INMA board member Catherine So is leaving her post as chief executive of the South China Morning Post for “professional studies overseas”, in major changes at the Hong Kong publisher.

Instead, editor-in-chief Tammy Tam is being appointed to the new role of publisher, with executive editor Chow Chung-yan replacing her as head of the newsroom.

The changes have been announced by SCMP chairman Joe Tsai, who is also chairman of Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba, which has owned the English-language newspaper since 2016.

Making the announcement, Tsai said “alignment of editorial and business strategy would be crucial” for commercial viability and financial sustainability.

“For the Post, our core product emanates from the newsroom, and therefore our journalists and editors are central to the commercial success and financial stability of our organisation,” he told staff by email.

He said that while the media industry continued to face many challenges, he was optimistic about the Post’s future “with Alibaba’s full support and trust”.

So joined SCMP from Expedia in 2022.

Pictured (top): SCMP staff gather in the newsroom; Tammy Tam, who becomes publisher (SCMP photos).