[PRESS OFFICE] After an intense executive search by Egon Zehnder, an international head hunter, Primedia Group announced that leading businessman Bongumusa Makhathini has joined the Group, heading up Primedia Outdoor. It is a premier provider and market leader in the highly competitive out of home media sector in South Africa and on the Continent with over 19 000 advertising assets across these markets.
Mathathini is a seasoned executive with more than 15 years of experience in both the private and SOE sectors. 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. He takes over from Dave Roberts who now serves as the Chairman of Primedia Outdoor and also heads up M&A at Primedia Group.
A tower of business acumen with great proficiency in Board and corporate governance, Makhathini has served on the Boards of British American Tobacco, South African Breweries, the Sports Trust, the Ekurhuleni World Outreach Centre Advisory Board, the SABC, Pink Drive and SAtion.
Among an impressive list of academic qualifications, 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.
Makhathini’s extensive stakeholder development expertise, both at an executive level and at grassroots level, brings immeasurable stature and business wisdom to the Group. He is set to provide strong momentum to Primedia Outdoor’s growth strategy, making sure that the business optimises its business opportunities in all the markets in which it operates.
With Makhathini’s considerable networks and credibility across business and communities, he will ensure that the business is always fully grounded, relevant to, and rooted in the markets it serves.
An excited Makhathini said, “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. 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. I have always admired the spirit of the Primedia Group – its tenacity and determination to go where others fear to tread and to make the impossible possible.
“Many years ago I did an interview with 702’s Bruce Whitfield and I told listeners how my uncle gave me the nickname ‘Ayilali Ikhonjiwe’, which roughly translates as “Once I have set my mind on something, I go for it full force. The Primedia Group has this same spirit of tenacity that I do. It is a perfect fit for me”.
Group CEO of Primedia, Jonathan Procter, said: “Last year I shared the Primedia Group’s Vision 2025 with our staff, our partners and our advertisers. I spoke of how the Group’s growth strategy was based on excellence and innovation on the shoulders of exceptional talent. I am delighted to introduce Bongumusa Makhathini as the CEO of Primedia Outdoor. He brings drive, determination and a fresh approach that is an intrinsic part of the Primedia DNA. Having Bongumusa on board gives us a distinctive advantage in the highly competitive markets in which we operate. We are confident that Bongumusa will take Primedia Outdoor to new heights in South Africa and on the Continent.”
About Primedia Outdoor
Primedia Outdoor is the premier provider of out of home media solutions within Sub Saharan Africa. A Level 1 BBEEE contributor, Primedia Outdoor is currently the largest wholly South African-owned outdoor advertising media specialist offering national outdoor exposure throughout South Africa and high reach in key markets in rest of Africa. Primedia Outdoor offers flexible coverage of the entire LSM/SEM spectrum, targeting cosmopolitan consumers in major urban areas through to those living in rural communities.
Primedia Outdoor delivers exposure across a mix of media opportunities and audience environments, including high-end digital billboards, freeway and suburban spectaculars and street furniture, as well as classic roadside advertising.
