Timezone Group appoints Scott Blume as Group Managing Director amid board restructure

The Singapore-based Timezone Group has announced that Scott Blume has been invited to join its board taking up the position of Group Managing Director.

In conjunction with this appointment, Sonaal Chopra will continue as the company’s Chief Operating Executive, overseeing all Timezone business operations, while current Timezone Executive Director Adam Steinberg, will become Timezone Group Chairman.

With change coming into effect from 3rd October, company founder and current Chairman Malcolm Steinberg will step down from his role but will remain on the Timezone Group Board as a Non-Executive Director. All changes are to come into effect from 3 October 2016.

Blume has extensive experience in tourism and leisure, including a previous role as Managing Director and Chief Executive for the ASX 200 company WOTIF.com Holdings with responsibility for sales in excess of $1 billion and operations across Australia, New Zealand and key Asian markets.

At Wotif he spearheaded a whole of business strategic review which led to the implementation of a series of key initiatives to reset the business for future growth through 2013 and 2014.

He then led the sale of the business to Expedia for more than $700 million.

Since then Blume has been involved in a number of digital and technology start ups.

Founded in Perth in 1978 and now operating in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and India, the Timezone Group operates more than 200 family entertainment centres operating with annual sales in excess of $120 million.

With the company experiencing rapidly growing demand for its brand of out-of-home entertainment delivered in a retail settings to the fast growing middle class consumer segment in Asia, Blume joins the group with a mandate to significantly grow and develop the Timezone business across those markets.

Following the announcement of his appointment he explained "I am delighted to be joining the TImezone Group, which is a clear leader in the family entertainment sector in APAC.

“I look forward to working with our team and our partners to further develop an already successful and iconic business.

“Our focus moving forward will be to accelerate our growth to capitalise on the ongoing expansion of the leisure market throughout APAC, through a combination of investment in existing and new locations, potential new markets and concepts and opportunistic acquisitions.

“I am looking forward to working with existing strong teams across the business and re-establishing myself in Singapore."

Outgoing Timezone Group Chairman, Malcolm Steinberg added “in the 38 years since the first Timezone Centre was established in Perth ... the potential and conditions for the business to grow had never been greater.

“It is part of human DNA to want to go out and socialise with friends and family and our digital world can not fully replace that”.

Timezone Group Executive Director and incoming Chairman, Adam Steinberg concluded “it is incredibly exciting for the business to have someone of Scott’s caliber and experience to lead and develop the aggressive growth strategy we have planned and I am looking forward to working with him to achieve this objective.” 

Images (from top): Scott Blume, Adam Steinberg and Malcolm Steinberg.

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