Thomas Jacob is back with Ifra following his stint as international development director for ‘Daily Mail’ publisher Associated Newspapers. He succeeds Elaine Wong, who has left Ifra. Jacob's new role as deputy chief executive and managing director in charge of the greater Asia/Pacific region will be based in Singapore is part of planned growth in the region. Chief executive Reiner Mittelbach says Jacob will take responsibility for Ifra activities in south Asia, south and north east Asia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. “We plan to significantly expand our services in the region, and Thomas’s appointment clearly reflects the importance of these markets for the future of Ifra,” he says. At ANL, Jacob conceptualised the compact mid-market ‘Mail Today’ newspaper for India and initiated a joint venture with the India Today group. As managing director of Ifra Asia, he established the industry association’s presence in Asia. A trained engineer in electronics and telecommunications, he has an MBA with high honours from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, and previously graduated from the National Institute of Technology in Suratkal, India.