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EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS

Africa-focused OOH media company Primedia Outdoor appoints new CEO

By our News Team | 2023

Business exec Bongumusa Makhathini takes over the reins to drive company’s growth strategy in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent.

Africa-focused OOH media company Primedia Outdoor has appointed Bongumusa Makhathini as its new Chief Executive Officer. The company is a market leader in the sector and has more than 19,000 advertising assets across the continent – including high-end digital displays, freeway and suburban signage, street furniture and static advertising.

Makhathini, who is based in South Africa, is described as a “seasoned executive” with more than 15 years of experience in both the private and SOE sectors.

Executive Appointments

Photo courtesy of Primedia Group

“He is an accomplished businessman with a finely attuned aptitude for operational excellence and a solid track record in socially responsible business development and transformation,” Primedia Outdoor says in a media statement. The Primedia Group also comprises a broadcasting business with multiple radio stations and a radio news service.

Makhathini was appointed following an intensive executive search by international headhunting specialist Egon Zehnder.

He has served on the boards of British American Tobacco, South African Breweries, the Sports Trust, the Ekurhuleni World Outreach Centre Advisory Board, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), health sector NGO Pink Drive, and SAtion, a social enterprise that promotes economic development.

Attended the famous Harvard Business School

Makhathini holds a Master’s Degree in Commerce and an Honours Degree in Economic Geography. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s General Management Programme.

He takes over from Dave Roberts, who now serves as the Chairman of Primedia Outdoor and also heads up mergers and acquisitions (M&A) at Primedia Group.

“The Primedia Group’s business resilience, expansion and re-invention is the work of courageous leadership and I am honoured to be joining this exemplary team,” Makhathini said.

“I have watched as Primedia has elevated business excellence and innovation not only in the broadcasting sector, but in the growing and highly contested outdoor media sector. Over recent years, Primedia Outdoor has led and reinvigorated the entire industry, both in South Africa and beyond.”

According to PwC’s Africa Entertainment and Media Outlook 2022-2026, OOH in the key African markets of South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria will show modest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through to 2026. However, it is facing increased competition from new media platforms and technologies.

Dr Kin Kariisa

Group CEO - Next Media

Dr. Kin Kariisa is an extraordinary force at the helm of Next Media Services, a conglomerate encompassing NBS TV, Nile Post, Sanyuka TV, Next Radio, Salam TV, Next Communication, Next Productions, and an array of other influential enterprises. His dynamic role as Chief Executive Officer exemplifies his unwavering commitment to shaping media, business, and community landscapes.
With an esteemed academic journey, Dr. Kariisa’s accolades include an Honorary PhD in exemplary community service from the United Graduate College inTexas, an MBA from United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Huazong University in China, and a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Makerere University.
Dr. Kariisa pursued PhD research in Computer Security and Identity Management at Security of Systems Group, Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. As a dynamic educator, he has shared his expertise as a lecturer of e-Government and Information Security at both Makerere University and Radboud University.

Dr Kin did his PhD research in Computer Security and Identity Management at Security of Systems Group, Radbond University in Nigmegen, Netherlands. He previously served as a lecturer of e-Government and Information Security at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda and Radbond University in Netherlands.

Dr Kin did his postgraduate courses in Strategic Business Management, Strategic Leadership Communication and Strategies for Leading Successful Change Initiatives at Harvard University, Boston USA.

  • Other current and previous roles played by Dr Kin Kariisa:
  • Lecturer of e-Government and Information Security to graduate students at Makerere University, Kampala and Radbond University in the Netherlands
  • Director of Eco Bank Uganda Limited, one of the largest banks in Africa
  • Chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, an umbrella industry association for all Television, Radio and online broadcasters in Uganda.
  • Chairman of Board of Directors of Nile Hotel International, that owns the leading hotel in Uganda, Kampala Serena Hotel.
  • Chairman of Board of Directors of Soliton Telmec Uganda, the leading telecom company in Optic fibre business managing over 80% of optic fibre in Uganda.