Senior Leadership

Henry Tan Poh Hock

Chief Executive Officer

Malaysian, 55, Male

Henry has shouldered various responsibilities at the Astro Group since joining on 2 May 2008. Prior to his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of Astro on 1 February 2019, he held the positions of Group Chief Content & Consumer Officer and Chief Operating Officer. He is currently also the Chairman of Go Shop, Astro’s home shopping platform.

He played a key role in introducing Malaysians to high definition (HD) with Astro B.yond and launching the first free satellite multichannel service, NJOI. As content chief, Henry raised the bar on storytelling and championed vernacular and Asian originals, from film to TV to digital, to ensure consumer relevance, reach and engagement. He has pioneered many firsts including Tutor TV, Malaysia’s first free academic learning channels, Astro First, cinema in your home service, eGG Network, the first regional eSports channel, Boo, the first Asian horror channel, and local Hua Hee Hokkien entertainment and Malay “Lawak” comedy brands. He focused on creating digital content experiences for Astro’s customers via Gempak, Xuan, Ulagam, Zayan, Awani, Stadium Astro and was also responsible for the group's airtime sales. A firm believer in the potential of Malaysian movies, Henry was instrumental in the success of Astro’s theatricals including The Journey, OlaBola, Hantu Kak Limah, Paskal, Abang Long Fadil and Polis Evo.

Henry was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Mindshare Malaysia and GroupM (Malaysia and Singapore) and prior to that, he held the position of Media Director, Ogilvy & Mather and General Manager, HVD Entertainment.

He holds degrees in Business (Marketing) and Arts (Communications) from Chisholm Institute of Technology Australia (now known as Monash University).

Shafiq Abdul Jabbar

Chief Financial Officer

Malaysian, 40, Male

Shafiq joined our Group on 9 January 2017 as Chief Financial Officer.

He oversees the finance function across our Group encompassing financial control, process risk assurance, treasury, business partner advisory, investor relations and tax.

Prior to joining Astro, he was the Group Financial Controller and Chief Financial Officer (Malaysia) of CIMB. Before joining CIMB, he was an Executive Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a role he held having advanced from managerial positions in its Kuala Lumpur and London offices, where he provided assurance and advisory services to key clients listed on Bursa Malaysia and FTSE 100.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Finance from the University of Melbourne, Australia and was appointed the Malaysian Chair of Chartered Accountants Australia.

Phuah Aik Chong

Chief Technology Officer

Malaysian, 46, Male

Aik Chong joined our Group on 1 July 1995 and was appointed as Chief Technology Officer on 1 July 2015.

He is responsible for our Products and Technology COE overseeing the development of products and services for homes and individuals, as well as all technology related areas required for delivery through satellite, fibre to the home, broadband and mobile, data and analytics platform, enterprise IT and cyber security. He is also focused on driving Astro’s digital transformation into a cloud, mobile-first and analytics-driven technology organisation.

He received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business, USA, and holds a Bachelor in Electronic and Computer Engineering (Hons) from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia.

Dr. Grace Lee Hwee Ling

Chief Executive Officer, Go Shop

Malaysian, 42, Female

Grace joined our Group on 2 January 2001 and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Go Shop on 1 October 2016.

She is responsible for driving Go Shop’s growth, customer experience, broadcasting, sales, marketing, operations, supply chain management and technology. She also works regularly with industry stakeholders to build and grow the company’s brand and services. Prior to joining Astro, she worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Assurance and Advisory division.

She earned her Doctorate in Business Administration from ELM-Graduate School, HELP University and received a Masters in Business Administration with Distinction from Charles Sturt University, Australia. She also holds a degree in Accounting and Finance from Curtin University, Australia. She is an Australian Fellow of Certified Practising Accountant (FCPA Aust.), Information Systems Auditor (CISA, US) and is Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT, US).

Datuk Jake Abdullah

Chief Executive Officer, Astro Radio

Malaysian, 52, Male

Jake joined our Group on 1 April 1996 and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Astro Radio on 19 December 2013.

He is responsible for overseeing Astro Radio’s strategic direction, in particular brands and talent, as well as driving radix growth. Jake is also the Chief Executive Officer of Rocketfuel Entertainment which spearheads talent-driven digital content across our Group’s platforms. He was briefly seconded to 1M4U under the Prime Minister’s Office, where he established the volunteer organisation and spearheaded its numerous activities. He also led the setting up of four Astro affiliated radio stations, two in India (Aamar FM and Power FM) and two in Jakarta (Gen FM and Jak FM).

He holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool, UK.

Gavin Baxter

Senior Vice President, Human Capital

British, 44, Male

Gavin joined our Group on 3 September 2018 as the Senior Vice President of Human Capital.

He leads our Group’s Human Capital operations, which aims to provide an amazing people experience for everyone at Astro through a culture of creativity, diversity and collaboration.

A senior HR professional with over 15 years of experience, working in both Australia and the UK, Gavin spent the last 6 years in the technology/media sector as the Group Head of Talent Performance for Sky plc in the UK where he developed and delivered the group’s talent strategy. Prior to that he was the Head of Organisational Capability, Optus Business in Australia. In both roles, he was involved in the ongoing digital transformation of the organisations.

He has also held senior roles in professional services firms including Deloitte Australia and BDO Australia. Gavin started his career in the insurance industry with Royal Sun Alliance & QBE where he advanced into management positions in the UK & Australia.

Gavin studied at the University of East Anglia, UK where he pursued technical insurance qualifications with the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Laila Saat

Vice President, Regulatory, Intellectual Property Protection & Industry Affairs

Malaysian, 49, Female

Laila joined our Group on 3 May 2005 and was appointed as Vice President, Regulatory, Intellectual Property Protection & Industry Affairs on 1 April 2009.

She is responsible for providing specialist advice on the Malaysian regulatory framework and facilitating a conducive regulatory environment for the execution of our Group’s strategic imperatives. Working alongside the relevant authorities and stakeholders, she also leads our Group’s intellectual property protection activities. She has 24 years’ working experience both in local and international markets. Prior to joining our Group, she worked in communications and property industry, including UEM Holdings Bhd.

She received a Masters of Science in Corporate Communications from University Putra Malaysia, and holds a Bachelor of Education in TESL from University of Malaya.

Tammy Toh Seok Kheng

Vice President, Group Communications

Malaysian, 50, Female

Tammy joined our Group on 3 September 2007 as Vice President, Group Communications.

She is responsible for reinforcing our Group’s market leadership via 360° communications and oversees corporate, brand and marketing communications, media, stakeholder and issues management, as well as event management activities. She has extensive experience in strategic communications, having worked in senior positions in various industries, including Royal Selangor Pewter, Gamuda Berhad and Alliance Financial Group.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from University of Malaya, and is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Corporate Governance

Astro's Board of Directors sets shareholder interests first, and sees that the management continuously creates value by keeping a long-term view as well as maintains high standards of responsibility and ethics.

The Board has adopted the following charters and guidelines, to form a corporate governance structure that protects the long-term interests of shareholders.