Mediacorp has appointed Tham Loke Kheng (pictured) as its CEO and board director, effective 1 September 2017. She takes over from Shaun Seow, who will remain as executive director, Mediacorp, until 30 September 2017 before joining Temasek.
Tham is an industry veteran with extensive media experience, especially in content and marketing. She has held senior management and leadership roles in terrestrial free-to-air TV, Pay TV and broadband services in leading Asian operators in Singapore, Taiwan and most recently, Hong Kong.
She started work in 1988 at Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, now known as Mediacorp, where she spent eight years. She has also served as president of Taiwan Broadband Communications and as head of NOW TV, the largest Pay TV operator in Hong Kong at different times.
The move follows news of Seow's departure in April to join Temasek’s telecom, media & technology investment team, which includes Mediacorp in its portfolio. Prior to the appointment, Seow held the CEO role since July 2011 and has held various leadership roles across the company’s TV, radio, print and digital businesses. He was also part of the core team that started Channel NewsAsia in 1999.
Ernest Wong, chairman, Mediacorp said that Tham was appointed after an extensive search. He added that she was a natural choice to lead Mediacorp as the company focuses its efforts on capturing audiences and advertising revenue in a disrupted media industry.
“Mediacorp is national broadcaster and commercial media and entertainment company rolled into one. Tham understands both Mediacorp and the Singapore audience and has gained extensive commercial experience in the region. With a passion for media coupled with well-honed media skills, she is more than ready to lead Mediacorp in meeting the challenges ahead," Wong added.
“Returning to Mediacorp is a truly meaningful homecoming for me. My passion for media was discovered on Caldecott Hill and I am truly excited to be able to lead Mediacorp into its next phase of development, as the company evolves from a free-to-air broadcaster to a diversified, digital-first media organisation," Tham said.
Most recently, the company partnered with Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) to create a new digital advertising marketplace using programmatic solutions. The two media companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the joint venture, tentatively named Singapore Media Exchange (SMX). The alliance will be managed by an independent team led by a CEO to be hired.
In March, Mediacorp appointed Parminder Singh as its chief commercial and digital officer. Singh joined Mediacorp from Twitter, where he was managing director, Southeast Asia, Middle East and North Africa and India. Singh’s role combined what were previously two separate positions in the company and follows a series of recent hires reflecting Mediacorp’s move to bolster its digital capabilities.