Grab’s latest lineup of top executives

Org Chart maps out the people at the top of Asia’s most prominent tech companies. Who are the key decision-makers? How are the teams organized? What does it tell us about the company’s priorities? We continue this series with Southeast Asian super app Grab.

This article has been updated from the previous edition published on December 20, 2021.

The backlash over the appointment of Tin Pei Ling, a member of parliament in Singapore, to lead Grab Singapore’s public affairs and policy didn’t just come out of nowhere. It reflects the company’s stature as a regional big tech, meaning high-profile appointments can attract scrutiny.

Following the outcry, the firm shifted Tin to a corporate development role, in which she will help “forge synergies across investments and acquisitions and other strategy development efforts.”

See also: Is Tin Pei Ling’s job title at Grab too on the nose?

Grab has also made a series of other changes to strengthen its leadership bench after several executives stepped down in 2022.

Philipp Kandal was promoted to chief product officer, overseeing the tech giant’s product, design, and analytics teams starting on February 1.

Grab launched GrabMaps in June 2022 under Kandal’s leadership. The company said GrabMaps removes the “tens of millions of dollars” in estimated annual third-party mapping fees. This signals the emphasis on cost savings and efficiency amid tough times for the tech industry.

See also: How GrabMaps plans to beat Google Maps in $1b sweepstake for SEA dominance

Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia have all gotten new country leads. Alejandro Osorio, former managing director of Grab Thailand, was reassigned to lead the super app’s operations in Vietnam. Osorio was credited with building high-performing local teams in Thailand and is expected to solidify Grab’s position in Vietnam.

Worachat Luxkanalode succeeded Osorio in Thailand, where in terms of food delivery, Grab competes mostly with Line Man Wongnai and Foodpanda, which are reportedly in merger talks.

Most recently, Adelene Foo was brought back to be the country managing director in Malaysia. She was the regional head of merchant and previously led Grab Malaysia from 2012 to 2014.

Here are a few more observations: