Monitor Publications taps three top women to its board
The Nation Media Group, the parent company of Monitor Publications Ltd (MPL), has appointed three women as non-executive directors on the MPL board, increasing the number of board members to nine.
The new appointees are Ms Susan Nsibirwa, an outstanding communications and marketing professional; Mrs Harriet Nabakooza Musoke, a leading human capital expert; and Dr Emilly Comfort Maractho, a distinguished academic and researcher.
Up until these appointments that took effect on April 1, MPL board was all-male.
Prof Samuel Sejjaaka, the board chairman, said the changes mark a start of the organisation’s gender-equality journey.
The vast knowledge and experience of the appointees, he noted, will infuse fresh ideas, energy and drive to clarify a better future direction for MPL.
“All of them possess vast experience in media and human resources and they are also the first female appointees. Previously, we have had only men on the board; so, this will correct that [imbalance] and help in gender balance,” he said.
30th anniversary
The MPL board also serves Africa Broadcasting Uganda Ltd (ABUL), better known by the flagship NTV-U.
The board is responsible for making policies, providing oversight and giving general direction for the good governance and profitable management of the businesses under MPL, which include the Daily Monitor newspaper, KFM and Dembe FM radio stations and Nation Courier Service.
Responding to the appointments, Dr Maractho, who is substantively the director for Africa Policy Centre at Uganda Christian University, said: “I feel humbled and honoured to be part of the team at MPL... this offers me a great platform to make a small contribution to journalism and media development in this country.”
She pledged to work together with the “great team” at MPL and committed to build the businesses and brands of the company that have endured for decades.
MPL will in July mark its 30th anniversary on a journey of trials and triumphs, mainly through its no-holds-barred responsible and influential journalism.
Productive workforce
Mrs Musoke, also named as a non-executive member, said she would first need to undergo induction and understand the culture of the company.
“Culture can have your strategy for breakfast. I also need to understand the synergies between the different business units so [that] we can make money,” she said. “As a board, we will engage management to ensure that we have a productive workforce.”
She promised to look into the challenges that staff face, which affect their career growth, the relationship between management and the junior staff as well as staff engagement.
Ms Nsibirwa, who doubles as the chair of the board of the Africa Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), yesterday said she was privileged to be tapped to serve on the MPL board.
The appointment, she said, was for her a homecoming since she cut her journalistic teeth working as a freelance writer when the then Monitor newspaper, later renamed the Daily Monitor, was founded.
“I look forward to using my experience in media, commercial management and marketing to take the company to the next level,” she said. BY DAILY NATION
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