Seni Jaya appoints former Big Tree Chief as new CEO

Main Market-listed provider of outdoor advertising services, Seni Jaya Corporation Berhad has appointed Jeff Cheah as CEO.

Jeff is a well-recognized professional in the advertising industry with over two decades of experience in the out-of-home media segment, which comprises outdoor billboard, retail malls, rail transit as well as airport media. He also served as President of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Malaysia (OAAM).

He had previously spent 17 years with leading outdoor advertising player, Media Prima Berhad’s Big Tree Outdoor, where he rose through the ranks to become the CEO from 2011 to 2017.

During his tenure at Big Tree, Jeff introduced various successful initiatives that reinforced the company’s leadership positioning such as pioneering digital out-of-home (DOOH) media, LRT station naming rights as well as developing new billboard structures with aesthetic designs.

In 2016, Jeff led a consortium made up of Big Tree and Seni Jaya to bag the exterior advertising concession from MRT Corp for MRT Line 1. He subsequently launched a whole new array of MRT media offerings the following year.

He tells MARKETING, “I am familiar with the Seni Jaya Group, having served as consultant since 2017. There’s a lot of potential and value in Seni Jaya that can be unlocked and I want to help bring the Group to the next level.”

“After a difficult 2020, Digital and Out-Of-Home (OOH) adspends are actually growing, fuelled by the acceleration of digitisation efforts nationwide. I think there are interesting opportunities in these two segments and I hope to share some positive news soon.”

Seni Jaya has also appointed Mr. Julian Koh Lu Ern, a chartered accountant, as their new Independent Non-Executive Director. He has vast exposure in the advertising industry, having served as the Group Finance Director of People ‘n Rich Holdings Sdn. Bhd.

After 20 years of evolving technology, shifting market trends, and adapting to changing consumer behaviour, the media landscape has nearly reached saturation.

We’ve optimised to the fullest, providing advertisers with abundant choices across technology, platforms, data-driven marketing, CTV, OTT, DOOH, influencer marketing, retail, etc.

Media specialists have diversified, but with more options comes the challenge of maintaining income growth. The industry is expanding, but revenue isn’t keeping pace.

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