POKKA International CEO Alain Ong reportedly tipped to join Kimly Group

POKKA International CEO Alain Ong (pictured) is tipped to be joining F&B property management group Kimly, following the recent management shake up at POKKA.According to Chinese newspaper Lianhe Wanbao sources, “Ong had already made preparations to move over to Kimly”. Kimly also currently owns soft drinks brand Asian Story, a move effective in July this year when it acquired Asian Story Corporation.Addressing the matter, the board of directors at Kimly issued a statement on SGX, clarifying that it “does not comment on news or information from third party sources. The board also urged shareholders of the company “to be cautious and discerning in assessing any news or information” about the company and it its subsidiaries.“Where there are material developments relating to the group, the company will make the appropriate announcements in compliance with the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited Listing Manual Section B: Rules of Catalist,” the statement added.Last week, after an internal audit, POKKA confirmed to Marketing that it is indeed undergoing changes to its management team. The change saw Rieko Shofu coming on board as acting CEO for POKKA International. Shofu replaced former CEO Alain Ong, and took over all his current roles and responsibilities while the audit is taking place. She has also taken over Ong’s portfolio as deputy group CEO of POKKA Corporation (Singapore). According to POKKA at the time, Ong currently remains an employee of the company. The group also confirmed the management shakeup is currently ongoing for both POKKA International and POKKA Corporation.Meanwhile, Ong’s spouse, Mediacorp actress Vivian Lai, who is the face of the POKKA brand, also came into the spotlight. Lai had worked with the brand for over a decade, and was reportedly paid SG$1 million in 2012 to continue representing the brand, several media reported. According to Shin Min Daily News (SMDN), which first reported the news, the amount exceeded what was generally paid to Mediacorp artists. Mediacorp did not comment on the matter and confirmed that there are no changes to Lai’s current contract with POKKA.