TM splits brand and comms unit to form 2 new teams

Telekom Malaysia (TM) has reorganised its group brand and communication department to form two new teams. Group customer experience and marketing is now led by CMO Shanti Jusnita Johari (pictured right) while group strategic communication is led by VP, group strategic communication Izlyn Ramli (pictured left). Shanti, who was appointed last month, will be responsible for brand, marketing, customer experience and touchpoints across TM Group. Meanwhile, Izlyn will focus on all aspects of corporate communication, reputation and stakeholder management as well as corporate responsibility and sustainability.

TM's spokesperson told A+M that the formation of the two teams are in support of its continuous transformation journey and next phase of growth. "This is to better serve all our various customer segments: consumers, SMEs, enterprises, public sector, industry and hyperscalers with improved and targeted marketing and communication on our comprehensive suite of connectivity and digital solutions," the spokesperson added.

The group also believes that it is well primed to accelerate Malaysia's MyDigital 2030 aspirations. "It remains TM’s vision as the enabler of Digital Malaysia, to deliver on our promise of 'Making life and business easier for a better Malaysia'," the spokesperson added.

The group brand and communication department was first formed on 1 June 2014 with Izlyn at the helm as VP, group brand and communication. Shanti was brought on board as TM's first CMO in seven years last month to help TM navigate its transformation journey and next phase of growth. TM declined to comment on A+M's queries on the teams' head counts. 

Meanwhile, Lai Shu Wei, unifi's VP and head of marketing as well as CEO of TM Net and CEO of TM Multimedia, resigned approximately five years after he first joined as CMO for webe digital in 2015. Lai told A+M previously that he is proud to have turned unifi into a converged brand and to have worked with great talents during his time with the company.

"I am very happy to have been part of this journey and TM is a fantastic organisation. It's time for me to move on but I'll always miss the great people," he said. He added that his time at TM has taught him to stay focused, be objective and persevere. TM previously declined to comment on his replacement.

The Group posted a revenue of RM10.84 billion last year, 5.2% lower compared to 2019. Its profit after tax and non-controlling interests grew 60.6% year-on-year to RM1.02 billion compared to RM632.7 million last year. Moving forward, TM is embarking on its transformation journey anchored on more than 40 key value programmes driven by a dedicated transformation office. It also aims to have its revenue be flat to low single-digit growth, its earnings before interest to be more than RM1.6 billion and capital expenditure to be between 14% to 18% of its revenue. 

Over the next 12 months, the Group seeks to improve EBIT growth through three areas - connectivity, solutions and customer experience; with stronger revenue from its business units, better cost management and productivity from operations optimisation; and improved customer experience. The telco is also reshaping its workforce by embracing a more agile work culture with future-ready skills.  

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