Timezone Group, the major operator of amusement locations and family entertainment centres in the Indian sub-continent, Pacific Rim and Australasia, has announced that Scott Blume has taken over as group managing director of the business.
Sonaal Chopra continues as CEO and Adam Steinberg becomes chairman. Malcolm Steinberg, the founder and current chairman, steps down but remains on the board as a non-executive director. All the changes come into effect on October 3.
Blume has extensive experience in the travel and leisure sector including managing director and CEO of ASX 200 company Wotif.com Holdings, with responsibility for sales in excess of AU$1bn and operations across Australasia and other Asian markets. Wotif was subsequently sold to Expedia for $700m. Since 2014 Blume has been involved in a number of digital and technology start-ups.
Timezone operates in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. It has over 200 locations with annual sales in excess of $120m.
In a statement, Blume said: “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.”
Steinberg, the outgoing chairman, said: “In the 38 years since the first Timezone centre was established in Perth, Australia, 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.”
