Malaysia-headquartered car marketplace CARSOME has hired a new group chief operating officer (COO), Eric Chan, in place of Aaron Kee who has been appointed group chief business officer (CBO).
In a statement on Thursday, CARSOME said that Chan, who is tasked with overseeing the company’s operations across all of Southeast Asia, will also be taking up the mantle of group president.
“Together with the passionate team, I am committed to building on the company’s legacy and pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve in the industry. It is about strategic innovation, collaboration, and delivering tangible value to our customers and stakeholders,” Chan said.
Chan brings nearly three decades of operational experience in the automotive sector, and CARSOME said that his appointment underlines its strategic direction towards bolstering operational efficiencies and sustainable growth.
He has played several roles in Malaysia and Singapore-based car dealership Cycle & Carriage, including as its Singapore managing director as well as chairman for one of its Malaysia units.
Chan currently serves as an independent director at AcroMeta Group Limited, a Singapore Stock Exchange-listed investment holding company that focuses on engineering and sustainability practice companies.
Meanwhile, Kee, as CBO, will drive the “integration of strategies” within the CARSOME ecosystem, lead business development, and focus on identifying and nurturing new prospects beyond CARSOME’s core business segments.
CARSOME co-founder and CEO Eric Cheng said that the CBO position is designed to leverage Kee’s extensive experience and insights and provide the latter with opportunities to explore and solidify new partnerships and also enhance cross-functional synergies within the firm’s operations.
“Our leadership transition is a conscious move to capitalise on our team’s deep strengths against our ambitious objectives. The leadership changes are timely and align with the company’s trajectory toward sustained growth and market leadership,” he added.
CARSOME has been speculated to be aiming for an IPO. It had previously targeted a dual listing on the Nasdaq and the Singapore Exchange back in 2022 but postponed it due to concerns that declining macroeconomic conditions could negatively affect its valuation.
Founded in 2015 in Malaysia, CARSOME has expanded into Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and recently, the Philippines. It works with over 8,000 dealers and has an average of 15 million monthly visitors across its platforms, according to its website.
Among its investors are the Qatar Investment Authority and Temasek’s 65 Equity Partners as well as Malaysia and Hong Kong dual-headquartered Gobi Partners.
