By FRONTIER
Frontier co-founder Sonny Swe says he intends to step down as the company’s chief executive officer, after almost a decade in the role.
He said the news about his father’s recent visit to China had prompted him to bring forward plans to transition out of the role.
“I will hand over to a new CEO who will oversee the Frontier business. The editorial management will remain with the editor-in-chief, as has always been the case,” he said.
“I won’t be leaving immediately. We need to make sure we find the right person to lead Frontier forward in the coming years,” he said. “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved and I want to see Frontier continue to set the standard for Myanmar media and build its sustainability.”
Sonny Swe’s father, Thein Swe, a former senior member of Myanmar’s notoriously repressive military intelligence agency, visited Beijing and met officials from two Chinese thinktanks in late October in his capacity as the chairman of a previously unknown Myanmar organisation, the Paragon Institute. There were credible reports that his trip was sponsored by Myanmar’s military junta.
The meetings in Beijing came shortly before junta chief Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to China, and they generated some concerns about Frontier’s ownership structure and editorial independence. Frontier issued a statement on November 20 clarifying that Thein Swe has no position, involvement or financial stake in Frontier. The full statement can be read here.
Sonny Swe said he had learned about the trip from media reports and had never heard of the Paragon Institute.
“I was totally unaware of what he was doing and who he was meeting with, and was really shocked when I read about it. We live in different countries and I have no control over what he does,” Sonny Swe said.
“My father hasn’t had any connection to Frontier for more than five years. When we first launched Frontier he was one of several directors, but had no day-to-day involvement. But I understand that his actions have affected how some people view Frontier, so after giving it a lot of thought I feel the best thing is for me to hand over the CEO role.”
“I’ve put a lot into making Frontier what it is today – an award-winning media outlet renowned for its balanced, independent journalism. I don’t want to put its future at risk,” he said.
“The past few weeks have been difficult given some of the allegations about Frontier and I’d like to thank all those people who have expressed support for our work and for me personally. I hope you’ll continue to support Frontier in the future when it is under new leadership.”
Frontier’s ownership structure
Frontier was established in 2015 as part of Black Knight Media Co. Ltd., a company registered in Myanmar. Sonny Swe’s stake in Black Knight Media is held through another Myanmar-registered entity, M Media International Co. Ltd, while co-founder Sylvia Saw McKaige’s stake is held via a Singapore-based company, Salween International Pte Ltd.
After the 2021 military coup, Frontier began operating under a Singapore-based company, Boomerang Media Pte. Ltd. Black Knight Media remains a registered company but is no longer carrying out any business activities.
The directors and shareholding of each of the relevant companies are as follows:
Black Knight Media Co. Ltd.
Director: Myat (Sonny) Swe
Shareholding: M Media International Co. Ltd. (82.9%), Salween International Pte Ltd (17.1%)
M Media International Co. Ltd.
Directors: Myat (Sonny) Swe
Shareholding: Myat (Sonny) Swe (100%)
Boomerang Media Pte. Ltd.
Directors: Myat (Sonny) Swe, Pichai Chuensuksawadi, Thomas Kean
Shareholding: Myat (Sonny) Swe (86%), Pichai Chuensuksawadi (7%), Thomas Kean (7%)
