Tag: SEEK Asia

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.”

Manila, Philippines – Dannah Majarocon has been appointed to the position of managing director of JobStreet Philippines, which took effect this July. 

Majarocon’s responsibilities as the managing director of JobStreet Philippines will include carrying out business plans and developing frameworks to support corporate growth. She will also put a high priority on developing good relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, directing engagement and performance, and fostering the workplace culture. 

Majarocon will report to Lewis Ng, chief operating officer of Asia, SEEK.

She has over 11 years of experience in the Philippines’ tech sector. She recently served as managing director and consultant at Lalamove Philippines, a same-day delivery platform in Asia. Prior to that, she managed GCash and Fuse Lending for Mynt as well as at Globe Telecom, a telecommunications company in the Philippines. She has managed the whole P&L, business operations, and strategic planning throughout her career.

Peter Bithos, Chief Executive Officer of Asia, SEEK, expressed, “Dannah joins us at an exciting time at SEEK, as we are embarking on a new phase of growth with the transformation of our JobStreet platform this year, which will start in the Philippines. The new platform will enable us to innovate faster, deliver exceptional value, and better serve our talent and employer community.” 

Commenting on the appointment, Ng said, “We are thrilled to welcome Dannah to our team. With her exceptional track record and capabilities, we are confident that she will successfully guide JobStreet in advancing our commitment to helping talent find meaningful work and supporting employers in finding top talent in the Philippines.”

Meanwhile, Majarocon commented, ”I’m very confident that our team will be able to continue making a difference in the Philippines and take JobStreet to the next level to help more Filipinos find meaningful and fulfilling working lives. I do hope to be able to drive a significant impact on more talent in the market—most importantly, the under supported blue-collar and freelance workers in the country.”

Singapore – SEEK Asia, the parent company of jobs platforms JobStreet and JobsDB has rolled out its pan-regional omnichannel campaign for Asia that is targeted to empowering job seekers to go after careers they are passionate about.

A prime figure for the campaign is its TVC that depicts workers encouraging job-seekers to find work that matters to them, whether to save lives, design for fashion, explore new things, or discover future technologies. All of the TVCs, localized for their respective markets, end with the campaign’s mantra and name ‘Let’s Get to Work’.

The inspiration for the campaign stems from the fact that the pandemic has changed people’s attitudes towards their jobs, with many re-evaluating where and how they want to work and the kind of work they want to do. This has led to the emerging trend known as the “Great Resignation”, a term coined by associate professor of management at Texas A&M University Anthony Klotz, which explains why even experienced job seekers are choosing to leave their current careers in the search of something more meaningful.

The campaign is made possible by the direction of acclaimed Manila-based director Adrian Calumpang and through the creative direction from marketing company McCann Worldwide. As part of the campaign activation, Ogilvy will lead the social drive for the campaign, while PRecious Communications will drive the campaign’s PR.

Speaking about the campaign, Jane Cruz-Walker, chief marketing officer at SEEK Asia who was recently appointed as CMO for SEEK this year, said that the campaign is launched to motivate job seekers to pursue the jobs they love, adding that by providing them with these opportunities, they at SEEK Asia want to be the career partner that will inspire the next generation of workers to be the ‘heroes’ in their own career journey.

“While the pandemic has caused widespread job loss, reduced working hours, and pay cuts, it has also caused many to re-evaluate what they want out of their career. Job seekers’ demands have evolved beyond remuneration — they want a sense of fulfilment, good work-life balance, and career progression — and it is time for companies to adapt to this new world of work,” she stated.

Focusing on the hyperlocal nature of the job market, ‘Let’s Get To Work’ will also feature influencers and key opinion leaders will be used across the region — including Singaporean actress Sharon Au, Malaysian stand-up comedian Harith Iskander, Indonesian vlogger Gerry Girianza, Filipino actor and chef Marvin Agustin, Thai musician Manassavee, and Hong Kong fitness entrepreneur Charlz Ng.

Additional activities will also be introduced to get local job seekers excited, including Roro Jonggrang in Indonesia. This hyperlocal campaign will use the popular Javanese legend to tell the story of love and betrayal, and contrast this with how finding a job with SEEK Asia can be easy and drama-free. Said hyperlocal campaign for Indonesia is directed by Ben Wee, a freelance film director and cinematographer that has worked on multiple projects locally, including advertisements for Google and Indomie.

Meanwhile, Peter Bithos, CEO at SEEK Asia, commented that through their campaign, they hope to be able to better engage with and inspire job seekers to find jobs that are meaningful to them. He added that with their appeal to job seekers, this will also allow them to get more employers on the platform looking for quality talent, allowing an ‘explosion’ of opportunities. 

“Let’s Get To Work is an integral part of SEEK Asia’s commitment to job seekers and employers, and this is just the beginning of our exciting developments and plans,” Bithos stated.

He further added, “SEEK Asia is the biggest and most trusted jobs board in Southeast Asia. Our ambition is to grow fourfold in the next five years and to expand our platform beyond what people have come to know and love us for today. We are strengthening our existing business by making big investments in ​​people, innovation, and technology.”

Singapore – SEEK Asia, the mother firm of two leading job portal brands JobStreet and JobsDB, has recently announced its new Chief Marketing Officer Jane Cruz-Walker. 

Walker is most recently the chief digital adviser of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation in the Philippines. Prior to that, she was most notably the vice president of marketing of the now-defunct streaming platform and Singapore-born HOOQ. 

The appointment of Walker comes after a year SEEK Asia announced Peter Bithos as its CEO, who similarly came from HOOQ. 

The CMO charge will have Walker building and evolving the JobStreet and JobsDB brands for both the jobseekers’ and employers’ sides of the marketplace across SEEK Asia’s six markets. 

Walker will be bringing 20 years of experience in tech and media & telco (TMT) in both start-up and large-scale organizations within Singtel, MediaQuest, and PLDT groups, where she held key leadership roles across marketing, communications, and commercial business units as well as business development and country operations. 

Prior to her TMT cross-over, Walker held marketing positions which saw her lead FMCG brands in Colgate-Palmolive for markets in the Philippines, APAC, and Latin America as well as brands from Filipino corporation San Miguel Corporation, and also Magnolia-Nestle.

Bithos, to whom Walker will be reporting, shared that in their search for a new CMO, the company undertook a thorough regional and global search for a candidate who will bring deep experience as a CMO in the TMT space as well as someone who’s a leader that has a record of building brands from scratch and of bringing life to legacy brands.

“We want someone who has experience managing large scale marketing teams across the region and interacting across large organizations, and has demonstrated experience in commercial roles as well. Jane brings all of this in one dynamic package,” said Bithos.

He adds, “And, most importantly, I am confident that Jane will be a great leader for each and every one of our marketing team members across the region, besides bringing a unique combination of diverse cultural perspectives and global mindedness to SEEK’s transformational journey.”

Coinciding with Walker’s appointment is also the announcement of SEEK Asia’s new Chief Technology Officer Shen Tham. 

Just like Walker, Shen Tham boasts of 20 years of experience across various technical and leadership positions, and most recently held the position of CTO for REA Group operations in international and Asia markets.

SEEK Asia said that Shen Tham will be accountable for partnering across the Asia business to shape and deliver a transformed Technology strategy and capability in that region. 

Singapore – SEEK Asia, the company which runs job portals JobStreet and jobsDB, has announced that it has appointed Peter Bithos as its newest CEO.

Bithos was formerly chief executive for companies Virgin Mobile Australia, Philippine’s Globe Telecom, and most recently for the now shut-down streaming service Hooq.

In his new role, he will be responsible for leading and driving the business growth and operations of the company, while building on its 23-year presence in Southeast Asia.

SEEK Group COO Ian Narev said, “Peter has a proven track record growing Tech, Media and Telco (TMT) businesses, leading digital business transformation programs and building strong company cultures in diverse markets across Asia Pacific and the United States.”

Commenting on his appointment, Bithos said: “I am deeply privileged to join one of the largest and best tech companies in the region. It’s truly exciting to be a part of fulfilling SEEK’s purpose in these times. The opportunity to work with SEEK’s teams and people across Asia to create step-change growth and an even better experience for our customers is unique and special.”

He added, “I feel fortunate to be joining at this very moment because SEEK Asia’s purpose to improve lives through better careers has never been more urgent amidst the current social and economic environment brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Peter replaces Suresh Thiru, who served CEO of the company for four years.