Mark Inkster joins as General Manager for Microsoft Online Services Group, Southeast Asia
Singapore – March 17, 2009 – Microsoft has signaled its intent to enhance its leadership position in online communications in Southeast Asia by appointing industry veteran Mark Inkster to lead its Online Services Group business.
As General Manager of the Online Services Group for Southeast Asia, Inkster will manage the overall Online Services Group portfolio, leading the Windows Live, MSN and Microsoft Advertising teams across the six major markets within the region – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. Based in Singapore, he will report to Sanjay Chheda, Regional Vice President, Microsoft Consumer and Online International, Greater Asia-Pacific.
Said Chheda; “We’re delighted to attract leaders of the caliber of Mark Inkster. As a global technology and Internet executive with over 20 years of experience, Mark brings with him a level of expertise and a breadth of knowledge that will propel the Online Services Group in Southeast Asia to the next level.
“We are currently number one in Instant Messaging in multiple markets across Southeast Asia including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand; our page views have grown 53 percent in Singapore; and we continue to grow revenue year over year in a challenging advertising sales market. Despite this, we believe there is still significant scope to grow in this region, and with his track record, we are confident Mark is the right person to drive this growth,” added Chheda.
Inkster moves from China, where he was previously the CEO of China Cascade Interactive, Inc., a start-up company which he founded in 2006. During this time, he built China’s leading user-generated-content travel planning site, www.yiqilai.com.cn. Prior to this, Inkster was the Chief Product Officer at eBay China and served at Yahoo! for five years, including stints as Vice President of Search, Asia-Pacific; General Manager, Canada; and Director of International Operations.
An engineer by training, he started his career at Hewlett Packard before spending three years as a strategic consultant at Bain & Company. Mark has been involved with Asia for over twenty-five years and his knowledge and insights into the region position him well to lead the Online Services Group in the Southeast Asian market.
“Southeast Asia is a rapidly growing, dynamic Internet market that has over 100 million web users, and is very important for Microsoft. We will continue to focus on providing the most innovative platforms for users to Discover, Share and Communicate online. Through this, we intend to grow the Windows Live and MSN brands and to increase our online advertising base in an increasingly influential and Internet-savvy market” said Inkster.
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