Tag: Board member

Singapore – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has announced the appointment of Phil Hardman as the new board chairman and Emily Yri and Shonali Bedi as the new board directors.

Hardman serves as the senior vice president and general manager of BBC Studios Asia. He will take over from Clément Schwebig, president of Western Europe and Africa at Warner Bros. Discovery, who will be stepping down from the role.

Meanwhile, Yri and Bedi will join AVIA as its two new board directors. Yri is the vice president of international marketing at Pubmatic, and Bedi is currently the head of strategy for partnerships and insights in APAC at Warner Bros. Discovery.

With the two new additions to the board, AVIA now has four female board directors, or one-third of the board.

Louis Boswell, CEO of AVIA, commented, “The board of AVIA and I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Clément Schwebig, who chaired the board for the last three years, taking over in the middle of a pandemic and helping steer the association to safety through those difficult times. He was a strong and vocal advocate for the industry.”

“The board and I are now looking forward to working with the new chairman, Phil Hardman, to help guide AVIA through what are clearly challenging times. Phil also has energy and passion for the industry, and I am sure he will make a significant contribution to developing the next chapter in the AVIA story,” he added.

Speaking on his appointment, Hardman added, “AVIA stands at the intersection of the diverse challenges and opportunities in the media industry across Asia, bringing much-needed insight, thought leadership, and regulatory and anti-piracy initiatives that benefit its members. BBC Studios has been a long-term Patron Member of the association, and I am honoured to become chairman of AVIA at such an exciting and innovativetime. I look forward to working closely with our board members and the AVIA leadership to help AVIA guide the industry through a time of such transformational change.” 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – SEEK, the parent company of Southeast Asian career platforms JobStreet and JobsDB, has recently welcomed Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim as its newly elected non-executive director during the company’s annual general meeting.

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim is the first Asia-based board member in SEEK’s history, aligning with the pivotal role Asia plays in the company’s future growth strategy.

This appointment comes as SEEK sets the foundation for growth of its Asia business through the unification of its three online employment marketplaces – namely SEEK (in Australia and New Zealand), JobStreet (in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore), and JobsDB (in Hong Kong and Thailand). The three-year long investment program is set to complete in the 2024 financial year.

For this role, Ibrahim brings over 40 years of experience in the Southeast Asia region, including over 16 years in information technology and 23 years in telecoms. He also served the Malaysian government in various roles, including being appointed in 2020 by the former prime minister of Malaysia as a member of the then Economic Action Council and of the Digital Economy Council.

Currently, Ibrahim serves as the chairman of government-owned Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, Malaysia’s public transport owner and operator, and chairman of privately owned QSR Brands Holdings Bhd and AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd. He is also a non-executive director of publicly listed Sunway Berhad.

Furthermore, his executive experience also includes being the chief executive officer of Axiata Group Berhad from 2008 to 2020, and as chief executive officer of Maxis Communications Berhad for over eight years prior to that. He also has executive experience with multinational companies, including IBM and Digital Equipment Corporation.

Speaking on his own appointment, Ibrahim said, “I’m honoured to join SEEK’s esteemed board of directors, and am excited to be part of the technology company’s continuous growth journey in Asia. This role is especially meaningful to me as SEEK’s purpose of helping people live more fulfilling and productive working lives and helping organisations succeed aligns with my passion and values. I look forward to contributing my expertise to help SEEK advance its ambitions and make a positive impact on millions of talent and employers in the region.”

Meanwhile, Peter Bithos, chief executive officer of Asia at SEEK, also commented, “Tan Sri Jamaludin joins the SEEK Board at an opportune time. Once our three core online employment marketplaces – SEEK, JobStreet and JobsDB – are unified into a single platform next year, we will have the ability to scale efficiencies and unlock vast growth opportunities across APAC.”

“With Asia being a key market for SEEK, Tan Sri Jamaludin’s vast expertise in the technology sector, as well as his astute understanding of the region’s business landscape will be valuable in guiding us in our journey forward,” he added. 

Lastly, Graham Goldsmith, chairman of SEEK, mentioned, “Tan Sri Jamaludin’s experience in the information technology and telecommunications sectors in Asia and his various current roles, are a valuable addition to the expertise and views on the Board, and supports the achievement of SEEK’s continuing growth aspirations in Asia.”

Hong Kong – PRHK,  a Hong Kong based public relations and communications services association, has appointed its new board and sub-committees for the year of 2023-2024,with the new board members complementing the continuity provided through the re-appointment of thirteen board and sub-committee members from last year.

The new board and sub-committees of PRHK are namely: 

  • Carol Yeung, managing director at Golin (chairperson) 
  • Penn Leung, account director at CCG (deputy chairperson) 
  • James Hacking, APAC brand and marketing leader at EY and Carbo Yu, regional executive director at Sinclair (digital co-chairs) 
  • Kevin On, general manager at Hoffman and Natalie Siu, HK general manager at Sandpiper (education & mentorship programme co-chairs)
  • Rachel Lau, PR director at MSL Group and Cody Roberts, partner at MCG Talent (events co-chairs)
  • Kiri Sinclair, founder and CEO of Sinclair (honorary secretary & ESG committee)
  • Stephan Engel, director and market lead at APCO Worldwide and Ben Evetts, head of brand at Cigna (membership co-chairs)
  • Jesa Amparo, account manager at CCG and Cheryl Pan, SVP and general manager at BlueCurrent Group (next gen co-chairs)
  • Elizabeth Lui, senior account manager at Sandpiper (young lion chair)
  • Fran Tam, associate director at Edelman and Katie Forster, managing director at Amara Communications (partnerships & sponsorships co-chairs)
  • David Croasdale, managing director at Newell (treasurer)
  • Adam Chow, senior executive at Sinclair and Camille Thoreau, former public relations associate at Sinclair (young professional representatives)

With its new board members, PRHK’s focus remains to enable active and emerging professionals to navigate the dynamic communications landscape of Hong Kong, while also supporting their members and the wider PR community to gain meaningful connections and facilitate knowledge sharing. 

PRHK’s agendas will also continue to be supported with initiatives including the Annual Hong Kong PR Young Lions Competition, as well as extensive engagement programmes with Hong Kong academic institutions and universities to support and nurture the next wave of professionals. 

Yeung, the newly appointed chairperson of PRHK said, “As the market opened up, we look forward to bringing back our signature events and knowledge sharing initiatives in the coming board year. In addition to innovation across the industry, we also set up an ESG Committee to demonstrate the evolving role of strategic PR and communications across various sectors.” 

“This year we see an even wider board representation with talent acquisition expertise joining us. We believe this will further elevate PRHK as the leading association for public relations and communications professionals in Hong Kong,” she added. 

Singapore – Global software company Zendesk has announced a new appointment of its chief marketing officer, as well as new executives for its global board.

Alex Constantinople will join the company as chief marketing officer effective on 10 May. Meanwhile, new board members Brandon Gayle and Steve Johnson joined its board of directors, effective 31 March. 

Zendesk’s current CMO Jeff Titterton is expanding his role as chief operating officer for the company.

Constantinople joins Zendesk from marketing agency Outcast as former CEO. She will play a critical role in defining, evolving and aligning Zendesk’s strategy and its overall messaging and positioning in the market, and help the company continue to evolve its unique brand identity.

Speaking on his appointment, Constantinople said, “I’m thrilled to be joining the Zendesk team, and to lead a marketing organization that is known for building and delivering brand experiences their customers love. There’s so much opportunity ahead for the business to keep shaping the future of customer service, particularly as it builds off last year’s $1 billion revenue momentum and history of continued high, long-term growth.”

Meanwhile, Gayle is executive vice president of revenue, brand and communications for Spurs Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. Prior to his current role, he had worked with Facebook and Instagram as director and head of global sports partnerships respectively, and previous stints at Groupon, the New York Jets, and as a consultant at Bain & Company.

Lastly, Johnson is a user experience executive who builds, mentors and coaches creative and diverse organizations that design thoughtful products. He is currently the vice president of user experience at streaming platform Netflix, and prior to this has designed experiences for Electronic Arts, Adobe and LinkedIn. Johnson’s focus on reflecting the unique perspective of a target audience through design will be key as Zendesk continues to expand its business globally.
“As we move into this next growth phase at Zendesk, it is going to be more important that we build a sense of purpose and long-term vision into our product, team, customers, and communities. We’re excited to have Alex join our leadership team, and Brandon and Steve join our board on this journey,” said Mikkel Svane, CEO, chairman and founder of Zendesk.

Germany – PR company GlobalCom PR Network (GCPR), an alliance of 80 public relations agencies in more than 100 countries, has appointed communications firm Interprose’s CEO Vivian Kelly, and Singapore-based PR company PRecious Communications’ Managing Director Lars Voedisch, as its newest members of the board, with both bearing the title managing director.

They will join GCPR founder Ralf Hartmann and Richard Merrin, managing director of UK-based PR firm Spreckley, on the GlobalCom board of directors to provide strategic direction for the growing GCPR network. 

GCPR provides clients with a worldwide network of independent PR agencies offering services on crisis communications, media relations, analyst relations as well as influencer marketing and SEO PR. Its PR partners boast of expertise in a slew of verticals such as consumer electronics and lifestyle, financial services, fintech, and also healthcare and IT.

Both Kelly and Voedisch carry with them decades of experience in their field. Kelly has been specifically well-versed in working with tech companies. She founded Interprose in 1998, which provides strategic communications among global B2B tech innovators. In addition, Kelly has been an active advocate for technology companies promoting diversity and inclusion via providing opportunities for brand ambassadors of all backgrounds to serve as spokespeople and thought leaders. 

Meanwhile, Voedisch is known for growing, managing and defending leading brands’ reputations. He has been with PRecious Communications for eight years, having provided strategic communications counsel to over 300 startups across APAC, which includes 15 unicorns as well as enterprises, lifestyle brands, and government agencies. His firm has been honored with multiple industry accolades including the Independent Agency Head of the Year award at the 2019 Marketing Talent Awards. 

Commenting on the appointment, Hartmann said, “We live in a decentralized world, and companies are looking for trusted partners who understand their business, and can scale as they expand into new markets.”

“Our clients are assured of the best, most cost-effective approach to multi-market PR, from experts in their field. Having Vivian and Lars join the board, gives our clients a more comprehensive global view on new markets and how best to penetrate them from an awareness building perspective,” he added.