foodpanda MY nabs former TikTok Shop Malaysia marketing lead

foodpanda has appointed TikTok Shop Malaysia's integrated marketing lead Irene Foo as its new marketing director.

In her new role, Foo will lead foodpanda's marketing function in Malaysia, reporting to Kenneth Soh, managing director of foodpanda Malaysia.

Speaking to A+M, Foo said the move comes as she was considering the next stage of her career and looking for a new challenge.

“The role offered a different growth trajectory and a new challenge that I felt was the right direction for me to pursue at this stage of my career,” she said. "I'm excited to step into a new category and bring the experiences I've gained over the years into this next chapter, while also learning a completely different side of the consumer ecosystem." 

A+M has reached out to foodpanda for a statement. 

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Foo joins foodpanda after two and a half years at TikTok Shop Malaysia, where she was integrated marketing lead. 

Her remit covered brand and integrated marketing, platform campaign marketing, B2B and B2C marketing, as well as marketing partnerships.

Prior to her time at TikTok Shop Malaysia, Foo was head of strategic segments, activations and partnerships at TIME dotCom Berhad for two years. She also previously served as head of marketing at Domino's Pizza Malaysia, VP, head of branding and communications at Lazada Group, and VP of marketing at Photobook Worldwide.

Foo announced her departure from TikTok Shop in a LinkedIn post last week, reflecting on a stint she described as being marked by “organised chaos”, alongside a string of marketing campaigns, roadshows and activations.

Among the initiatives she highlighted as career milestones was the “11.11 Mega Showdown” in 2024, a four-hour live shopping programme broadcast simultaneously on TikTok and TV3. Foo said the campaign stood out for the scale of collaboration involved, spanning the marketing team, internal and external stakeholders, and media partner Omnia.

She also pointed to “JomLokal”, a campaign platform spotlighting Malaysian sellers and creators who had grown on TikTok Shop. Foo said the initiative was particularly meaningful for placing local businesses at the centre of the platform's story.

TikTok Shop declined to comment. 

Foo's departure comes as TikTok Shop continues to lean further into Malaysia. The platform and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) recently expanded a joint commission-relief programme, "JomLokal Booster 2.0", adding RM70 million in seller and shipping support and bringing TikTok Shop's committed investment in Malaysian sellers for 2026 to RM250 million.

Meanwhile, her appointment at foodpanda also comes as the delivery platform undergoes a recent leadership refresh, with the company having also appointed Soh as managing director in April 2026.

Soh joins the delivery platform from PropertyGuru Group where he served a country manager for Malaysia, and led the growth of both PropertyGuru and iProperty platforms. He also previously held senior leadership roles at Shopee Malaysia, overseeing platform growth, marketing, commercial development and external communications.

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