By Femi Akinlolu
Kemi Omotosho, recently announced as MultiChoice Nigeria’s CEO, takes over the country’s most visible media business, one that is watched closely by consumers, regulators and competitors alike, writes…
When MultiChoice Nigeria announced Kemi Omotosho as its new Chief Executive Officer last Tuesday, it marked the close of one era and the beginning of another. She succeeds John Ugbe, whose tenure helped shape the company into the most visible player in the Nigerian media space. Omotosho now takes responsibility for steering that business forward, becoming the first woman to lead MultiChoice Nigeria in the process.
Her appointment places her at the helm of one of the MultiChoice Group’s largest and most closely followed operations. MultiChoice Nigeria sits at the centre of pay television and digital media conversations in the country, watched closely by subscribers, regulators, competitors, and the creative industry it supports. Leading it is as much about managing expectations as it is about running a business.
Much of Omotosho’s career has unfolded inside that kind of spotlight. Before this role, she served as Regional Director for Southern Africa at MultiChoice Group, overseeing a portfolio across seven countries. The job came with full responsibility for profit and loss and constant engagement with issues that define many African markets. These include currency volatility, inflation, regulation and changing habits of the consumer. It was a role that demanded attention to detail and discipline rather visibility.
That regional assignment was built on years spent close to the commercial core of the business. Omotosho’s experience cuts across various sectors and disciplines. She previously led customer value management across more than 50 African markets for the Group and held senior roles in Nigeria. Earlier in her career, she worked at Airtel Nigeria, moving through a variety of functions. Across these roles runs a consistent focus on how revenue is generated, how customers behave, and where value is either strengthened or quietly lost.
Her education and executive training reflect that practical orientation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ilorin and later completed an Executive MBA at Lagos Business School. Over time, she has attended executive programmes at INSEAD, IESE Business School, Duke Corporate Education, and Harvard Business School, alongside leadership programmes within MultiChoice and Naspers. The emphasis throughout has been on governance, performance and decision making at scale.
People who have worked with her often describe a leadership style that is direct and structured. Priorities are clearly set. Functions are expected to work together rather than in isolation. Decisions are taken with an eye on execution, not just analysis. The different departments and functional roles within the business are treated as parts of the same operating system, not competitors.
That approach will be central to her work in Nigeria. In recent years, MultiChoice Nigeria has faced pressures familiar across the industry. Consumer purchasing power has weakened. Foreign exchange losses have reduced the real value of revenues. Operating costs have soared. Competition from global streaming platforms has intensified. Subscriber growth has slowed.
As a result, attention has moved to ensuring value for money, keeping the customers at the heart of key decision making, and growing digital platforms without losing the core audience that still sustains the business. Omotosho arrives with recent experience in navigating exactly these issues, having overseen digital transitions and operational changes across multiple African markets.
She steps into the role on a foundation built by Ugbe, whose years in leadership reshaped MultiChoice Nigeria in lasting ways. On his watch, GOtv was introduced, widening access to pay television. The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) created a major platform for recognising African film and television. Investment in local content increased, operations expanded nationwide and the creative sector benefited from sustained funding and visibility.
Under Ugbe, the company grew to 11 branches across the country, expanded GOtv coverage to 52 cities, produced thousands of hours of local content and invested heavily in creative development. These achievements left behind a strong structure and, certainly, high expectations.
Through a structured transition strategy, what Omotosho inherits is a large and complex organisation with established platforms, strong public visibility and significant influence. Her responsibility spans strategy, profit management, cash control, governance, regulatory relationships and performance across DStv, GOtv and digital services. The emphasis is likely to be on discipline, affordability, and customer retention rather than rapid expansion.
Ugbe leaves behind a business defined by reach and presence. Omotosho steps in shaped by experience in markets where stability, careful choices and follow through mattered as much as ambition. The base is solid. The path ahead requires balance. How she manages that balance will shape the next phase of MultiChoice Nigeria and define how the business evolves in the years ahead.
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