Nora Bitong – Chairman
Nora or NAB as she is referred to in the business community, is the founder and chairman of NAB Group of Companies. NAB first began her post-collegiate career as a management associate at SGV, one of the largest accounting and consulting firms in Asia Pacific (currently the local partner of Ernst & Young). She was quickly recognized for her financial aptitude and from there began her storied career in the corporate sector. In 1974, she joined the JAKA Investments Corporation and by the time she left in 1994, had become the President and CEO. The subsequent years saw NAB involved in multiple business ventures and it was only in the mid 2000s that she formally created NAB Group – her first solo endeavor without partners – deciding to build her real estate business from the ground up. In the last decade, she has grown the business to a medium sized real estate development firm with 130 and 100 project based employees and over 400 probationary construction workers. As for NAB herself, she continues to be known as a financial whiz by her peers and is widely sought after as a consultant on corporate financial matters.
NAB graduated Cum Laude from the University of the East with a B.S. in Business Administration and a major in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), finishing 6th out of 5,000 board applicants that year. NAB is also one of the very first women to complete the Advanced Management Program (AMP) of the Graduate School of Business Administration from Harvard University, widely known as the Harvard Business School (HBS).
Vincent Bitong – Managing Director, Sales & Marketing / Operations
Vincent directs the sales and marketing, documentation, government relations, collection and administration of NAB Group, and has a total of close to 30 years in management, banking, manufacturing and real estate development experience. In addition, he is one of two Managing Directors of Operations for the company, overseeing the development and construction of several projects at a time. Vincent joined Karrivin Development & Holdings Corporation in 1997 (prior to the incorporation of NAB Group), and has for the past 23 years been involved in the management of real estate development projects. He also possesses a banking background, having been an investment banker at PCI Capital Corporation from 1994 to 1997. From 1991 to 1993, he was a management trainee in D.M. Consunji, Republic Asahi Glass, and Multi-national Bancorporation. From 1985 to 1989, he was a trainee in commercial banks and in a law firm during his school breaks.
Vincent holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston College, and went to high school in Valley Forge Military Academy and Junior College.
RJ Bitong – Managing Director, Construction Operations, Business Planning & Strategy
RJ has been with NAB Group for 20 years. He has been involved in all of the Group’s projects dating back to the early years. He heads the construction operations. He is an integral part of the design and conceptualization, feasibility and financial studies of all projects.
He works with the Chairman in potential land acquisitions for future projects. Rj also works closely with the Sales and Marketing Group.
A banker by trade, Rj spent nine-plus years with Equitable Bank prior to joining NAB Group, one of the largest banks in the Philippines at the time (Equitable Bank is now Banco De Oro UniBank, Inc. or BDO). During his tenure with Equitable Bank, he headed the foreign exchange division of the Treasury Department. With nearly a decade in commercial banking experience, Rj joined the Karrivin Development and Holdings Corporation in 2001 (prior to the incorporation of the NAB Group), and has been an integral member of the executive committee ever since.
RJ holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University.
Karisia Bitong – Managing Director, Property Management & Administration
Karisia is responsible for overseeing the property management and administrative groups of NAB. Karisia focuses on ensuring that the company runs smoothly and that its internal business processes are in order. She first came on board in 2004, with the primary responsibility of developing a better organizational structure through the company’s expansion process. Prior to joining NAB Group, Karisia spent 3+ years at SGV – the Philippine partner of Ernst & Young (and formerly Anderson Consulting) – as a business consultant focused on reorganization and restructuring. Karisia also has a background in real estate sales and marketing.
Karisia graduated with a B.S. in Business Management from Ateneo de Manila University and holds a Certificate of Special Studies in Business Marketing from New York University.
Ria Attaway – Managing Director, Business Strategy & Investments
Ria specializes in developing strategies for the existing real estate investments of the NAB Group portfolio. She also works closely with the Chairman & CEO in the areas of profit generation endeavors and new business development. Prior to joining the company in 2013, Ria served as the Director of Investment Analysis for ARA Pacific, one of the top commercial brokerage and advisory firms in the U.S. She worked for ARA for over eight years, where she held senior positions at the firm’s Boston and San Francisco offices. During this time, Ria underwrote a total of roughly $2.0B in asset valuations and successfully assisted in the marketing of $1B+ in multi-family investment properties. She also has a background in property and hotel management.
Ria graduated from Skidmore College with a B.S. in Business Management and received a Post-Graduate Certificate in Business Administration – with a concentration in Real Estate Marketing and Finance – from the Harvard University Extension School.
Matt Attaway – Sr Vice President, Business Development / President, Sports & Entertainment Group (GCAC)
Matt is the Senior Vice President in charge of Business Development and he also heads the Sports & Entertainment Group for Global Clark Assets Corp (or GCAC, a division of NAB Group). He is currently focused on the development, marketing and operations of the Clark International Sports Complex and related facilities for GCAC. Matt joined the company in 2013, bringing with him a combined 14 years of experience in the U.S. private and public sectors. His professional background includes three years as the Director of Operations for the Mobile BayBears Professional Baseball team (and the Double A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks), teaching and coaching positions at three Alabama and California public high schools with exceptional sports programs, and nine summers spent as part of the head staff at a prestigious sports camp in Upstate New York.
Matt holds a B.S. in Education from Tennessee Tech University and a Masters Degree in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy. He is a former collegiate and professional baseball player.