The appointment of Mr. Philip Tan as Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of INTOUCH Group

Intouch Holdings Plc. (INTOUCH) would like to announce the appointment of Mr. Philip Chen Chong Tan as Acting Group Chief Executive Officer (Acting G-CEO) of INTOUCH Group in place of Mr. Somprasong Boonyachai, who has retired on December 31, 2015. This appointment became effective on January 1, 2016.

Mr. Philip Tan was appointed as the Company President of INTOUCH on November 1, 2015. He is a senior executive with a successful professional track record of more than 27 years in the United States and Thailand. He has worked at companies such as AT&T in Thailand and Bell Labs, and successfully crossed into the financial services sector with GE Capital. Mr. Philip was one of the pioneering team members who established GE Capital's presence in Thailand. He was in Business Development (M&A), Quality (6 Sigma Quality Leader) and E-Commerce, before taking on the role of Chief Information Officer of GE Capital Commercial Services and SVP Business Intelligence Manager at GE Corporate Financial Service based in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA. He returned to Thailand in 2007 as Chief Marketing Officer of GE Capital (Thailand) and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2009.

Before joining INTOUCH, Mr. Philip undertook the role of leading a sizable credit card, personal loan and auto financing business at the Bank of Ayudhya Plc. (BAY) that was formerly acquired from GE, AIG and HSBC. Subsequently he was appointed Head of Retail and Consumer Banking, overseeing the entire retail banking and consumer financing business in BAY Group. He was also an executive director at BAY as well as chairman of the board at six of its subsidiaries.

Mr. Philip said “This is indeed a very exciting and challenging role, and a very significant opportunity for me to lead an organization that can make a lot of contributions to our society and Thailand as a whole.  This role is definitely bigger than myself and I am humbled by this opportunity. Khun Somprasong has laid strong fundamentals of this organization and implemented strategies that will enable our Group to grow and deliver sustainably for our stakeholders, investors, employees and customers.  I intend to build on top of these core policies, and under the guidance of the Company’s Board of Directors and Khun Somprasong advisory-ship, utilize my knowledge, competencies and prior experiences in technology, retail business and customer management to continue in this mission. Similarly, I also believe in principles of good Corporate Governance and will continue in the path already set forth to ensure we are in compliance and continue to deliver higher quality and standards for Intouch, fueling growth, prosperity and future successes”

The Company would like to thank Mr. Somprasong for his commitment and determination during more than 24 years of service at INTOUCH Group. He was able to deliver great operational performance despite facing difficult and challenging circumstances, such as political and economic uncertainty and social changes, all of which had an impact on the group from time to time. With his clear vision, expertise and perseverance, he showed us the way to face these challenges and still maintain a mindset of sustainable development.  

Mr. Somprasong’s leadership efforts and accomplishments have been widely recognized and honored by many reputable Thai and international institutions. He received the Best CEO Award from the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2012 and 2015, in recognition of his leadership, vision, business ethics, knowledge and skill, all of which have driven the Company towards success and sustainable growth. During this period, the Company received many prestigious awards, such as “Board of the Year Award 2015” from the Thai Institute of Directors Association and “Best Company Performance Award” from the SET in 2013 and 2015, along with both the “Best Popular Stock Award” and the “Best Popular Technology Stock Award” in 2012 and 2014.

Mr. Somprasong added “I strongly believe in Khun Philip. Khun Philip is an open-minded person with good leadership qualities. He is an intelligent individual with long-term mindset necessary for sustainably growing the company.  Khun Philip and I have another thing in common; we both think and make decisions with long-term benefits for the company and stakeholders.  In addition, Khun Philip is a capable and competent leader with in-depth experiences in finance, banking and other industries, when applied to managing INTOUCH as a Holding Company will bring sustainable growth and success thereafter.”

“Finally, I sincerely thank major shareholders, business partners, creditors, customers and employees for giving me strong support during my time as the CEO of INTOUCH Group.  I would like to request your continuous support to Khun Philip and his management.”

Mr. Somprasong has been appointed as Advisor to Group Chief Executive Officer from January 1 to December 31, 2016. He will continue his roles as a director of INTOUCH and Chairman of the Executive Committee as well as the Company’s representative director at AIS, Thaicom and AWN.