IR Impact Awards judge and Hall of Fame member announces new role
Jeannie Ong, the multiple IR Impact Award winner and South East Asia Awards judging regular, has announced her new position at Temasek, which manages a Singaporean government fund with a portfolio worth S$434 bn ($339 bn).
In her new role as operating partner, investor relations, Ong tells IR Impact that she ‘leads initiatives to build capabilities and drive alignment across Temasek’s portfolio companies in the area of investor relations.’
She adds: ‘Super excited to be doing what I love again to raise the bar for IR in Singapore!’
Ong brings more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications, media and technology sectors, having held senior leadership roles at MyRepublic, StarHub and Singapore Computer Systems. Over her career she has played a pivotal role in strategic M&A, IPO execution, brand building and advancing sustainability efforts.
Ong has also gathered an impressive list of accolades along the way, including being recognized among IR Impact’s Global Top 25 and Global Top 50 IROs, being inducted into the IR Impact Hall of Fame and serving on the IR Impact Editorial Board. She is also a regular judge at the IR Impact Awards – South East Asia, where she helps a panel pick from the best of the best across the region.
A natural move
Elsewhere, Tom Waldron announced that he has joined Springer Nature as head of investor relations, six months after posting a photo of what he described as ‘probably the coolest office space I’ll ever work in’ to mark his departure from WPP at Sea Containers House in London.
Waldron offers up an equally compelling image – a scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte in bright blue – to announce his move to Springer, one of the world’s leading publishers of research.
Writing on LinkedIn, Waldron says: ‘Springer Nature’s brands, technology-enabled platforms and services are central to driving innovation, discovery and human progress. I’m proud to be part of a company that plays such a significant role in helping to understand the present and shape the future.’
Waldron also expressed his gratitude at the warm welcome he’s received from colleagues at the 183-year-old firm, which listed in Frankfurt last year.
Also writing on LinkedIn, Alexandra Dambeck, Springer Nature CFO, welcomed Waldron to the team while also thanking Thomas Geisselhart, the current executive vice president of corporate finance, group treasury and investor relations, who will leave the company at the end of the year following a transition period.
‘Although I’ve only had the pleasure of working with Thomas over the past couple of years, your impact has been profound – on me and on many others. You’ve played a pivotal role in shaping our financial strategy, strengthening our reputation as a trusted and reliable partner and co-leading our IPO journey. Your leadership has been instrumental in navigating the new demands that come with being a listed company,’ adds Dambeck. ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done to move our company forward.’
Of Waldron, she adds: ‘Tom has more than 30 years of experience in financial markets and is genuinely curious about our mission. I’m very excited about the contribution [he] can make to further strengthen and evolve our communications with the capital markets, building on the strong foundations Thomas laid in our first year as a listed company.’
A new name on the King of Prussia IR throne
Over in the US – in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia to be precise – one of the largest providers of hospital and healthcare services has named Darren Lehrich as its new as vice president of IR. At Universal Health Services (UHS), Lehrich will report to CFO Steve Filton in what is a newly established investor relations role.
Lehrich joins from Help at Home, where he served in strategic finance leadership roles since 2022 including in senior investor relations positions and most recently as CFO. He previously led investor relations for Magellan Health and American Renal Associates Holdings.
Prior to his move into corporate finance, Lehrich covered the healthcare sector for almost two decades, leading Deutsche Bank’s healthcare providers coverage as managing director for 10 years as well as serving in similar financial analyst roles at Piper Jaffray, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Furman Selz, according to a UHS press release. ‘Darren is a well-regarded investor relations professional and strategic finance leader who brings strong, trusting relationships within the investor and analyst community,’ says Filton, welcoming him to the company. ‘Darren’s coverage of the industry and UHS, coupled with his experience in building investor relations functions, make him an ideal partner for me and the UHS leadership team.’
