In an interview with The Edge Singapore, Phua explains that the board of directors “did not have a lot of time to react” when Lien handed over his resignation. As the only board member with direct experience in running the company, Phua was the natural choice for a replacement to lead the company towards several targets — demonstrating profitability, showing positive growth trends and expanding its new businesses.
Not even two months after its merger with spac firm Vertex Technology Acquisition Corp (VTAC), live-streaming platform operator 17Live announced on Jan 26 the resignation of its CEO Alex Lien. The company’s co-founder Joseph Phua then swiftly took charge, replacing Lien to manage 17Live’s day-to-day business.
On the same day of the release of its 1HFY2024 ended June results, 17Live announced yet another shuffle — this time, Jiang Honghui, the former CEO and executive director of VTAC, has been appointed as the executive director and CEO of 17Live, effective Aug 13.
