The changes are intended to strengthen the 3 newsrooms and the group’s position as the content provider of choice, says interim CEO

by ALIFAH ZAINUDDIN/ pic by RAZAK GHAZALI

THE New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) yesterday announced changes to its leadership with several senior editors promoted to head its three newspaper titles amid ongoing efforts to rationalise and restructure the group.

Veteran newsmen Saidon Idris, Ahmad Lokman Mansor and Husain Jahit have been named group editors of Berita Harian (BH), New Straits Times (NST) and Harian Metro respectively.

The changes are intended to strengthen the three newsrooms and the group’s position as the content provider of choice in a shifting industry, said NSTP interim CEO Mustapha Kamil Mohd Janor.

He said the appointments also act as a testament to the group’s commitment to “groom talents from within the company”. Saidon and Ahmad Lokman’s appointments have been effective since Jan 1, while Husain’s role will come into effect later in March.

The leadership shift came just two months after NSTP’s parent company, Media Prima Bhd, announced an internal restructuring exercise, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter this year.

The aim of the reshuffle is to enable the media giant, which also owns television networks TV3, NTV7, 8TV and TV9, to stay competitive and sustainable given uncertainties in the global economy, as well as the media landscape.

Saidon’s experience at BH began in 1997 when he joined as a senior writer for Dataniaga, a business magazine published by the group. He was later transferred to BH’s news desk and became the assistant economics editor in 2003, before assuming the post of economics editor in 2004 and associate editor (current affairs) in January 2014. Saidon was later made senior executive editor of BH in January 2018.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Lokman started his stint with NSTP in April 1993 as a reporter for Business Times. He eventually went on to become its deputy editor.

In June 2009, Ahmad Lokman was promoted as the new media editor for NST and in November 2012, he was made the associate editor of op-ed.

Other key positions that he held in NST include associate editor of current affairs and digital, and associate editor of business, op-ed and Cars Bikes Trucks. He was then promoted to executive editor of business, op-ed and digital early last year.

Husain started his career at NSTP in January 1990 as a marketing assistant at Beriteks Sdn Bhd, a teletext service introduced by TV3.

In 1996, he became an information technology (IT)/online journalist with BH before making the switch to Harian Metro in 2007. Husain was later promoted as Harian Metro’s editor for business and IT before being made the associate editor for features. In February 2019, he was appointed as Harian Metro’s executive editor for commercial.