Jobs/Appointments
Strive Masiyiwa Becomes First African on Netflix Board
By Adedapo Adesanya
The global streaming platform, Netflix, has appointed the Group Executive Chairman and founder of Econet, Mr Strive Masiyiwa, to its board.
The appointment has made Mr Masiyiwa the first-ever African to join the board of directors of the company.
Mr Masiyiwa is Zimbabwe’s richest businessman with an estimated net worth of $1 billion and leads mobile telecom giant Econet Global’s operations in over 20 countries across Africa and Europe.
Currently serving on several international boards including the Global Advisory boards of Bank of America and Stanford University as well as chairing the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the Zimbabwean telecommunication mogul brings with him a wealth of managerial experience to the Netflix directorate.
Speaking on his appointment, Netflix Chairman and co-CEO, Mr Reeds Hastings, said, “We are delighted to welcome Strive to the Netflix board. His entrepreneurship and vision in building businesses across Africa and beyond will bring valuable insights and experience to our board as we work to improve and serve more members all around the world.”
His appointment comes a week after Ms Susan Rice, former US ambassador to the United Nations, disclosed she would be quitting her role on the Netflix board to join US President-elect, Mr Joe Biden’s administration in January 2021.
He also remains the only African member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience.
Born in Zimbabwe, Mr Masiyiwa had his higher education at Edinburgh, Scotland before obtaining an Electrical Engineering degree at the University of Wales in 1983.
After working for about a year in the ICT industry at Cambridge, he returned to Zimbabwe in 1984 to work as a telecoms engineer for the country’s telephone company.
He later quit his job and founded his own telecom company, Econet Wireless in 1993. But Mr Masiyiwa’s Econet could not secure an operating licence until 1998 when it finally ended telecom monopoly in Zimbabwe after a five-year legal battle with the late Robert Mugabe-led administration.
In the same year, the telecoms tycoon listed Econet on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, making it a publicly-traded company. Since then, he has remained at the helm of affairs of Econet Group. He also owns a 50 per cent stake in Africa’s largest fibre optics business, Liquid Telecom.
Speaking on his appointment, he said, “Netflix is at the forefront of bringing great entertainment from anywhere in the world to everyone in the world, and I look forward to working with the board and all stakeholders to continue its traditions of innovation and growth.”
Globally recognised as one of Africa’s most prolific philanthropists, Mr Masiyiwa donated $10 million earlier this year in funding and support to over 1,700 healthcare workers to aid the response against COVID-19.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has appointed Mr Jean-Marc Cordier, a former Vice President of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), to head its oil trading business.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Mr Garbadeen Muhammad, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the organisation, saying Mr Cordier joined as the Head of its oil trading arm, NNPC Trading Limited.
He said Mr Cordier’s appointment was in furtherance of the ongoing repositioning drive in the company toward improved growth, better performance and service delivery.
According to the company, the renowned international oil trader, a French/Swiss national, holds a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance with Distinction from Paris 9 University.
“[Mr] Cordier comes into the role with a rich background spanning over 30 years in physical oil, oil derivatives and risk management with significant experience in reorganizing and creating a trading business,” he said.
He spent 24 years with Elf Trading/Total Trading in various positions as Trader, Trading Desk Manager in Geneva and four years as the Global Trading Manager at Addax Energy in Geneva.
At ADNOC in Abu Dhabi, UAE, he served as Vice President, Middle Distillates, Senior Vice President of Risk Management, Senior Team Member in charge of building the trading activity for ADNOC and the launch of ADNOC Global Trading (AGT) in December 2020,” he said.
Mr Muhammad said that Cordier had since assumed duty.
Business Post understands that the French-Swiss national’s appointment has sparked outbursts from stakeholders who complained that it doesn’t align with the promises of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which promises more Nigerian involvement in the country’s oil company.
While some argued that expatriates have always held posts in oil companies, others said NNPC should endeavour to promote the local content drive of the federal government.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An outsourced human resources (HR) management solution designed to accelerate the activities of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country has been introduced by a leading talent management company in Nigeria, Jobrole Consulting Limited.
This plan, called Jobrole Flexi HR, will enable small business owners to navigate common HR challenges while focusing on core business operations.
It is an integrated human resources and business solution designed to meet the administrative needs of Nigerian small businesses and help them grow from sole proprietorships to flourishing organizations with select employees and clientele lists.
Jobrole Consulting is reputed for its wide-ranging human resources solution for high business performance, and this new package further cements its status in the industry.
The Director of Strategy and New Market at Jobrole Consulting, Mr Chigbo Okeke, informed newsmen that the Jobrole Flexi HR plan was to justify that people are a strategic resource for every business.
According to him, no matter how large or small a business is, there is always a need to use effective HR strategic planning techniques to manage the company’s resources and minimize human resources issues.
“We are excited to introduce Jobrole Flexi HR plan to the Nigerian SME market. This is an outsourced HR management solution that assists start-ups and other small-to-medium-sized businesses in reducing operational issues such as staff identity risks, recruitment turnaround time, hiring costs, and developing HR policies for your organization.
“These HR activities are vital business functions, strategic to the operational success of all businesses. We help our clients carry out these tasks and get them done without a hitch while they face their core business operations,” he said.
Mr Okeke added that, “Nigerian small businesses must prioritize building a comprehensive human resources programme into the company’s overall business strategy.”
This, he said, is critical to increasing their bottom line and capable of strengthening their organization’s competitive advantage.
Some Flexi HR deliverables include staff recruitment, onboarding and documentation, employee background checks, performance management, payroll management, and HR policy development.
He urged small business owners in Nigeria to take into account that the HR role is key to their operations, noting that with the changing nature of the work environment in recent years, it is now very clear that the role of HR is very significant for small and bigger businesses because the value one or a few employees add to the business’s performance is quite significant and immeasurable.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The former chief executive officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Mr Yemi Kale, has joined a leading audit firm, KPMG Nigeria, as a partner and chief economist.
Mr Kale was also Nigeria’s Statistician General of the Federation between 2011 and 2021 and was very respected for how he projected the agency as a reputable stats agency.
In a post on Thursday, KPMG said Mr Kale would lead the company’s view on macroeconomics and enhance the breadth of our solutions involving economic modelling and macroeconomic analysis in private and public sector clients.
“The partners and staff of KPMG Nigeria are pleased to welcome Dr Oyeyemi Kale to our firm as he assumes the role of Partner and Chief Economist of KPMG Nigeria.
“Yemi holds a B.Sc. Honours degree in Economics (first class), Addis Ababa University, and an http://M.Sc. (Distinction) and PhD in Economics from The London School of Economics and Political Science.
“He has deep experience, gained from both the private and public sector, in macroeconomic analysis, financial, economic and investment research and fiscal and macroeconomic policy advisory.
“From 2011 to 2021, he served as the Statistician General of the Federation/Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
“As our Chief Economist, Yemi will lead the firm’s view on macroeconomics and enhance the breadth of our solutions involving economic modelling & macroeconomic analysis in private and public sector clients,” the announcement read.
Under his watch, the stats office released data that were favourable and unfavourable to the ruling government with fear.
