SPH Media to see new editorial leadership; new editors for ST and BT

THE Business Times (BT) editor Wong Wei Kong has been appointed as the new editor-in-chief of SPH Media Trust’s English/Malay/Tamil Media (EMTM) group, the media organisation said in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 11).

Wong takes over from Warren Fernandez, who will be leaving the company “to pursue other professional opportunities”.

Jaime Ho will succeed Fernandez as the editor of The Straits Times (ST), while Chen Huifen will take on the role of editor of BT. All three appointments take effect on Oct 26.

SPH Media chief executive officer Teo Lay Lim said: “This is a time of change as SPH Media continues to accelerate digitalisation and carve out a newer and bolder era for our business.”

“Wei Kong, Jaime, and Huifen are media veterans with great track records in propelling news products forward. I know that the EMTM group, ST, and BT are in good hands. I am excited to work with them as they lead the newsrooms into the digital future.”

Wong has been the editor of BT since 2016. Under him, BT embarked on a digital growth strategy which has seen average monthly users more than double, while digital subscriptions increased two-fold. 

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On assuming the role of EMTM editor-in-chief, Wong said: “In an increasingly polarised world, the four newsrooms in EMTM – ST, BT, and the vernaculars, Berita Harian and Tamil Murasu – must strive to be the credible voices that Singaporeans trust. I look forward to working with my newsroom colleagues to enable and support them to achieve this.”

BT’s incoming editor Chen – who will be the paper’s second woman editor – has been with SPH Media for over two decades and is currently BT’s executive editor.

Meanwhile, ST’s incoming editor Ho joins SPH Media after a career of over 25 years spent primarily in journalism and the Singapore civil service. He joined Mediacorp in 2013 and was chief editor of CNA Digital between January 2016 and April 2022. From June to October 2022, he was a partner at strategic advisory firm FGS Global.

Ho said: “I am honoured to have the opportunity to play a role in the next phase of ST’s transformation, especially as it pushes its digital growth, and takes on the challenges of disruption in the news and media industry in Singapore and around the world.”

Khaw Boon Wan, chairman of SPH Media Trust, thanked Fernandez for his “extraordinary dedication to ST in the past decade”. 

“Warren has successfully paved the way for ST’s continued growth, both as a news product on multiple platforms and an established brand. We wish him every success in his future endeavours,” Khaw said.

Fernandez, who has been ST editor since 2012 and EMTM editor-in-chief since 2016, said: “My colleagues and I have strived to transform our newsrooms to become multi-media news operations to meet audiences’ changing needs.”

“This remains a work in progress, and the challenge now passes to my colleagues to take this further forward. I will be cheering them on as they do,” he added.