Ticketek has appointed Melvin Koh as general manager, Ticketing Asia, putting him in charge of the company’s regional operations, strategic partnerships and platform growth across Asia. He will be based in Singapore, and the move was announced on Monday, June 1.

The timing matters because Ticketek is trying to deepen its Asian presence just as the market is getting tougher. Koh arrives with more than 18 years of experience across sports, entertainment, venue management, commercial strategy and ticketing, and his most recent role was at the Singapore Sports Hub, where he built the Ticketing and Access Management function and shaped its strategy and operating model.

Koh said he was genuinely excited by the chance to lead Ticketek’s growth ambitions in Asia from Singapore, adding that the live entertainment market in the region is growing rapidly and that venues, promoters and rights holders are looking for a technology and data platform that can keep pace. He said he looked forward to working with partners and the broader TEG team to deliver measurable impact across every touchpoint of the live experience.

TEG said Koh’s background in both venue and promoter operations makes him well suited to represent Ticketek’s platform to venues, promoters and rights holders across the region. Cameron Hoy, who was promoted to CEO of TEG effective June 1, said the appointment reflects the company’s long-running commitment to Asia, where it has operated for many decades. Hoy also said Koh brings the depth of experience needed to represent the full breadth of Ticketek’s ticketing, digital marketing and data capabilities.

The hire lands as competition in Asian ticketing intensifies, including AXS’s move last October to take a majority stake in Singapore-based SISTIC. AXS is a subsidiary of AEG, and the deal expanded its footprint in Singapore and Southeast Asia at a moment when platforms are competing more aggressively for venues, promoters and rights holders.

Ticketek’s new regional leadership gives the company a clearer base in Singapore, but the harder question is how it converts that into growth against better-funded rivals and a more crowded field. Koh is now the face of that effort, and his success will be judged by whether Ticketek can turn its platform, data and partnerships into something the region’s live entertainment market cannot ignore.