Nat Geo’s Laureen Ong to Succeed Steve Askew as COO of STAR

HONG
KONG, March 26: Following the resignation of Steve Askew for “personal
reasons,” STAR has appointed Laureen Ong of the National Geographic Channel as
its new COO, effective in June.

Ong joins STAR from the National Geographic Channel where she was the
founding president of the network. She architected the 2001 launch of NGC,
which became one of the fastest growing networks in U.S. cable television history. Ong will report
to Paul Aiello, the CEO of STAR.

Prior to launching National Geographic
Channel, Ong served for two years as the VP and GM of WTTG-TV in Washington,
D.C where she was the first Asian-American woman to lead a top 10 market
affiliate. Ong also helped launch SportsVision in
Chicago, one of the first regional sports networks in the country, where she
served for seven years and eventually became the executive producer and VP of
broadcasting for the World Series-winning Chicago White Sox baseball team (in
which she continues to hold an ownership stake).

Aiello commented: "Laureen is an accomplished
media and entertainment veteran. Her forward-thinking business judgment
and constant drive to grow and innovate were key factors in allowing her to
build NGC from the ground up. We are excited to have attracted a TV executive
of such high calibre and extensive experience to join STAR, as the company
aggressively expands its portfolio of content properties across all platforms
in its key markets in Asia.”