Journalists from around the world share their experience producing world-leading journalism about the rights of women and gender-diverse people. From an investigation into the skin-whitening industry ...
Esther Ng
Esther Ng Sek Yee is Chief Content Officer of Star Media Group Berhad.
Esther Ng joined the then Star Publications Berhad in June 1992 as a news reporter after leaving Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. As part of The Star's court and legal affairs team, the journalism graduate covered many important trials in her five-year tenure in courts. During that time, she was also in the Parliament beat, leading the team till the 2000s. She returned to general news after leaving court reporting, covering mainly Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister assignments locally and abroad, as well as political assignments.
Esther was made Senior Writer in 1999 and moved up the ranks to Chief Reporter, Assistant and Deputy News Editor. She was made News Editor in 2010, which saw her taking charge of the main desk – the largest and most dynamic desk in The Star. During that time, she spearheaded the KPI system, still in use today, for the department. She was then appointed Sunday Star Editor in 2015 where she led the revamping of the edition, tapping into vast experience in news. In June 2018, she took on the role of Executive Editor before replacing the Editor-in-Chief as Star Media Group’s first Chief Content Officer, a title the company is pioneering in Malaysia in line with the group’s ongoing transformation efforts.
Esther also sits on the board of Asia News Network, an alliance of 24-strong prime media houses in the region. Star Media Group is one of seven founding members of this alliance, still going strong since its inception in 1997. She is the first Asian woman editor to sit in the board of the World Editors Forum, with its headquarters in Paris, France. Since being appointed in 2019, she has worked together with her counterparts across the globe on issues affecting journalists, women and climate change, among others. Esther is the chairman of the World Editors Forum (Asian chapter), and is planning on driving discussion and coming up with in depth reports on matters concerning women empowerment.
