Maxis Berhad announced that Goh Seow Eng has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the telecommunication company effective 1st December 2022.
Goh Seow Eng (picture), a Malaysian, will be replacing Turkish national Gokhan Ogut. The company said that Gokhan Ogut will complete his service on 30 November 2022.
The appointment is significant for the Malaysia-based company as no Malaysian has been appointed to the CEO role ever since Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim “retired” as Group CEO about 15 years ago (2007), to join Axiata in 2008.
Goh Seow Eng will join Maxis as CEO-Designate on 1st November 2022 before he officially takes over the role as CEO.
According to the filling with Bursa Malaysia, Goh Seow Eng (“GSE”) was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Info Service Plc (“AIS”) in Thailand, of which Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (“Singtel”) is a major shareholder. GSE led AIS’s operations, with responsibility for all operating units including the core mobile business. GSE also oversaw the company’s ongoing expansion into the fibre broadband market as well as the enterprise business.
In his previous role with Singtel in Singapore, he served as Managing Director, Home, where he ran Singtel’s fibre broadband, pay-TV and fixed line businesses as well as the customer life-cycle management and marketing communication for Singtel’s consumer business in Singapore.
Before joining Singtel in November 2010, he served as Chief Operating Officer, Consumer Group, at Astro Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s largest pay-TV operator. Prior to that, he headed various corporate and consumer banking units at Citibank in London, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei and Tokyo and led credit card marketing for Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco.
Full announcement from Maxis Berhad below:
Maxis would like to announce the appointment of Goh Seow Eng as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from 1 December 2022 who will report to the Chairman and the Board. He will join Maxis as CEO-Designate on 1 November 2022 before he officially takes over from Gokhan Ogut, Maxis’ current CEO, who will complete his service on 30 November 2022.
Eng, a Malaysian, was the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Advanced Info Service (AIS) in Thailand. He was responsible for all operating units including the core mobile business and oversaw its expansion into the fibre broadband market as well as the enterprise business. Prior to AIS, Eng was the Managing Director of Singtel’s Home business, and before joining Singtel, he was CEO of the Entertainment Division of Tanjong plc in Malaysia. He was also previously COO for Consumer Business at Astro where he was a key contributor to Astro’s growth. Eng has held various regional and global positions at Citibank in London, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei and Tokyo.
Eng is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Management and Technology Dual-Degree Program. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Computer Science) cum laude and a Bachelor of Science in Economics cum laude from the university’s Wharton School. He obtained his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and also attended Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
“On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to welcome Eng as the new CEO of Maxis. Eng brings with him vast experience in the telco industry with a solid track record in mobile and fibre broadband, fixed line business as well as in digital services, all of which will be important for Maxis’ growth. We look forward to working with him to spearhead and drive the next phase of our convergence journey.
“Meanwhile, I would like to put on record my appreciation and gratitude to Gokhan for helming Maxis as CEO for the past 3 and a half years. As CEO, he led the company through a challenging and uncertain time, largely driven by the Covid 19 pandemic, which needed innovative solutions and decisions. Despite facing unprecedented times, Gokhan has been instrumental to Maxis’ resilient financial achievements and delivery of our convergence leadership ambitions, including commendable growth in our fibre business. Importantly, he helped to progress all 5G-related discussions. I have no doubt that Maxis will continue to benefit from the foundation that he has built,” said Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, Chairman of the Board of Maxis.
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Earlier this month, Maxis also appointed Jennifer Wong, a Malaysian, as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Jennifer was previously the CFO of Celcom Axiata Berhad. She took over from Wayne Treeby who returned to Australia to be closer to his family.
