SPH's Tony Mallek nets Best CFO award

SPH's Tony Mallek nets Best CFO award

Singapore Press Holdings' chief financial officer Tony Mallek snared the award for "Best chief financial officer" at yesterday's Singapore Corporate Awards 2016.

Mr Mallek's award was in the category of companies with $1 billion and above in market capitalisation.

The award recognises CFOs who play a key role in supporting, advocating and promoting good corporate governance, disclosure and transparency, said the organisers.

These CFOs are also acknowledged as exemplary role models in creating long-term sustainable shareholder value and providing advice in strategic direction.

The winners of this award were evaluated based on their personal and professional qualities, knowledge and experience as well as their track record and accomplishments.

The winner in the mid-cap category was Boustead Singapore's Loh Kai Keong. In the category of companies with a market capitalisation of less than $300 million, the winner was Keong Hong Holdings' Mr Tan Kah Ghee.

SPH chief executive officer Alan Chan said: "Tony has been a valuable member of the SPH management team with a strong grasp in finance and accounting and upholding strong disclosure and governance standards."

He added: "This has been particularly important over the last few years as SPH evolved into a multi-media, multi-platform company, and actively diversified into business adjacencies such as events and exhibitions and properties."

Mr Chan said that Mr Mallek was instrumental in creating the SPH Reit.

Mr Mallek, 61, said that he was honoured to receive the award. He added: "It is an endorsement of the financial and investor relations strategies put in place across the SPH group."

He thanked the SPH board of directors for their counsel and guidance, his staff for their hard work and dedication and colleagues for their support.

Asked about the qualities a CFO should have, Mr Mallek said: "You should enjoy what you do. Accounting is quite dry. To be able to translate into terms that are easily understandable is the real challenge. Luck, persistence and perseverance are key factors, in addition to the co-operation and support of staff in order to perform well."

Mr Mallek joined SPH in June 2003. He is also a director of SPH Reit Management, the manager of SPH Reit.


This article was first published on July 20, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.