Spike Expands Its Senior Management With New President, Digital Services.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2000

Spike Networks Limited has appointed Chong-Min Hong as president, Digital Services.

A former leading e-commerce strategist for McKinsey and Co., Hong brings to Spike a broad experience in devising and managing large-scale online partnerships and developing new businesses in the European, North American and Asian markets.

As president of digital services based initially in Sydney, Hong will report to Tim Mainprize, CEO, Global Services. He will be responsible for managing the company's services operations in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and the United States, and overseeing their continued, fast-paced expansion throughout the Asian-Pacific region. Spike already has offices in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Sydney and Melbourne and is soon to open in Osaka and Hong Kong.

"Spike is one of the fastest growing Internet businesses in Asia," said Hong, who has already arrived in Sydney. "Its management consists of innovative, lateral thinkers, who take smart, well-calculated risks to break into new territories. I look forward to working closely with Spike's executive team and board of directors to drive the company even faster and further."

According to C. Chris O'Hanlon, founder and CEO of Spike Networks, Spike's commitment to expansion in the Asian-Pacific region is crucial for the company's continued, rapid growth. "I am extremely pleased that Chong-Min will be with us through this next adventurous phase," he said. "Both Tim Mainprize and I have absolute confidence in his ability to implement intelligent, aggressive strategies for the development of our services business throughout the region."

In December, Spike announced an agreement with Hong Kong-listed Pacific Century CyberWorks Limited to form a joint venture to provide a comprehensive range of Internet services in Japan and the Asian-Pacific region. Last week, Spike announced an alliance with global professional services firm, Arthur Andersen, to deliver comprehensive and integrated eBusiness consulting services. Hong's principal responsibilities will be to develop and manage these relationships and to identify new business opportunities for them.

From 1997 to 1999, Hong was a consultant at McKinsey and Company where he worked with Fortune 500 clients in the technology, media and professional services sectors on a wide range of strategic and new venture initiatives.

He also advised the TV and radio broadcast division of a leading European conglomerate on Internet venture investments in the broadband Internet access and content arenas and created a business plan for the launch of the first free-ISP service in Continental Europe. He also developed a business plan and global expansion strategy for a $800 million U.S.-based Internet and network-based software company.

Chong-Min was most recently president and chief operating officer at Savvysearch Limited in the USA where he led a large meta-query search engine company from the start-up stage to its eventual acquisition by CNet for $35 million. He also negotiated strategic partnerships with eBay, Launch.com and GoTo, among others.

Prior to his service at McKinsey and Company and Savvysearch Limited, Chong-Min was a founding executive of the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations. Chong-Min is a Phi-Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard University.

About Spike Networks Limited

The company was founded in Sydney in 1995 and over the past four years has established itself as the first consolidated resource of Internet-based services, consultancy and content in Australia. The company is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and maintains active sales and production offices in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; Los Angeles; and Tokyo, employing 195 personnel. Spike is scheduled to open offices in Osaka, Japan and Hong Kong later this month.