IN THIS week’s column, Astro Group CEO Euan Smith (pic) airs his views to SunBiz.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
I have been super lucky in my career to date, having worked in London, Paris, Munich, Los Angeles and Sydney. And for the past three years, in Malaysia.
I spent the first years of my career as an engineer in Unilever making ice cream, so the move into media was unplanned.
After a stint running consulting projects at KPMG, my former boss who had joined Sky UK asked me to help solve some issues with the set-top box supply chain. From there, I gradually became more involved in operations, leading field engineers and contact centres before moving into technology and then to product, sales and marketing.
In media, I have held senior leadership positions with Sky UK, Sky Germany, Fox in the US and as COO at Foxtel in Australia. I never applied for any of the roles. I’ve just been lucky to be in the right place, with the right boss when the industry was making step-changes such as the entry into HD and broadband in the UK, and the moves into streaming at Sky Germany, Fox and Foxtel.
It’s these collective experiences that gave me a solid background to be able to join Astro as CEO of the pay TV business in 2020, right at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, I became the group CEO, leading the team that is busy building the New Astro.
And what is New Astro? It’s Astro for 21st century Malaysia. It’s a streaming-first content powerhouse, delivered through hybrid, connected Ultra 4K UHD and Ulti HD boxes that aggregate 12 global apps with our content, all via an intuitive interface. It is a companion app (Astro Go) that lets you take all your Astro “in your pocket”. It’s a dedicated internet service provider (Astro Fibre) that delivers high-quality connectivity at great value. And it’s sooka, a new, simple OTT platform that brings our content to customers in a different way. And it’s much, much more.
Having the opportunity to be part of global brands in diverse sectors, countries and industries has certainly shaped my drive for innovation and transformation at Astro.
How do you think the industry you are in will evolve?
The media landscape has changed drastically over the last 20 years. Two decades ago, Astro reinvented entertainment in Malaysia via satellite. Now we are pivoting from linear broadcasting to streaming, becoming the digital content provider of choice as we aggregate the best of international and local apps alongside Astro’s own content, all in one place, all on one platform.
In content, there will always be demand for compelling, high-quality shows, for live signature events, and for sports. Companies that thrive in future will be those with ecosystems that allow content creators to flourish, that provide simple and intuitive ways to discover an ever-increasing amount of videos and that add value to the process with convenience and innovation.
The everchanging landscape of broadcasting means it is no longer just operating cameras in a studio environment. Technological advances have enabled this industry to be more efficient, and AI, Augmented reality and machine learning will continue this process, democratising further the ability for creators to make great, high-quality content.
For example, Astro is a pioneer in XR technology for production services in Malaysia! We’re leveraging digitisation and data as well as the emergence of advanced analytics, giving us better insight into customers and market niches, allowing us to personalise our products like never before. Data lets us reimagine our business models.
We’re also finding it important to diversify into adjacent revenue businesses to offer more value to consumers, the obvious example being our new Astro Fibre proposition, as well as rethinking our whole business models as we have done through the launch of our holistic, targeted Addressable Advertising suite.
The future of media and entertainment lies in the power of streaming and accessibility at consumers’ fingertips. Customisable and engaging content will still reign supreme, and I am confident Astro is ahead of the curve.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional life?
I am lucky to have what Tim Ferriss would call a “Tribe of Mentors”. One of the best ways I find to avoid tunnel-thinking is to explain a situation, a challenge to one or more of them and then ask, “What am I missing?”. Sometimes this is in-person but more often it’s an email or a call. We all have biases and their perspectives are always helpful, either to help look at a problem from a different angle, or to support my own thought process.
Most-admired business leader? Why?
There are many, but I’d probably say Tim Smit. I’ve read his book Eden at least five times. Smit’s journey to create the Eden Project in Cornwall is a glorious tale about the power of holding to a bold vision through sheer bloody-mindedness, incredible optimism, the development of an exceptional team and constant nurturing of like-minded stakeholders. It’s an amazing “business” which is growing to this day, inspiring generations on the natural world and the importance of both conservation and climate action.
How do you stay abreast of issues affecting your industry?
By connecting and engaging with our content and technology partners, our customers and peers around the world for current trends. I follow a number of influencers as well as columnists online and have a host of local and international news apps on my mobile to keep me up to date.
How do you expect policies on climate change to impact businesses in the future?
Sustainability is no longer optional. Increasingly businesses, will need to integrate eco-friendly practices at every stage, be it in content delivery, technology infrastructure, or customer service. This needs to be a collective effort by all.
As an example, Astro has committed to making our operations carbon neutral by 2040, which will require major changes in how we produce and distribute our services. We aim to be ahead in all areas. For example, we have recently been able to reduce the plastics in our Ultra Box Packaging by 58%, achieving cost saving in the process.
Also, given the reach of our TV, radio and digital platforms, we have a responsibility to increase awareness and promote actions that will help to address climate change. Our recently launched RimbaKita (Save Our Rainforests) programme is one way that Astro can use our talents to support this critical global imperative.
Source:
The Sun Daily
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