Nation Media Group gets new CEO

Nairobi. The Nation Media Group Board has announced the appointment of a new group managing director and chief executive officer, effective from July 1, 2015.

Mr Joseph Muganda succeeds Mr Linus Gitahi, who has requested early retirement to pursue personal interests.

Mr Muganda is a highly reputed senior executive with vast experience in general management and marketing. He joins NMG from Kenya Breweries Limited where he is currently the managing director.

Contribution to NMG

Announcing the changes, the NMG Board Chairman Wilfred Kiboro paid tribute to Mr Gitahi for his contribution to NMG during the eight years he served as CEO.

He oversaw the development of new products and activities as well as expansion of the group into new markets, increasing the Group’s turnover from Ksh6.3 billion to Ksh13.4 billion and the profit before tax from Ksh1.2 billion to Kshs 3.6 billion.

He also provided exemplary leadership through a challenging period in the operating environment for the media sector in Kenya and the wider East African Region.

Mr Gitahi will continue to oversee the operations of the group up to June 30 and serve the Group in an advisory capacity to the end of the year.

Welcoming Mr Muganda, Mr Kiboro said: “The Nation Media Group is delighted to welcome Mr Muganda to the team. He brings a diversified range of expertise in marketing, communication management, corporate and regulatory affairs and general management built over a long career at leading multinational corporations across several markets in Africa.

Mr Muganda said: “I am delighted to be joining NMG and fully subscribe to its shared belief of the invaluable role and responsibility of a strong, high quality and independent media in contributing to the development of society. I am fully committed to leading management and staff at NMG towards fulfilling this most important objective.”

Mr Muganda holds an MBA from Leicester University and is also a Bsc graduate in Economics, Accounting and Financial management from University of Buckingham, United Kingdom.

Prior to his current position, he served in several other senior positions at British American Tobacco, Unilever and Barclays Bank.

Mr Tom Mshindi, who is currently the Chief Operating Officer and acting Group Editorial Director, has been promoted to the position of Editor-in-Chief with direct responsibilities for the Group’s editorial portfolio across all print, broadcasting and digital platforms. In this new position, Mr Mshindi joins the Nation Media Group Board as an Executive Director.

Mr Mshindi has over 20 years’ experience in media and communication management. He is a BA (Hons) graduate from the University of Nairobi and also holds an Advanced Management Certificate in Media and Entertainment from IESE Business School, the University of Navara, IESE Business School.

Mr Mshindi has previously served in the positions of Managing Director at Nation Newspapers Division and Monitor Publications Limited (NMG’s subsidiary in Uganda) and Managing Editor of NMG’s flagship publication ‘Daily Nation’. Mr Mshindi has also held the position of Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at the Standard Media Group.

The Board is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Leonard Mususa as a non-executive Director of NMG. Mr Mususa is a respected executive with vast professional experience across East Africa and beyond.

He is the immediate former Senior Country Partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in Tanzania.

In succession to Ms Zuhura Muro, Mr Mususa has also been appointed Chairman of the Board of Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), NMG’s subsidiary in Tanzania,

Mr Kiboro expressed deep appreciation to Ms Zuhura Muro for her invaluable contribution to MCL noting in particular the ascension of Mwananchi newspapers to the leadership position in Tanzania media over her tenure of service.

Implementing initiatives

The Nation Group is currently at an important stage of implementing initiatives to secure its future development, including the new Kshs 2 billion Printing Press that will be commissioned within the year as well as further investments under consideration to expand the Group’s digital platforms and broadcasting assets in the significantly enlarged media space.