23-24 April
Alvin Liu is a seasoned media executive with extensive experience in journalism and media business across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Canada. He is currently the President of Economic Daily News, Chief Strategy Officer of United Daily News Group, and Chairman of udn.com Co. Ltd. With expertise in business strategy and media management, he plays a key role in the evolution of digital and print media in the region.
Amy Ross Arguedas is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. She is currently a researcher for Digital News Report and previously worked on the Reuters Institute’s Trust in News Project. Her research interests include news audiences and the relationship between journalism and new technologies. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, she worked as a journalist for five years at the Costa Rican newspaper La Nación.
Anson is a highly accomplished data-driven professional with extensive experience in the media industry. As the Head of Data Development at the United Daily News Group since 2017, he founded the data department with the goal of transforming the local media landscape through the implementation of impactful data-driven initiatives.
Ashwad oversees the entire operations of Astro AWANI, including taking the lead in content ideation, business operations and content distribution across all platforms of the 24-hour news channel. Ashwad was the youngest member of the pioneering team of the channel back in 2007 and has held multiple roles as a journalist and presenter.
Dr Carmen Nicoara is an established social researcher and impact evaluation specialist, currently leading research and impact strategies at climateXchange (cXc), Syli’s global initiative designed to advance high-impact climate journalism around the world. At cXc, she focuses on helping newsrooms define, deconstruct, and measure the impact of their climate storytelling. With over a decade of experience in sectors like education, employment, and community development, Carmen has managed high-profile projects, including the evaluation of the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics Community Programme and creating evaluation frameworks for cross-border cultural heritage preservation in Syria.
Chandel is the Chief of Staff at Mothership, a Singapore-based digital media company focusing on news, current affairs, and entertainment for tomorrow’s generations. Mothership is the most-consumed digital news platform in Singapore, according to the 2023 Reuters Institute Digital Report. Over two-thirds of Mothership’s audience are between the ages of 18 and 44, with the majority consuming their content on mobile through Mothership’s presence on its website and various social media platforms.
Cherilyn Ireton leads the World Editors Forum, the community for professional editors within the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). Now UK-based, she worked as a journalist, editorial manager and COO of BDFM Publishers, a Financial Times joint venture in South Africa, before joining WAN-IFRA in 2012.
Chris Janz has worked in the industry for 30 years, with roles spanning mature and growth businesses and advertising and subscription-funded products. He currently leads Capital Brief, a disruptive news startup founded on quality journalism.
Christina Chin is a Khazanah-Wolfson Press Fellow at the University of Cambridge, and a China-ASEAN Center of Advanced Studies Fellow. She started her journalism career with the Star Media Group after a stint in the advertising industry. Having reported on a myriad of topics ranging from politics and community issues, to breaking news and exclusive stories, the law graduate who holds a Masters in Arts (Communication) degree now helms the Education Desk at Star Media Group as its Senior News Editor.
Christian Haneborg is responsible for Schibsted’s advertising revenues across channels and brands, while also overseeing VG’s affiliate strategy. This strategy represents the fastest-growing revenue stream for several European media houses today.
Cormac Bourke is Editor-In-Chief of Mediahuis Ireland, part of one of the largest media groups in Europe. He is also the Editor of the Irish Independent, Ireland’s most popular news publisher website and best-selling daily newspaper, a leading trusted news brand for over 120 years.
A former news editor in various publications including the Irish Independent, he has led and curated coverage of some of the biggest news stories in Ireland over the past two decades. Bourke has been a national editor since January 2015, when he was first appointed editor of the Sunday Independent. He was subsequently appointed editor of the Irish Independent in print and then, in October 2019, in digital. Since then he has driven and overseen a series of key initiatives in the Mediahuis digital strategy, including the successful launch of the paywall on the Irish Independent site, the creation of the award-winning audio team and the roll out of local news project, projects which have been recognised with a number of international awards. Appointed Mediahuis Ireland editor-in-chief in August 2022, Bourke is responsible for the editorial strategy on the island of Ireland.
Dmitry Shishkin is the Strategic Editorial Advisor for Ringier Media. He joined the Swiss-based group in 2024. Before joining Ringier, he gained recognition as an expert in digital transformation, content strategy, and innovation in publishing. One of his focus areas is the concept of user needs.
Edmund Chua is the Head of Consumer Insights & Analytics at AsiaOne, where he oversees a team dedicated to leveraging data and AI to drive media strategy and operations. Edmund’s team has successfully developed award-winning AI models and implemented them for the purposes of user, content, and landscape analysis. The team is also in charge of AsiaOne’s knowledge partnership initiatives, where technology and analytics is leveraged upon to create mutual value.
Esther Ng joined the then Star Publications Berhad in June 1992 as a news reporter after leaving Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. As part of The Star’s court and legal affairs team, the journalism graduate covered many important trials in her five-year tenure in courts. During that time, she was also in the Parliament beat, leading the team till the 2000s. She returned to general news after leaving court reporting, covering mainly Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister assignments locally and abroad, as well as political assignments.
Fergus Bell is a journalist and media innovator with a focus on driving sustainable change and innovation in the news industry. His work spans addressing the challenges of misinformation, supporting newsroom transformations, and preparing the industry for the opportunities presented by AI. He is the co-founder of Fathm, a news lab, consultancy, and agency established in 2019 to enable impactful change and foster innovation across global media organisations.
Francis is an award-winning sports journalist who has served as sports editor for the Philippine Daily Inquirer for about a decade. He is currently part of the team that is mapping out an AI-integration plan for the Inquirer newsroom.
Janie Octia is the Learning Editor for Asia at Reuters, where she is part of the global team developing and managing learning programs for Reuters journalists while specifically leading training initiatives on Generative AI. With over 15 years of experience in journalism and digital media, including roles at CNN, Yahoo, and five years at Meta managing news programs, she brings extensive expertise in helping newsrooms leverage emerging technologies. Janie’s work bridges the gap between traditional journalism and innovative AI tools, equipping reporters with the skills needed to maintain editorial excellence in an evolving digital landscape.
Jeremy has more than 30 years in the media publishing industry, leading digital change in newsrooms across the UK and managing the complex transition from print to digital reader-revenue access models, and now in how to integrate Generative AI into newsrooms.
He is a certified executive-level coach and is a founding director of his leadership development and training advisory business, Chrysalis Transformations – for established and emerging leaders.
Jonathan has been working in the Computer and Video Game industry for over 25 years, beginning as a Producer at Activision, and having worked as an Executive Producer or GM/Studio Head at major publishers including EA, Zynga, and Warner Bros. Interactive. He has been a production or creative leader on a number of major game franchises, including The Sims, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, The Simpsons Game, FarmVille, Words With Friends, Wolfenstein, and DC Comics. At EA, he was the creative force behind the blockbuster game Dante’s Inferno, overseeing the game’s story, development, and trans-media projects, including a comic book series, an animated feature, and the action figure.
Jonathan lives in California, and is currently the GM of Games for The New York Times, operating and empowering the team that brings daily joy to puzzle solvers with games like Wordle, Spelling Bee, and the legendary New York Times Crossword.
Yu Chuang is the Deputy CEO of SPH Media. He is responsible for overseeing commercial functions including brand, marketing, sales and subscription. Yu Chuang brings over 15 years of relevant experience including reach and engagement growth across different platforms, as well as delivering innovative solutions to clients.
Prior to joining SPH Media, Yu Chuang held executive positions at regional and global Internet companies including iQIYI, Netflix and Yahoo!. He also works with start-ups and ventures in the region.
Kyle Kwok is a Senior Tech Coordinator at The Star IT department, with a passion to tap into the potential of Artificial Intelligence. With a degree in Information Technology and certified as a Google Cloud Engineer, Kyle possesses a comprehensive understanding of infrastructure and its potential for innovation. Currently, Kyle is immersed in researching and testing AI technologies, particularly focusing on their integration into existing workflows to boost efficiency and productivity.
Lacey has over a decade of experience in digital advertising, where she has been a driving force behind revenue growth and innovation across the APAC region. She has held leadership roles in Ad tech, content, and SaaS, including a leading an emerging mobile DSP in Southeast Asia and founding her own digital content venture. As the Digital Commercial Solutions Lead at Mediacorp, Lacey ensures the company stays at the forefront of cutting-edge digital advertising products and technologies across 12+ platforms, including Channel News Asia. Her commitment to innovation and excellence continues to fuel her drive to introduce groundbreaking solutions to agencies and multinational clients.
Laura Crimmons heads the departments of Growth Management (Media) & Audience Development (Media) at Ringier in Switzerland. She has been in charge since December 2023. Before that, Laura worked in several positions at Ringier like Deputy Group CMO & Head of Audience Development, Acting Group Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Digital Manager.
Marcelo Benez is the Chief Commercial Officer at Folha de S.Paulo, Brazil’s largest and most influential newspaper, a company he has been working at for the last 31 years. He is also a Marketing and Communication lecturer at FGV (Getulio Vargas Foundation, Sao Paulo) at their Post-Graduate course in the Business Administration program. Marcelo has been awarded the “Casas Bahia Yearly Service Quality Award” three times by the largest advertiser in Brazil. In 2017, he received the Silver Shovel Award at Harvard Club of New York City, the International News Media Association’s highest individual honor for significant contributions to the news media industry.
May first joined the company in 2016 as part of the Campaign Performance Team, learning the ropes of ad ops within the company. From there, she was exposed to the business of content marketing and joined the Strategy Team in early 2018.
Believing in truly understanding audience intent to be able to connect with them, May strives to combine learnings from first party data and human psychological insights of Malaysians, paired with localised ideation and creativity as the core to her strategies for reaching Malaysians meaningfully.
Michelle Tam is an award-winning journalist and now Editor, Online at Star Media Group. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she is part of the team that powers the online edition of The Star, the most trusted English news source in Malaysia. With over a decade’s experience in journalism and social media, she has covered national politics, culture, women’s issues, international incidents and more. She leads The Star’s Verified (QuickCheck) efforts, which debunks misinformation, and co-leads AI integration efforts in the newsroom.
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nhat is the Deputy Head of the Digital News Department at Nhan Dan Newspaper. With a career spanning leading media organizations in Vietnam, including VietnamPlus (under the Vietnam News Agency) and now Nhan Dan, he is an experienced journalist specializing in multimedia and innovative journalism. Mr. Nhat is also a regular speaker at industry conferences and training programs on journalism trends, and he serves as a guest lecturer for the Google News Initiative in Vietnam. He has also received several national and international journalism awards.
Nicholas Sagau Tony is the COO of REV Media Group, where he plays a pivotal role in driving the digital transformation of Media Prima Berhad, Malaysia’s largest media conglomerate. As a seasoned digital media expert with over 20 years of experience, he oversees the daily operations and strategic direction of REV Media’s extensive digital content network, which reaches 11.5 million Malaysians monthly.
In addition to his role as COO, Nicholas serves as the Digital Operation and Transformation Officer at the Group Managing Director Office, leading initiatives to advance the company’s technological and operational capabilities. He served as President of the Malaysia Digital Association (MDA) from 2020 to 2022 and was re-elected as Vice President for the 2023-2024 term, championing digital excellence in the industry.
Razak leads a team of journalists who create data-driven and visual stories for The Star. He has previously worked at Reuters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia, and at The New Straits Times.
Rutger Verhoeven, CMO and co-founder at smartocto, the world’s leading actionable content analytics tool. His experience as the former head of digital at BNNVARA (a large Dutch national broadcaster) and publisher for educational children’s magazines led him to develop a solution to problems he faced in those roles. The result – user needs, format development and content analysis – help clients at digital publications stay one step ahead of the competition.
Business leader, journalist, presenter and commentator, Sam Koslowski is the co-founder of The Daily Aus alongside Zara Seidler. The Daily Aus is Australia’s leading social-first news organisation targeted at young Australians with an audience of over two million Australians per month engaging with its Instagram, TikTok, website, videos, podcasts and newsletters – with 70% of their audience reporting The Daily Aus is their primary news source. Sam has been listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30, and released a book on understanding the news with Penguin Random House.
Ms. Alexandra “Sandy” P. Romualdez is the Chairperson of the Inquirer Group of Companies (IGC). She currently oversees strategic planning and provides management direction to IG companies, namely the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer.net, Megamobile and Inquirer Academy.
Prior to her appointment as Chairperson, she was the Group Chief Executive Officer of IGC for 25 years. She was also the President and CEO of the Philippine Daily Inquirer . As President and CEO, Sandy was instrumental to the Inquirer’s growth as the Philippines’ number one broadsheet. She was responsible for corporate strategic planning, management development, succession planning, performance management, organizational design, corporate policy-making and organizational development. She also played a key role in network building particularly with regard to the business community and non-government sector.
Sandy is also the Chairperson of WAN-IFRA Asia-Pacific Committee.
Shereen is a seasoned communications specialist, facilitator and innovation strategist with over 20 years of experience across global ad agencies, Fortune 100 companies, and entrepreneurial ventures. As an ICF-accredited coach she blends creative insight with business acumen to drive systemic change.
Currently, she serves as Programme Director for climateXchange, leading efforts to transform the climate journalism ecosystem. Her approach centers on deep listening, critical thinking, and fostering collaborative relationships. She excels at identifying root challenges, unlocking systemic solutions, and merging human intelligence with technology and data to spark transformative change.
Sue-Anne Lim is a business strategist, transformation leader, and data-driven marketing expert with 20+ years of experience in brand growth, AI ethics, and media innovation. As CEO of Universal McCann Malaysia, she revitalized the agency, securing six major client wins and driving market con*dence. Formerly with Trapper Group, Clear Consulting and Dentsu Aegis, she has built and repositioned businesses, engineered award-winning strategies, and led large-scale transformations. With a background in psychology and deep expertise in data-driven decision-making, she bridges behavioral science with business strategy, helping organizations navigate change, unlock growth, and build future-ready brands.
Sylvia is a digital marketer with 15+ years of experience and currently leads the business development team at IDN, driving revenue growth across the ecosystem. Previously, she headed IDN Creative, delivering digital solutions for client partners. Prior to working for IDN, Sylvia has held creative, design, and project management roles at Olrange, M&C Saatchi Indonesia, and XM Gravity (now Wunderman Thompson), serving both local and multinational clients.
Seenhau is the Head of Operations of Malaysiakini, an independent news outlet. Her two decades of experience in media include radio, satellite television, news agencies, and digital news site, providing her with a broad understanding of the industry.
Umair Wolid is the Co-Founder of Newswire, a news media startup in Sri Lanka. He represents Facebook in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal as part of his role as CMO at Roar Global, working on digital growth initiatives. With over 18 years of experience in digital marketing, he also served as President of the Digital Marketing Association of Sri Lanka (DMASL) from 2022 to 2024.
