SINGAPORE - Media industry veteran Tham Loke Kheng, 50, will succeed Shaun Seow as Mediacorp chief executive and board director on Sept 1 this year, Mediacorp said in a statement on Friday (Aug 18).

Ms Tham, a National University of Singapore graduate, started work at Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, an antecedent of Mediacorp, in 1988.

She has held senior management and leadership roles in terrestrial free-to-air TV, Pay TV and broadband services in leading Asian operators in Singapore, Taiwan and most recently, Hong Kong.

Mr Seow, 55, who was appointed to his current role in 2011, will remain as executive director at Mediacorp until Sept 30, before joining Temasek Holdings.

Mediacorp chairman Ernest Wong said that Ms Tham was a natural choice to lead Mediacorp as the company focuses its efforts on capturing audiences and advertising revenue in a disrupted media industry.

He said Ms Tham "understands both Mediacorp and the Singapore audience and has gained extensive commercial experience in the region".

"With a passion for media coupled with well-honed media skills, she is more than ready to lead Mediacorp in meeting the challenges ahead," he said.

Ms Tham said returning to Mediacorp "is a truly meaningful homecoming for me".

"My passion for media was discovered on Caldecott Hill and I am truly excited to be able to lead Mediacorp into its next phase of development, as the company evolves from a free-to-air broadcaster to a diversified, digital-first media organisation," she said.