Earlier this week, John Ugbe retired as CEO, and Kemi Omotosho is taking over.
It’s a big change as the market gets tougher. Omotosho is the first woman to be CEO of MultiChoice Nigeria. She has worked in Sub-Saharan Africa for over 20 years. She knows how to deal with big operations, pressure, and tricky markets.
She’s in charge of one of the company’s biggest markets when things are difficult. The economy isn’t great, people aren’t spending as much, and there’s a lot of competition. It’s not an easy time.
Before this, Omotosho was in charge of Southern Africa for MultiChoice Group. She handled the money side of things in seven important markets. She dealt with changing money values, rising prices, and people’s changing TV habits.
She has a good education. She got a Biochemistry degree from the University of Ilorin and later an MBA from Lagos Business School. She has also been to leadership programs at different business schools. She has focused on making good decisions and being a good leader.
She has experience in different areas, from professional work to managing countries. People who have worked with her say she likes things to be clear and quick. She believes in keeping what works, fixing what’s not working, and getting rid of what’s broken.
She’s taking over from John Ugbe, who has been with MultiChoice Nigeria since 1998. He has worked in almost every part of the company. When he became Managing Director in 2011, the pay TV market was opening up. That year, GOtv was launched, which made it easier for more people to access the service.
Under his leadership, the company got bigger. In 2013, the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards started, which gave African film and TV a chance to be recognised. The Abuja office opened that same year, and DStv Explora was launched in Nigeria. By 2014, things like GOtv Boxing Night and Africa Magic Showcase showed that the company was more involved locally and had a wider variety of content.
Ugbe also pushed for empowerment and going digital. He started programs like the Canvassers and GOtv Sabimen schemes, which created over 15,000 jobs for Nigerians. In 2017, DStv Now (now DStv Stream) came to Nigeria, and Big Brother Naija returned after being gone for eleven years. When he became CEO in 2018, the MultiChoice Talent Factory was launched, which trains young people in film and TV.
The company kept growing. Showmax launched in Nigeria in 2019. A Big Brother Naija house and studio were built in Lagos. In 2020, the company gave ₦1.2 billion to help with COVID-19 through campaigns, money, and protective equipment. Ugbe later became Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria and started The Nigerian Broadcasting Awards in 2023.
When he retired, MultiChoice Nigeria had 11 branches across the country, GOtv was available in 52 cities, they had won over 50 awards, and they were doing more to support local creative talent. Productions like Big Brother Naija and AMVCA have created over 25,000 jobs in five years.
MultiChoice has a plan for who takes over when someone leaves, so Omotosho’s job is to keep things going in a tough market. She’s in charge of strategy, money, and relationships with the government, and she’s responsible for DStv, GOtv, and online platforms. She’ll be focusing on making things affordable, simple, and worth the money, and making sure customers are the priority.
It’s a change in style as well as timing. Ugbe is leaving a company that’s big and well-known. Omotosho is taking over, and she has experience in markets where it’s important to be strong. The company is stable, but things are difficult. How she handles things will determine what happens next for MultiChoice in Nigeria.
