The International Association of Business Communicators - Asia Pacific Region (IABC APAC) has announced the recipients of the Communicator of the Year Awards 2025.

Syed Mohammed Idid, General Manager of Strategic Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at West Coast Expressway (WCE) Malaysia, has emerged as the winner in the Senior Communication Professional of the Year category. Donald Lim, Chief Operating Officer of DITO CME Holdings Corporation in the Philippines, has been crowned winner in the Executive Leader category.

IABC APAC Chair, Barbara Pesel, said, "Donald and Syed exemplify the inspiring qualities, exceptional expertise, and significant influence we deeply admire and strive to emulate within IABC APAC. They are true case studies of success, offering lessons we can all learn from."

The Marketing Room has appointed Naeema Ismail as Chief Executive Officer to lead its Singapore business.

She brings more than three decades of experience in communications, marketing, and brand strategy across Asia. Prior to this, Naeema led FINN Partners’ Singapore office, where she strengthened its PR and strategic communications practice.

Throughout her career, she has advised C-suite leaders and guided communications strategies for brands including IBM, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Pfizer, Nike, Airbus, AIA, Autodesk, and the Singapore Tourism Board.

Sharing her excitement about joining The Marketing Room, Naeema said, “I’m thrilled to lead The Marketing Room’s expansion in Singapore. The model provides a refreshing, flexible approach to marketing—giving businesses access to exceptional talent and offering experienced marketers meaningful, part-time roles that fit their lives. It’s an opportunity to create genuine impact for both business and people.”

Telum Media hosted its latest in-person event in Hong Kong on Tuesday, 11^th November 2025, in partnership with SOPA. The panel featured Darren Boey, Founder of UnMute; Sachin B Singh, Head of Enterprise Solutions, Asia Pacific at Dow Jones; and Tom Grundy, Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Hong Kong Free Press. The morning discussion was moderated by Annabelle Droulers, Asia Tech Correspondent & Anchor at Bloomberg TV, and was followed by a Q&A session and networking.

Held at The Executive Centre, the session explored the ethics around responsible AI use in publishing and how newsrooms and organisations are responding with policy, governance, and accountability.

The panellists explored the ways that humans can remain integral in the AI machine loop; the opportunities, costs, and risks of AI integration in newsrooms and news reporting; and the value and cost of credibility, quality news, and human authenticity in the age of speed, productivity, and technological efficiency.



Darren, Sachin, and Tom also discussed their experiences and organisations’ stances on AI use in news. With input from the floor, they dove deep on talking points including the layers of protection in AI use and audience comfort levels on AI news, concluding on the note about the critical importance of AI governance, steering committees, and ongoing dialogue.

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