SPH hires GroupM's Linda Lim as chief of advertising partnerships

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has appointed former GroupM chief investment officer and head of trading Linda Lim in the newly-created position of chief of advertising partnerships and market development at SPH integrated marketing, as it gears up for its next phase of transformation.She starts work at SPH on 1 February 2019 and will report to chief marketing officer Ignatius Low, with the mandate of deepening and widening long-standing relationships with media agencies and striking up new ones with other players in the media ecosystem, including content producers, influencers and other potential resellers.Lim (pictured) will also look at how SPH can anchor its relationship with clients beyond straight media buys, partnering them to build a local ecosystem of products, platforms and marketplaces to meet their marketing needs.She will also take charge of SPH’s outdoor advertising business, SPHMBO, looking at how the portfolio can be expanded to better fit into the company’s overall media solutions proposition.Lim joins SPH with more than 12 years of experience with both media owners and media buyers. In her five years at GroupM Singapore, she has grown relationships with key media owners and other partners at a strategic level – creating better value across the group from existing buy-sell transactions and offering new ways to partner that extend the typical publisher-agency relationship. Prior to that, she spent eight years at StarHub, where she was head of sales, driving integrated campaigns across the telco’s various media platforms.CMO Low said: "Her hire heralds the next phase in our development as a media solutions provider following the merger of our sales teams across our print, digital, radio and outdoor platforms in 2016 and the consolidation of our content marketing the Sweet brand last year."He added, "At SPH, we understand that the strongest client relationships must go beyond traditional buy-sell transactions and the Singapore market today is ready for wider and more strategic conversations about value exchange and value-based relationships. So the best marketing solutions will require collaboration not just within SPH departments but with external partners as well, even competitors."Lim said: “I’m honoured to be part of the organisation’s multi-pronged strategy to transition to a digital world looking for trusted media brands with engaged audiences and  a brand-safe, curated environment. The SPH team is incredibly passionate about the products they create and the experiences I’ve gained so far will help to deepen and widen the longstanding relationships and strike up new partnerships in a rapidly changing ecosystem going beyond content producers, creators and resellers to ensure that such great content is amplified and shared across seamlessly across platforms.”At SPH Integrated Marketing, she will work closely with chief of advertising sales Goh Wee Wang, and will be part of the division’s senior management team.The team has undergone a minor reshuffle since the departure of former deputy CMO Tan Su-lin, and now comprises:Ignatius Low – CMO: Overall in charge of the entire value chain for SPH’s advertising solutions.Goh Wee Wang – chief of advertising sales: Managing all sales teams, including the SME team and call centre.  Starting out in print sales, Wang has held various leadership positions across SPH’s platforms, including SPH Radio, Sphere Events and SPH Properties.Linda Lim – chief of advertising partnerships and market developmentDamien Bray – chief sweet officer: In charge of content marketing and creative services team Sweet. Damien founded Brand New Media, which has been folded into SPH Sweet.  He has 25 years of experience in operating marketing service agencies.Lam Wy-ning – head of operations: Taking over all the post-sale ad operations functions previously under Su-lin, including digital campaign management and reporting. Wy-ning was previously deputy head of integrated sales.Yang Hui Cheng – head of strategy and innovation: Covering strategic planning, research and innovation across our four media platforms.  Hui Cheng is also an agency hire, with many years of leadership experience at Vizeum, Group M, Mediaedge:cia and Starcom China.Last week, SPH Magazines has appointed Maureen Wee as CEO of its division. She takes over the helm from Loh Yew Seng, who will be returning to SPH’s Finance Division after a 12-year secondment to SPH Magazines. Loh will be taking charge of capital markets, reporting to chief financial officer, Chua Hwee Song. Loh will continue to be a director in SPH Magazines including its subsidiaries Blu Inc Holdings Malaysia and Blu Inc Media (HK).