Next Century Partners Team

The NCP Team is small but dynamic, young yet experienced. This enables NCP great speed in deal execution. Despite its small size, the team has combined industry experience of 60 years in successful, high-growth companies.

Vincent S. Perez, Founder
Dennis B. Mendiola, Managing Director
Eduardo R. Martinez-Miranda, Managing Director
Roland R. Benzon, Chief Technology Officer
Maria Charity C. Matabalao-Lu, Associate
Marie Franchesca L. Pascual-Amatong, Associate
Raoul S. Perez, Associate
Luis Miguel G. Vaca, Associate

Vicente S. Pérez, Founder.

Vince was one of the founding principals of NCP. Since leaving NCP, Vince has held positions in the government. He was initially Undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry and subsequently became Secretary of the Department of Energy in the Philippines.

Dennis B. Mendiola, Managing Director.

Dennis has five years’ experience in private equity investing. Prior to joining NCP in 1996, he worked at Bankers Trust in Singapore and Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong. He headed finance and corporate planning at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. He was also a management consultant at McKinsey & Co in New York.

Dennis is an engineer by education, with training in programming and logic design. He holds an MBA (with Distinction) from the Harvard Business School and graduated summa cum laude with a perfect (4.0) grade point average from the University of Pennsylvania, completing a BS in Economics (Wharton) and a BS in Electronic Engineering (Moore).

Dennis founded the Incredibly Fast Internet Company, a holding company for several Internet-based businesses – eRegalo.com, Bidshot.com, and Chikka. eRegalo became operational in June 2000 and seeks to tap into the billion dollar remittance and gift market by overseas Filipinos. Bidshot.com allows auction bidders to trade in true wireless fashion with WAP-enabled devices and legacy GSM phones. Chikka unifies Internet-based and GSM SMS-based instant messaging.

Dennis enjoys scuba diving, basketball and the karaoke.

Eduardo R. Martinez-Miranda, Managing Director

Eduardo has over eighteen years experience in Corporate Finance. Before joining NCP in 1999, he was head of Corporate Finance in Merrill Lynch Securities Philippines Inc. (ML) where he managed corporate and government relationships and provided debt and fixed income coverage for ML in the Philippines.

Eduardo was the Managing Director of PCI Capital Corporation, the investment arm of PCIBank, where he acted as the Chief Operating Officer of the investment bank and its securities brokerage operations. He also worked for Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. and Irving Trust Company in New York and Far East Bank in Manila.

Eduardo holds an MBA from the Wharton Business School and a BS degree in Commerce from the De La Salle University.

Eduardo has founded various companies – an e-banking A.S.P., a mall and a rice packaging business. He is also an avid golfer.

Roland R. Benzon, Chief Technology Officer

Roland has over ten years of experience in computing, media and communications. He was formerly Assistant to the President of Mediaquest, the media subsidiary of PLDT, the Philippines largest telecommunications company where he helped in the shaping of PLDT’s “Convergence Strategy”. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Destiny Online, where he spearheaded the country's first Internet-over-cable service.

Roland has an entrepreneurial background, having managed systems integration and multimedia development businesses in New York and Manila. He has also had diverse creative and production roles for radio, television, print and new media - as a D.J., TV sports caster, radio announcer and feature writer.

Roland holds a BS degree in Computer Science from Pennsylvania State University, graduating summa cum laude. He was also valedictorian of his high school class.

Maria Charity C. Matabalao-Lu, Associate

Prior to joining NCP in 1997, Charity was an internal audit supervisor of Universal Robina Corporation, the Philippines' largest packaged foods firm. She worked at Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co.) from 1992 to 1994 as an auditor of companies engaged in real estate, manufacturing, construction, foods and restaurants, and health services.

Charity holds an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management and completed a BS in Commerce (cum laude) at Ateneo de Davao University, having majored in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant and was valedictorian of her high school class. Charity enjoys craftwork.

Marie Franchesca L. Pascual-Amatong, Associate

Chestnut manages the liquidity position of NCP managed funds. Prior to joining NCP in 1998, Chestnut was a fixed income trader with PCIBank specializing in Japanese Government Bond futures and Philippine dollarized debt. While at PCIBank, Chestnut was also a money market trader specializing in local currency government and corporate debt.

Chestnut holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines. Chestnut is an avid reader of classics, is into racquet sports and loves playing the piano.

Raoul Vicente S. Pérez, Associate

Before joining NCP in 1999, Arvi was a manager for equity research from 1995 to 1998 covering small caps and the consumer sector at the Philippine office of Jardine Fleming Securities. Its research team was ranked No. 1 by foreign institutional investors in 1997 and 1998. He also worked for Philippine Airlines as an analyst handling Air Services Agreements.

Arvi holds an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management (Dean's List), with a term done at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He also holds a BA degree in Economics (Dean's Medal) and a BA degree in European Languages (Dean's Medal) from the University of the Philippines.

Arvi is a linguist, being proficient in Chinese, German and Russian and is an "information junkie". He interests include music and books.

Luis Miguel G. Vaca, Associate

Mike has over three years experience in private equity investing. Prior to joining NCP in 2000, he worked as a private equity manager in AIG Investments Corporation Direct Investment Division. He also worked as an equities analyst in Credit Lyonnaise Securities Asia covering various listed Philippine equities.

Mike graduated with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Asia and the Pacific. Mike is an outdoorsman, with a love for mountaineering, rock climbing and scuba diving.