 1992. He ranked number one in the 1979 Certified Public Accountant licensure examination. Dean JLT was rated third in the UP CBA MBA class of 1983 and rated fourth, cum laude, in the BSBAA class of 1979.

Dean JLT taught in the UP CBA for 17 years (1979 to 1996). He was also a lecturer at several academic institutions including the Asian Institute of Management, Miriam College, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University in various periods from 1981 to 2006.

He had an extensive experience in government service, having served as the Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner from 2009 to 2010, Chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy form 2014 to 2018, the Philippine representative to the ASEAN Chartered Professional Accountants Coordinating Committee from 2014 to 2018, and the Philippine representative to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Inter-governmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting from 2016 to present.

Dean JLT was a partner in two of the biggest accounting professional firms in the Philippines, namely SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. and Reyes Tacandong & Co. for a combined total of 22 years.

Dean JLT has written over 100 articles, publications, and research papers that have been published in local and international publications. He is a regular speaker in conferences seminars, and other events in the Philippines and abroad.

His deanship will span three years. He anchors on the vision to make VSB “the foremost learning institution in the area of business, accountancy and related disciplines, reaching out to its constituents and stakeholders in the Philippines and the rest of the world.” His plans are listed under his flagship “Looking In, Reaching Out” program with more than 65 projects across 11 areas.

“I intend to look into and tap the various resources and goodwill of the School to perpetuate its many successes in the past. In the process, I will also be outward looking and reach out to address the many requirements of the various stakeholders of the School. UP VSB should be able to service the academic and other demands of both its internal stakeholders and the external community,” Tan-Torres said, as he explains the rationale behind his plans that he describe as “ambitious, but achievable.”