Warren Fernandez to step down as editor of The Straits Times
SINGAPORE — Warren Fernandez, the long-serving editor of national broadsheet newspaper The Straits Times (ST), will be stepping down on 25 October.
The SPH Media Group said in a media statement on Tuesday (11 October) that 56-year-old Fernandez, who is also editor-in-chief of its of the English/Malay/Tamil Media group (EMTM), will be leaving the company to pursue other professional opportunities.
Wong Wei Kong, currently the editor of The Business Times (BT), will succeed Fernandez as the EMTM editor-in-chief. Jamie Ho, who was chief editor at CNA Digital, will take on the role of ST editor, while current BT executive editor Chen Huifen will take on the BT editor role.
"It has been my honour to serve as the editor-in-chief of ST and its sister titles which so many Singaporeans rely on for credible news and views," said Fernandez, who has been ST editor since 2012 and EMTM editor-in-chief since 2016.
"My colleagues and I have strived to transform our newsrooms to become multimedia news operations to meet audiences' changing needs. This remains a work in progress, and the challenge now passes to my colleagues to take this further forward."
Joined ST as political reporter in 1990
According to his profile on the ST website, Fernandez joined the newspaper in 1990 as a political reporter and rose to become news editor. He later also served as foreign editor.
He joined British oil and gas company Shell in 2008 as global manager for its future energy project. In February 2012, he returned to The Straits Times as its editor and has helmed the paper since.
Earlier this year, Fernandez said the SPH Media Group would redouble efforts to subscriptions and reach more readers overseas in order to share Singapore's perspectives on the world.
He added that it would expand its foreign bureaus and develop their expertise, host more events and forums, and forge regional and global partnerships.
""This is a time of change as SPH Media continues to accelerate digitalisation, and carve out a newer and bolder era for our business," said Teo Lay Lim, chief executive officer of SPH Media Group.
"I know that the EMTM group, ST, and BT are in good hands. I am excited to work with them as they lead the newsrooms into the digital future."
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