Published April 8, 2009

M1 may name a new CEO soon

It has looked for foreign candidates, lined up potential ones from within

By WINSTON CHAI
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MOBILEONE has cast its net both locally and abroad in the search for a new chief executive and it is close to unveiling the replacement for former helmsman Neil Montefiore.

Mr Teo: The senior executive director and group finance director of Keppel Corp led M1's shareholders' meeting as chairman for the first time yesterday

'The search committee should complete its work fairly soon,' said M1 chairman Teo Soon Hoe at the opening of M1's shareholders' meeting yesterday.

Mr Teo, senior executive director and group finance director of Keppel Corp, led the meeting as M1 chairman for the first time, taking the place of his predecessor Lim Chee Onn.

'We keep a record of available people in this field (telecommunications),' said M1 director Thio Su Mien, the person spearheading the group's hunt for a new CEO.

With the help of headhunters, M1 has been looking for candidates from abroad, as well as lining up potential replacements from within, she added.

Ms Thio was responding to queries from some shareholders about the group's succession planning policy.

The questions were prompted by the back-to-back resignations of M1's former CEO and its former chairman earlier this year.

Mr Montefiore left in February after 12 years of service, resulting in the appointment of chief financial officer Karen Kooi as the interim chief.

Mr Lim, who has served on the M1 board since 1999, stepped down a month later.

Mr Montefiore had resigned for 'personal reasons', said Mr Teo.

He added that Mr Lim, on the other hand, had resigned as the CEO of Keppel Corp early this year but stayed on as chairman in a non-executive role.

The person 'chairing' Keppel associates such as M1 needs to be executives of the company, he explained.