KUALA LUMPUR: New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad (NSTP) has appointed Datuk Abdul Jalil Hamid as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective March 1.
As the CEO, he will be responsible for the overall operations of NSTP.
“He will focus on strengthening the core business of NSTP while pursuing new opportunities to improve the performance of the company in line with Media Prima’s long-term growth strategies,” said a statement from Media Prima Bhd.
Jalil who has more than 30 years experience in journalism and communications will report to Group Managing Director of Media Prima, Datuk Seri Amrin Awaluddin.
He has been Group Managing Editor of NSTP since 2011, spearheading the editorial operations and content improvements for the company’s print and digital products.
He also held positions in the Prime Minister’s office, the Securities Commission Malaysia, Reuters and Bernama and sits on several advisory panels and the board of Bernama.
Jalil takes over from Datuk Mohammad Azlan Abdullah, who will end his tenure as NSTP CEO on Feb 28 to assume the position of Group Chief Executive Officer at a major government-linked investment company specialising in infrastructure development.
In announcing his decision, Azlan said that he is gratified to have been given the opportunity to lead two of MPB’s key businesses and expressed his sincere thanks to the Board, colleagues and staff of the Group who have given him utmost support throughout his nine-year tenure.
“Datuk Abdul Jalil is well-respected in this field and his strong leadership traits make him the natural choice to continue the momentum of NSTP’s digital expansion efforts,” said Azlan on Jalil’s appointment.
He added that Jalil has done an incredible job over the past six years with Media Prima and possess deep familiarity with the brands as well as the editorial, commercial and operational aspects of NSTP.
“I am confident that he will contribute immensely in delivering operational efficiency and bringing new levels of success to NSTP”, he said.
Amrin said Azlan had contributed immensely to the Group where he played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for growth at Big Tree Outdoor and executed key transformation initiatives leading towards higher efficiency, cost management and overall integration of NSTP to the Group.
“He also led various digital initiatives at NSTP in response to the increased demand for online content as evident by the increased traffic for online news portals, social media sites, digital publications and other internet based content platforms such as the digital versions of BH, Harian Metro and New Straits Times. We wish Azlan well in his future endeavours.”
Meanwhile, Yushaimi Maulud Yahaya, has been promoted to Group Editor, New Straits Times (NST).
He will manage the overall operations of NST while spearheading the revamp of the 171-year old newspaper.
Yushaimi has more than 26 years of experience in journalism, beginning his career as a cub reporter with the Malay Mail after graduating from the NSTP Pre-Entry Training scheme in 1990.
In 2002, he was one of the two Malaysian journalists chosen for the Nihon Shinbun Koki/Japanese Press Foundation fellowship programme.
Since then, he has held key positions including Editor in Chief of the Malay Mail, Group Editorial Advisor for the Redberry Group and became Executive Editor (News) for NST in 2012.
NSTP’s Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the new appointments will help further strengthen NSTP’s print and digital offerings while solidifying the company’s position as the news and content provider of choice in the face of an increasingly challenging business environment.
“It also mirrors our strong succession plan enabling smooth handover of responsibilities and operations, where we will continue our aggressive efforts to expand our digital initiatives to generate new revenue sources moving forward.” he said.