701Search is a joint venture owned by Schibsted Media Group, Telenor and Singapore Press Holdings. In her new position, Helena will follow up our present operations in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Myanmar, in addition to further expansion in the region.
Helena Ahlström has been General Manager for SnT Asia, a joint venture between Schibsted and Telenor, since February 2014. Before that she worked in Blocket.se for five years, and she has also held various roles in Schibsted Media Group since she started as a management trainee in 2007.
“I believe Helena will be an important contributor in our next steps expanding our foothold in Asia,” says Terje Seljeseth, CEO of Schibsted Classified Media. “Helena is one of our most experienced leaders with diverse experience within the classifieds field. She also has experience both from the generalist business and from the vertical business in addition to ‘on-the-ground’ experience both from Europe and Asia. Therefore, Helena is exceptionally well fit for this role and I am sure she will be a great asset to our operations in Asia.”
“Asia is the strongest growing region in the world with more than half of the world’s population. The region is very much driven by mobile internet, and the shareholders behind 701Search are particularly well fit to take advantage of this development. I am super excited to get the opportunity to participate in this adventure,” says Helena Ahlström. “The 701Search group has already taken strong positions in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, and is showing promising development in Bangladesh and Myanmar. These are fantastic positions to build further on as the region explodes digitally and goes mobile at the same time.”
“We’re looking forward to having Helena as part of the team,” says Robert Steen, Chair of the Board in 701Search. “Helena embodies the type of personality we are looking for in our digital leaders, and her experience and background are exceptionally well fit for this position. We look forward to getting her onboard to further strengthen the growth of an extremely exciting region that will be developed by exceptionally interesting partners.”