New Docomo Pacific president and CEO steps in, company not for sale

BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA
Journal Staff

Christine Won Pat Baleto is the president and CEO of Docomo Pacific as of June 1.

She told the paper on May 31 that despite rumors, “We are not for sale. No one has bought us; we are not being absorbed by anyone else.”

Leading Docomo since her predecessor’s April departure, Baleto’s priorities are twofold. “One of the biggest challenges Docomo’s been facing is regaining our customers’ trust.”

In March 2023, Docomo’s network was compromised by a cyberattack. “We were very fortunate that our defenses held up,” Baleto said. While customer information was not accessed, she said, “Obviously it crippled our network as the defenses pretty much shut down all of our capabilities and we had to rebuild slowly. Our mobile network came up pretty quickly, but the fixed infrastructure was a little bit slow to get connectivity.” In May 2023, Typhoon Mawar severely damaged Docomo’s Guam infrastructure. Baleto said “90% of our system network went down." Docomo inherited the infrastructure when it acquired MCV. She said, “There have been repairs or upgrades, … but it was still very much exposed.” NTT sent network engineers and equipment to Guam in July, according to Journal files. “Not having the infrastructure locally to deal with 90% repairs of the network, it really damaged our customers’ confidence. … We’ve restored our network, but we have to regain our customers confidence in the reliability and stability of our network.”

Baleto joined the company in 2019 as chief financial officer, additionally becoming chief security and compliance officer in 2023.

She said she understands her appointment provides continuity in the group, which does business in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. “I have been dealing with all our different teams and rallying them behind this collective effort to work together to make sure our network delivers what our customers expect.”

She said as sale rumors and misinformation circulated, “That is something the staff had to contend with as well. We really had no information. There really was no situation to report. We were never informed officially whether the company was for sale or not.” Baleto said discussions with the board on her appointment included the company’s status. “As far as we know, and from our board of directors, we are not for sale.”

 Moving forward, she said, “My first focus has been on our employees. I’ve been meeting department by department, wanting to establish a small group atmosphere where people feel comfortable talking to me and asking questions.”

Docomo has several longterm employees, she said. “We have a very strong familial spirit and culture in the company. As I go around, I’ve been reassuring them. Her message has been, “Let’s stay focused; we need to recover our customers’ confidence and trust. The strength of Docomo has always been its people and the love of the company and wanting to do good by it. I’m feeling that spirit come alive again.”

Baleto has begun meeting with clients. “I will continue to do that, especially with those that have been concerned.” She has met with the governor and telecom grantors.

With future upgrades, she says, “Docomo’s history shows a great amount of investment by our shareholders in the infrastructure.” Docomo has a healthy annual CAPEX budget, she said.

By February 2023, Docomo had completed fortification of its 4G LTE network and said it had invested more than $16 million for the ATISA submarine cable and an additional $9 million to modernize and expand the NMI fixed and mobile networks.

Docomo launched 5G in Guam in 2019 and mobile 5G in Guam and the NMI in 2020.

The company is considering current and future opportunities, Baleto said. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment or BEAD Program is on her radar. “That’s something we want to actively participate in.”

Baleto brings with her wide skills and experience. She is master franchisee of Pacific FROOTS LLC, which launched in 2008. Under her leadership, the Guam FROOTS stores received recognition for highest per store sales throughout the franchise system.

Baleto was named to the National Small Business Association Leadership Council in 2023.

She was director of the Guam Department of Administration from 2016 to 2018, resigning as a board member of the Port Authority of Guam upon her appointment to DOA.

Prior to that, she was the general manager of Market Wholesale Distributors Inc., where she worked for almost 11 years, garnering several awards from client brands for
superior performance and growth in product sales.

Baleto is the 2007 Guam Business Magazine Businesswoman of the Year. She holds a 2003 master’s of business administration from the University of Guam and was named a distinguished alumna of UOG in 2020. She holds a 1991 bachelor’s from Chaminade University in behavioral science.

After serving as a board member of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, Baleto was chairwoman in both 2020 and 2021. She was also a member of the Governor of Guam’s Economic Diversification Working Group; the Governor’s Recovery Advisory Panel; and the Governor’s Business Advisory Group.

Baleto earlier served as executive director of non-profit Sanctuary Inc., overseeing the building of facilities and the establishment of an endowment fund.

She has friends in the telecom industry. Baleto said, “We can still be healthy competitors.” As she settles in as CEO, she said, “I’m super excited and very honored that the board of directors saw I could be a good fit for Docomo’s next chapter.” mbj