The Society of Publishers in Asia appoints Terence Tung as Chairman

Hong Kong – 7 April 2009 – The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), an organisation dedicated to best practices in professional publishing, has elected Mr. Terence Tung as the Chairman and Ms. Christina Lee as the Deputy Chairman. Mr. Tung takes over the helm from Mr. Alan Lammin who has stepped down following his retirement as Publishing Director of TIME Asia.

In a career spanning 20 years in the media industry, Mr. Tung is currently the Chief Executive Officer of One Media Group which publishes Ming Pao Weekly and Hi-Tech Weekly in Hong Kong, as well as Top Gear Hong Kong licensed under the BBC. In China, One Media Group runs Popular Science under license from Bonnier, and Top Gear China under license from BBC and MING. To further cement its foothold in the Greater China market, One Media Group launched in 2008 its flagship magazine Ming Pao Weekly in Taiwan.

Ms. Christina Lee, Asia Managing Director for BusinessWeek, was elected as the Deputy Chairman.

“As the 21st century advances, publishers are facing new challenges to their traditional business models as content migrates online and audiences continue to fragment into smaller clusters,” said Mr. Tung. “But overall readership of media continues to climb and demand for quality content remains stronger than ever.”

SOPA has dedicated itself to preserving freedom of the press in the Asia region and to ensuring that independent, quality journalism is observed, encouraged and acknowledged. Today, while the climate is far tougher with the impact of the global recession being felt by publishers, SOPA continues to work hard in acting as a hub for the establishment of guidelines, standards and voicing opinions that affect the industry across Asia. A main push this year is to establish more ties with publishers in China and foster industry collaboration across Asia.

“I’d like to extend my personal thanks to Alan, my colleagues on the Executive Board, Ms. Iris Fung, the Executive Director and all SOPA Chairmen emeritus for their supports and contributions to the publishing industry,” Mr. Tung added. “Under Alan’s leadership, SOPA has enjoyed a resurgence in membership, gained respect across the region and cemented partnerships with associations in Japan, Europe and others countries.”

The SOPA Board also appointed Mr. Randy Weddle (Managing Director Asia Pacific – International Herald Tribune) as the Honorary Treasurer and Ms. Diana David (Regional Circulation & Business Development Director for Asia – Financial Times) as the Chairman of Professional Training and Events Sub-committee.