SPH appoints Patrick Daniel and Anthony Tan as deputy CEOs

Singapore

MAINBOARD-listed Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has unveiled its next-generation leadership with several key appointments.

The media and property group on Tuesday said in a filing with the local bourse that two of its senior executives Patrick Daniel, 61, and Anthony Tan, 43, will be deputy chief executive officers from July 1.

Mr Daniel, currently editor-in-chief of the English, Malay and Tamil Media (EMTM) division, and Mr Tan, now executive vice-president of the Chinese Media Group (CMG) and head of the media strategy and analytics (MSA) division, will report to SPH chief executive Alan Chan, 63.

Mr Daniel, who has held various appointments with the group since joining The Straits Times in October 1986, will continue to oversee the EMTM group, as well as marketing, digital, information technology, legal/secretariat, corporate communications & CSR (corporate social responsibility) and risk management.

Besides his current portfolio, Mr Tan will oversee the production, circulation, corporate development, finance, human resources and administration divisions. He joined SPH in February 2015 and was formerly deputy secretary (policy) with the Ministry of Health.

There are also several changes within the group's flagship paper, The Straits Times.

Warren Fernandez, 50, will take over as editor-in-chief of EMTM from July 1, while he continues as editor of the paper.

The paper's deputy editor, Sumiko Tan, 52, will become its executive editor.

The deputy editor of The Straits Times, Ignatius Low, 43, will take over as managing editor of EMTM as he continues to head SPH's Information Resource Centre (IRC).

In a statement, Mr Chan welcomed the two key appointments: "Both Patrick and Anthony are key members of the senior management team. Patrick is a media veteran with 30 years of experience in SPH, while Anthony has brought with him fresh perspectives and new ideas since joining us." He expressed confidence that the pair will be able to work with him closely to address the challenges and opportunities in the industry.

Describing the current climate as "exciting times", Mr Daniel said he is looking forward to his new role and responsibilities. "Our media business has withstood the onslaught of many waves of digital change and innovation. But we have to speed up our transformation into a truly multi-media, multi-platform organisation that delivers value to our many customers."

On his new appointment, Mr Tan said: "Since joining SPH more than a year ago, I have benefited from working with my committed and talented colleagues from different divisions on various products and projects. I am confident that I can harness the strengths of everyone and help SPH seize every opportunity to innovate, grow and excel."