Jobs/Appointments
PR Guru Segun McMedal Joins Mediacraft as Director
By Ahmed Rahma
An experienced Public Relation practitioner, Mr Segun McMedal, has been appointed as the Director of Innovation and Business Development of a leading PR consultancy firm and Nigeria affiliate of the FleishmanHillard global PR network, Mediacraft Associates.
Mr McMedal, who is the current Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), will assume the new office from Monday, January 4, 2021.
The PR guru is expected to bring his wealth of experience in Nigeria’s marketing communications landscape to bear in exploring and optimising new business opportunities, while also strengthening existing business relationships.
As part of his duties, he is also expected to drive innovative business processes for Mediacraft Associates, as well as help promote the founder’s agenda of working to ensure that Public Relations takes its pride of place as the lead function in the Nigerian marketing communications industry.
Speaking on the appointment, the Group CEO of Mediacraft, Mr John Ehiguese, said, “We are very delighted to welcome Segun to the leadership team of our company.
“He brings on board, as his major assets, a wealth of experience in PR consultancy practice, and a vast personal network. His appointment is expected to reinforce our strategic growth and transformation programme, by which we are aiming to raise the bar of our service delivery to a level that matches global best practice standards.”
Commenting on his new job, Mr McMedal said: “I have watched Mediacraft Associates grow, with admiration, in the last 17 years. The company has grown steadily to become a leading communications consultancy in Nigeria.
“I am excitedly looking forward to joining the leadership team and building on the great foundation and growth potential of the business.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The former Governor of Benue State, Mr George Akume, has been sworn in as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Mr Akume, who moved into the Senate after he left office as Governor from 1999 to 2007, was appointed as SGF by President Bola Tinubu last week.
On Wednesday, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, he took the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office in the presence of his boss and others.
Those present were the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima; the Senate President, Mr Ahmed Lawan; the Benue State Governor, Mr Hyacinth Alia; the Kwara State Governor, Mr AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Folasade Yemi-Esan.
The 69-year-old former lawmaker from 2007 to 2015 is the 21st person to occupy the position, taking over from Mr Boss Mustapha, who served under the immediate past administration of Mr Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is an honour to be chosen to serve in this exalted position out of over 200 million Nigerians.
“It is a challenge to serve in line with the oaths I have taken today. I assure Nigerians I will do my best and I will not disappoint the President.
“I will not disappoint this country; I will not disappoint my party. I believe Nigerians will find fulfilment in my responsibility as I discharge my duties,” Mr Akume said after the brief ceremony today.
Mr Akume served under Mr Buhari as Minister of Special Duties from 2019 to 2023.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has been appointed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Gbajabiamila won his re-election into the lower chamber of the National Assembly on February 25, 2023, but with this appointment, he will have to lose his seat in the parliament to coordinate the activities of his new boss.
Also, Mr Tinubu has picked the former Governor of Benue State, Mr George Akume, as the new Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF).
He is take over from the former occupier of the position, Mr Boss Mustapha, who served under the administration of the immediate past President, Mr Muhammadu Buhari.
Similarly, the former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Mr Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, has been chosen by Mr Tinubu as his Deputy Chief of Staff.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Mr Roshan Dharia has been appointed as the interim chief executive of Paxful, a leading global peer-to-peer Bitcoin platform.
In a statement issued by the company’s press team, it was disclosed that the appointment of Mr Dharia became effective on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Recall that Paxful returned to business some weeks ago after it shut down its operations due to internal issues.
Mr Dharia would be expected to reposition the firm “with the objectives of strengthening operations and exploring strategic alternatives.”
He was most recently a senior executive at TrustToken (now known as Archblock) where he led the DeFi institutional lending business, successfully deploying over $1.5 billion in stablecoin loans to crypto-native companies.
Prior to TrustToken, Roshan founded and built the investment platform PTHL Affiliates, which specialized in the acquisition and turnaround of distressed private companies across multiple industries.
As a seasoned executive, he has held various positions as an investor and investment banker with transactional experience totalling over $30 billion across mergers and acquisitions, financial restructurings, and financings.
The interim CEO, who is highly adept in navigating special situations with complex risk profiles and significant intrinsic value, said he was greatly honoured “to become CEO of Paxful.”
“Over the last eight years, Paxful has been a pioneer in establishing the real use cases of Bitcoin and helping millions of people in the process.
“I look forward to hitting the ground running and building on the innovative technology developed by the Paxful team,” he added.
The Custodian of Paxful, Srinivas Raju, while commenting on the appointment, said, “I’m delighted that Roshan has joined Paxful and will take over day-to-day management of the company. I’m confident under his leadership; the business will keep building a financial system that truly serves the 100 per cent.”
Since its inception in 2015, Paxful has grown to a community of over 12 million users around the world, with billions of dollars traded on the platform over the last eight years.
