S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a monthly rundown of executive and board changes in the Asia-Pacific technology, media and communications industries.
Top news
* Australian Broadcasting Corp. Chairman Justin Milne resigned from his role, days after Managing Director Michelle Guthrie was fired from the company. David Anderson, director of entertainment and specialist, will serve as acting managing director until a permanent replacement is found for Guthrie.
* Singapore-based telco StarHub Ltd. will axe approximately 300 full-time employees in the wake of "intense local competition and adverse industry trends." The company said it initiated an operational efficiency program to improve productivity.
* Xiaomi Corp. is overhauling its businesses and creating new management positions as part of CEO succession planning, Reuters reported, citing a memo to staff by the company's CEO Lei Jun. The Chinese smartphone maker will create two new departments to advise Lei on strategy and oversee hiring, promotion and pay, while four main business units will be reorganized into 10 units to promote younger managers.
Media industry moves
* Karan Bajaj stepped down as Discovery Inc.'s senior vice president and general manager for South Asia to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions. According to Television Post, Bajaj will remain in his current role until a replacement is found.
* Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. appointed Rajneel Kumar as business head of expansion projects and head of products for its video-on-demand platform ZEE5 India, Television Post reports. Kumar previously worked with Viacom 18 Media Private Ltd. and Balaji Telefilms Ltd.
* STAR India Pvt. Ltd. unit Star Sports hired Rajiv Mathrani as its new chief marketing officer, a source close to the development told Indian Television. Mathrani previously served as chief brand and online officer at Bharti Airtel Ltd.
* FOXTEL appointed Adam Ballesty as the new marketing director of FOX SPORTS Australia Pty. Ltd., The Australian reports. Prior to joining the company, Ballesty served as marketing and innovation director at Diageo PLC
* News Corp. is axing about 30 jobs across its Australian publishing portfolio, which includes The Australian, Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph, as part of a restructuring and transformation within the company, The Australian Financial Review reports, citing sources. Some of the production staff may reportedly join Pagemasters, a subsidiary of Australian Associated Press, which is jointly owned by Fairfax Media Ltd., Seven West Media Ltd. and News Corp.
Communications industry moves
* Vodafone Idea Ltd. said Uday Khanna, an independent director, has resigned from the board of the company, citing "avoidance of any semblance of conflict of interest with his other board positions." Tarjani Vakil, an independent director on Vodafone Idea's board, also resigned for personal reasons. As a result, Neena Gupta was appointed independent director on the company's board, subject to the approval of shareholders.
* Melbourne-based 5G Networks Ltd. appointed Glenn Flower as its new chief marketing officer. Prior to joining the company, Flower served as head of marketing and communications at Telstra Wholesale.
* Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. appointed Shyam Mardikar as the group chief technology officer of mobility, The Economic Times (India) reports. Mardikar will replace Jagbir Singh, who exited the company in June, and will oversee deployment of the company's 4G networks in the country.
Technology industry moves
* WhatsApp Inc. appointed Komal Lahiri as grievance officer for India, The Economic Times (India) reports. Users can contact Lahiri with "complaints or concerns." India has been pressing the Facebook Inc.-owned messaging app to develop tools which can help curb the spread of fake news.
* Jonathan Lai, who led many of Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s investments into digital entertainment startups, has resigned from the company. Lai will assume a similar role at Coatue Management, according to The Wall Street Journal.
* Kenneth She Chun-chi, head of Uber Technologies Inc.'s operations in Hong Kong, has resigned, according to The Standard.
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