Seek MD and CEO Ian Narev
Australia-based Seek has appointed AirAsia chairman Jamaludin Ibrahim to its board as a non-executive director.
Ibrahim, who is based in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia will join the board from Jul., 3, will “support the achievement of Seek’s strategy across APAC and the continuing growth aspirations for Asia,” chairman Graham Goldsmith said in a statement filed with the Australian Securities Exchange.
Between 2008 and 2020, Ibrahim was CEO of Axiata Group, a major telecommunications company, in Malaysia. He was previously also the CEO of Maxis Communications, the leading telco in Malaysia, for more than eight years.
Ibrahim was previously a member of the Economic Action Council and the Digital Economy Council in the Malaysian government. He is currently chairman of Malaysia’s public transport operator Prasarana Malaysia, QSR Brands Holdings and AirAsia. He is a non-executive director of leading Southeast Asian conglomerate Sunway Group.
Seek has recently sharpened its focus on its businesses in Southeast Asia, where its brands JobStreet and JobsDB are market leaders in multiple countries. It follows a long period where the company looked to China, through its marketplace Zhaopin — which it subsequently reduced to a minority stake — and Latin America for growth.
The appointment of Ian Narev as CEO saw the company refocus on Southeast Asia, which shares many similar market dynamics to its business in Australia, namely that it has little other competition, and products and technology is more easily deployed across both businesses, requiring little localization.
Ibrahim is Seek’s only board director not to reside in Australia.
“Jamal’s wealth of experience in executive and non-executive roles in the information technology and telecommunications sectors in Asia and his various roles in the Malaysian government, will be a valuable addition to the mix of expertise and views on the board,” Goldsmith said.