Azlan’s vision for New Straits Times

IntheBlack, June 2012

On January 1 Mohammad Azlan Abdullah became CEO of The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad, after a three month transition period as COO. He finds himself in charge of a business which is a national leader, but also faces the same challenges that are confronting print media companies worldwide.

The company owns three powerful brands: the New Straits Times, the English-language institution whose roots go back to 1845; Berita Harian, a leader in the Bahasa Malaysia language; and Harian Metro, a tabloid and the highest selling newspaper in the country. Between them, the three have 63% market share. But how to keep them strong? “One of the major challenges in the print industry is that in many parts of the world circulation is on a declining trend,” he says. “Luckily for us, in Malaysia, the reading culture is still there even in the digital and internet world. But we cannot take things for granted: we have to prepare ourselves against a change in consumer behaviour.”

In November Azlan began a revamp of the newspapers, “not only in terms of their look and feel but the way we deliver the news.” Now papers are delivered through smart phones, the internet and ipad versions. “Right now I’m working on a replica of the hard copy but in a soft version: no matter where you are, there is still a full version of the newspaper you can read.”

Again in an echo of a global trend, “the challenge is always on monetizing the online version,” says Azlan. “The key aspect is to be more dynamic: the news is still there, but we can present it in a multi-dimensional format to attract young readers.” Innovations have included the first 3D advertisement, and talking newspapers, with an embedded microchip.

Azlan started out in accounting, following a degree from the University of Tasmania in Launceston with a job at Coopers & Lybrand Malaysia. “I aspired to become a full practitioner CPA, but after a year at Coopers, it did not feed my aspirations,” he recalls. Instead, he became part of the exciting process of privatization underway in Malaysia at the time, which was driven by the North-South Highway along the country; he joined the key concessionaire on that project, PLUS Berhad. It was an important move. “That was my real exposure, a true balance of corporate and operations work, because during my seven years there I was fortunate to be involved in various parts of running a corporate.” He started in project finance – “about immersing myself with cash flows, day in day out” – and then was transferred to corporate finance, running the budget unit after the highway became operational. Then he became head of internal audit for the company, and finally headed the toll department. This breadth of experience would prove vital. “I would say that, until today, I still use that experience as a basis to lead a company.”

In 1999 he moved to the property group Renong, at which he headed the president’s office, before deciding to join an entrepreneurial set up called Big Tree Outdoor in 2001. This business, which had been founded in 1994, had made its name in outdoor advertising – including alongside major highways, which were familiar to him from his time at PLUS. “The owners asked me to assist them to grow the business to the next level.” His 10 years there increased his exposure to the media industry, and allowed him to witness a young company growing up. “During that period I’m proud to say I developed Big Tree from a highway outdoor advertising developer to a multi-format advertising developer.” By the time he left, having become CEO in 2009, the business had a 43% market share; along the way, it was acquired by private equity interests and folded into the media conglomerate Media Prima Group in 2007.

And so to NST. “The way I look at it is not just about managing a newspaper, but most important is circulation and readership,” he says. “The positioning must be clear and palatable and compelling enough for readers to pick up our newspapers.”