Rohana Rozhan, one of the Asian entertainment industry’s most senior female executives, has resigned as CEO of pay-TV group Astro Malaysia. Her departure will become effective at the end of January 2019, when she will be replaced by Henry Tan, currently Astro’s chief content and consumer officer.
Rozhan “has been an inspirational leader to all at Astro, having led the team in setting many firsts and milestones for the media industry in Malaysia. We respect her decision to step down…and wish her all the very best and a bright future ahead,” Tun Zaki Azmi, Astro’s chairman, said in a prepared statement.
Rozhan, who has been with the group since it first launched about 20 years ago, has not indicated what she will do after she steps down from her post. Astro said she would remain a board member.
Having risen from the corporate planning department, Rozhan became Astro CEO in 2006 and group CEO in 2012. She consistently, and unfashionably, argued that finance directors make good CEOs. And she championed racial and gender diversity within the company, arguing that both are good for business in a consumer-driven industry.
“The business that we built at Astro over the years is attributable to one thing – the passionate, committed and talented individuals that make up Team Astro. It is my honor to have been part of this amazing team, moving as one, to achieve far more than I ever dreamed possible in a fast-evolving and dynamic industry,” Rozhan said in a statement.
During her tenure as CEO, Astro’s customer base grew from 2 million to 5.5 million, while revenue grew by $450 million (RM1.79 billion) to $1.36 billion (RM5.53 billion) for the financial year ending Jan. 31, 2018, the company said.
Variety, in association with MipTV in Cannes, earlier this year honored Rozhan with its Achievement in International TV Award. She was the first Asian to receive the honor.
