Astro names new marketing, commercial and digital chiefs

Astro has unveiled a refreshed commercial leadership team, with Tai Kam Leong (pictured centre) taking on the newly expanded role of chief commercial officer (CCO), Christinne Lim (pictured left) returning as chief marketing officer (CMO), and digital industry veteran René E. Menezes (pictured right) serving as chief digital growth officer.

The appointments come as the media company sharpens its focus on commercial growth, digital transformation and customer-centric marketing.

Tai, who joined Astro in November 2022 as chief sales and marketing officer, was redesignated as chief commercial officer in July 2026.

In the role, he will oversee Astro's integrated commercial strategy, driving growth across the company's revenue streams, including advertising expenditure (ADEX) through the Astro Media Solutions (AMS) team under his leadership.

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His responsibilities also include aligning commercial priorities, strategic partnerships, audience solutions and market opportunities to maximise the value of Astro's offerings and deliver sustainable business growth.

Tai brings more than two decades of experience across marketing, strategy and commercial leadership. Before joining Astro, he served as head of brand and marketing at Maxis, where he led solution partnerships, innovation ventures and digital marketing initiatives. He also previously oversaw the telecommunications company's home broadband and fibre business.

Earlier in his career, Tai held agency leadership roles in Singapore as managing director of Rapp Singapore and chief strategy officer at DDB Group Singapore, following more than six years as head of strategic planning at Naga DDB and earlier stints at Leo Burnett.

Speaking on his appointment, Tai said "We are excited about the opportunity to drive client success. In the coming months we will be introducing new strategies, enhanced solutions, next gen digital capabilities and enable synergies across the group."

"The focus is to tap into passionate consumers of our of our best-in-class, multi modality content properties to delivery truly differentiated brand experiences. With that, we’re committed to build and scale confidence with our clients to create unmatched value from campaign results together," he added.

Meanwhile, Astro has appointed Christinne Lim as chief marketing officer, marking a return to the company after gaining broader commercial experience outside the organisation.

Lim most recently served as chief commercial officer at S P Setia. Prior to that, she was CEO of Astro Go Shop and spent more than 16 years at Astro across a range of leadership positions spanning corporate finance, premium business, content strategy and marketing.

During her earlier tenure, she led the group's marketing division across Astro's products, services and content, while also driving group-wide business strategy and new growth initiatives. She was instrumental in establishing Astro's content marketing function and championing differentiated content as a key competitive advantage.

She also led the marketing of major product and content launches, including Astro B.yond, Ultra Box, NJOI, Astro GO, the FIFA World Cup, Game of Thrones and Oh My English!.

In addition, Lim founded Astro On Demand, the company's premium business division focused on creating new revenue streams through upselling and deepening customer value.

In her new role, Lim said she believes marketing should go beyond communications to connect customer insights with business strategy, product innovation and customer experience to create meaningful value and drive sustainable growth.

"I’ve always believed that marketing is ultimately about people. It’s about understanding what matters to our customers and bringing people together around stories, experiences and a shared purpose," she told A+M.

"As Astro continues its journey, my hope is that we continue to strengthen Astro’s connection with Malaysians, reinforce the affinity they have for the brand, and ensure Astro remains a trusted and meaningful part of their lives," she added. 

Completing Astro's commercial leadership team is René E. Menezes, who serves as chief digital growth officer.

A veteran of Southeast Asia's digital marketing industry with more than 26 years of experience, Menezes has founded and led several media, digital and adtech businesses, including Yellow Brick Road, Media 2.0, CtrlShift and Involve Asia. He was also a founding member and former president of the Malaysian Digital Association.

At Astro, Menezes leads the company's digital growth efforts across KULT, Digital Business, and Digital Campaign & Operations. His remit focuses on building new revenue streams by bringing together Astro's strengths in content, audiences, data, creators, technology and partnerships.

"Astro has incredible content, unmatched audience relationships, trusted brands, and a genuine ability to shape culture," he said.

"My objective is to leverage these strengths to scale next generation revenue streams. Over the next six months, we will build products and capabilities that deliver results and make us impossible to overlook," added Menezes. 

The refreshed leadership structure reflects Astro's continued investment in strengthening its commercial capabilities while expanding its digital and customer-focused growth strategy.

The leadership appointments come just over a month after Astro announced a change at the top of the organisation. In June 2026, Astro's group CEO Euan Smith stepped down after six years, with the board saying the platform transformation had reached a stage where it was appropriate for new leadership to guide Astro through its next phase.

Henry Tan was appointed interim group CEO effective 16 June while the company searches for a permanent successor.

Smith, who joined Astro in 2020 as group chief operating officer and CEO of TV before becoming group CEO in 2023, continues to support the company in an advisory capacity until December 2026 to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

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