New Nation Media Group CEO meets the team in Uganda

The largest news conglomerate in East and Central Africa, Nation Media Group (NMG), is set to disaggregate the performance of its subsidiaries, the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Geoffrey Odundo, has said. NMG boasts of 30 media brands in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. These brands include newspapers such as Daily Nation, Business Daily and Taifa Leo in Kenya; Daily Monitor and Ennyanda in Uganda; and The Citizen, Mwananchi and Mwana Spoti in Tanzania. 

NMG also owns the East African newspaper that specialises in in-depth coverage of political and economic issues in the East African region. It also runs television stations such as NTV Kenya and NTV Uganda, Spark TV and radio stations like Nation FM, KFM, and Dembe FM, among others. Mr Odundo, who is in Uganda following his appointment to the position on April 7, said the group is now going to look at Nation Media Group-Uganda (NMG-U) as a subsidiary or “profit centre on its own” while still linking its performance to the Group (NMG).

PICTORIAL: Nation Media Group CEO visits NMG-Uganda

This, he said, is to ensure when a subsidiary performs well, it is rewarded and not affected by Group results. “The company is going to disaggregate the performance so that performance is centred according to region. We are not saying that when Uganda performs and the Group doesn’t perform, we should now not reward Uganda,” Mr Odundo told staff of NMG-U in Kampala. 

“We have to separate performance of subsidiaries from the rest of the businesses so that it is clear what the contribution is,” Mr Odundo added, describing his new role as a “new space.” He said the media has gone through “a lot”, adding that digital is the way to go.

“We have to go digital first and make it the core direction for the rest of the business”. “We are now in a new world in terms of what the news audiences are – a digital world; so, we are going to start thinking about those opportunities,” said Mr Odundo.

The Group CEO explained that the print media would continue to be a key business. “But we are faced with a new opportunity going digital and monetising our digital assets,” he said, adding that results can be achieved through innovation, technology and performance.

Mr Odundo succeeded Mr Stephen Gitagama, who left the organisation on August 1, 2024 after serving NMG in various capacities for 17 years. Following Mr Gitagama’s departure, the NMG Chief Financial Officer, Mr Richard Tobiko, served as the interim Group CEO. 

The NMG board chairperson, Dr Wilfred Kiboro, said: “Mr Odundo beat more than 50 potential candidates from across Africa (for the top NMG job). I am very happy to say that after a long search and a lot of interviews, we finally settled on Jeff (Odundo).” 

Dr Kiboro said Mr Odundo is no stranger to the commercial world, having previously served as CEO of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), among other senior executive positions. “He was able to transform the Nairobi Security Exchange to what it is today and comes with several credentials in terms of management; so, we are very pleased to have him on board.” 

Dr Kiboro added that Mr Odundo was in the country to be formally introduced to NMG-U staff and more importantly, to have an opportunity to meet and interact with them on how the business is going. NMG-U Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa said this is an electioneering year and at the end of the year if things get jittery, and investments are slow, the plan is to pick up in the second quarter and close the year on a high note.

Ms Nsibirwa reiterated the company’s plan to go digital first, saying: “Digital is supposed to get us thinking outside the box so that we flip it.” She added that some clients are asking for strategies that start with digital and end up in our traditional media. 

“That has flipped because that is not the way it used to be, because when we were selling it, digital is an add-on, many times added value,” she said. 

Meanwhile, NMG has revealed plans to revamp Spark TV, the first feminine station in Uganda, to match the rapid advancements in technology. Dr Kiboro noted that the decision is due to the rapid advances in digital technology, evolution in the social media landscape and broadening online behaviour.