Why Southeast Asia's Top Marketing Executives Are Leaving in 2026

Lazada's Top Marketer Is Out

Lazada Group's group chief marketing officer, Marcus Chew, has stepped down from his role, according to Marketing Interactive. Chew joined the Alibaba-backed platform in October 2021 and spent roughly 4.5 years overseeing brand strategy, media, and go-to-market planning across 11 markets, including Lazada's South Asian arm, Daraz.

No successor has been announced.

The exit is notable for its timing. Lazada is midway through a strategic shift toward what it calls "Confidence Commerce," a focus on curated premium brands through its LazMall marketplace, after the platform recorded its first-ever monthly profit in July 2024. Chew was the architect of the marketing apparatus built during that pivot.

Competitive Context

Lazada's competitive position has deteriorated sharply in recent years. The platform holds roughly 15% of Southeast Asia's eCommerce market, compared to Shopee's 52% and TikTok Shop's 18%. Alibaba's once-stated goal of hitting US$100 billion in gross merchandise volume is now widely considered out of reach.

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Marketing leadership at Lazada faces a structurally difficult job. The role requires balancing Alibaba's global direction with highly localized execution across markets as different as Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Chew's team was simultaneously expected to build brand equity and prove short-term return on every dollar spent.

That dual pressure is not unique to Lazada. Average CMO tenure at the world's top advertisers fell to 37.2 months in 2023, the lowest since 2009. CMOs now have the shortest tenure of any senior executive role. Chew's 4.5 years exceeded that average by more than a year.

A Cluster of Senior APAC Marketing Exits

Chew's departure is the most prominent in a cluster of senior APAC marketing exits in early 2026. Shopee's regional marketing head has also stepped down. Peilin Lee, head of marketing at Nespresso Singapore, left after seven years to start her own business. Steff Yong, marketing director at foodpanda Malaysia, announced her exit on LinkedIn, calling the experience "a wild and memorable" one.

These departures are not coincidental. Southeast Asia's eCommerce sector has shifted from rapid expansion to a harder profitability phase. Platform gross merchandise value across the region reached US$157.6 billion in 2025, nearly triple what it was in 2020. But growth is slowing, and cost discipline is replacing user-acquisition spending. Marketing leaders hired for one era are stepping aside as the next one takes shape.

76% of CMOs say they face pressure to prove ROI faster than they did two years ago. For eCommerce platforms where every campaign can be traced to conversion data within days, that pressure is even more direct.

No Successor Named

The official framing, to the extent there is one, is a routine departure. But the absence of a named successor, combined with Lazada's ongoing restructuring and its January 2024 layoffs, which cut Southeast Asia headcount by an estimated 25% to 50%, suggests this is less a planned transition and more a reflection of deeper organizational flux.

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Chew's tenure covered one of the most turbulent periods in Lazada's history: the full rise of TikTok Shop, a major layoff round, a strategy overhaul, and the platform's first move to profitability. What comes next for Lazada's marketing leadership, and whether the role is filled at the same scope and seniority, will say more about the company's direction than the departure itself.