New successors to take over as NMG executives

Under the new structure, Sermsin Samalapa, vice chairman of NMG’s board of directors, will become chairman of NMG’s executive committee or Group CEO, while three other insiders will take over as chief executive officer (CEO) for NMG and its subsidiaries.
NMG president Duangkamol Chotana will serve as NMG CEO; president of National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) Adisak Limprungpatanakij as NBC CEO; and NINE president Pana Janviroj as NINE CEO.
Thepchai Yong remains NMG’s group editor in chief, responsible for the group’s news editorial policy.
“The three CEOs are Nation Group’s successors. They have the soul of journalists and are also distinct professionals in management in the media industry,” NMG chairman Suthichai Yoon said.
Suthichai will serve as adviser to the executive committee and focus his energy on editorial work.
Suthichai explained that Nation Group is going through a transition, which opens up opportunities for aggressive policy moves. He said he believes the three new CEOs will be strong leaders, who can provide fresh directions and initiate changes.
As for himself, Suthichai said he would focus more on news content, particularly in his “Black Coffee” column in Krungthep Turakij, a newspaper in the NMG group, and “Thai Talk” column in The Nation. He said he would also concentrate on his “Time Line” talk show on Nation TV and “CEOs Up-Close” programme broadcast on NOW channel.
“In the media industry, the Nation Group is better prepared than other competitors to take on new challenges. It has high potential for growth, with a vast pool of talent and broad connections with foreign media. My role is to lead the Nation Multimedia Group to expand its business without any constraints, especially in the financial arena,” Sermsin said.
Duangkamol said that from now on, there would be a change in NMG’s business structure in a bid to cope with stiffer competition in the media industry. The group would focus on investment expansion and boost its strength in the region in response to the Asean Economic Community’s free flow of trade, investment and capital, which would be fully effective by the end of this year.
Duangkamol was also named chairman of NINE’s board of directors.