Strategic senior appointments at Naspers

“Innovative and cross skilled business leadership is key in staying ahead of media trends in our business. We are fortunate to have a wealth of talent in the group to draw on in growing the business into the future,” commented Naspers acting CEO Cobus Stofberg.

“The lines between traditional and new media is fast blurring as consumers search for content anywhere anytime and on any device. There are many opportunities for the further development of our rich online media efforts. As a group we continue to develop both our local and international operations using the best talent available. I'd like to wish Glen, Patricia and John well in their new roles which take effect on 1 March 2008.”

Marques

Marques joined Mediazone, a group company focusing on the development of broadband video content services internationally and based in California, in 1997. From various regulatory and business development roles at both SuperSport and M-Net, he became CEO of M-Net in 2000. During his tenure at M-Net, he grew its base of own channels from 6 to 17, increased its local production slate to over 1900 television hours annually, and ensured that the M-Net suite of channels broadcast into sub-Saharan Africa are now all customised specifically for the sub continent.

“Over the years M-Net has been a fantastic challenge for me and I now relish the opportunity to participate in the next wave of growth as broadband services take hold rapidly worldwide,” commented Marques.

Scholtemeyer

Scholtemeyer has been with the group since 1999, initially as a publisher and subsequently as CEO of Media24's magazine division since 2000. Under Scholtemeyer, the magazine division grew from 17 to around 65 titles.

Commenting on the new role, Scholtemeyer said, “I look forward to a steep learning curve in the television world and to translate my understanding of consumers and their needs in driving M-Net in the future.”

Relihan

Relihan has been with the group since 1977. He started as a journalist and has management experience across newspapers, books and magazines. Currently as the publisher of Media24's family magazines, the largest and most profitable business unit within Media24 Magazines, he should be well-qualified to lead and grow the business going forward.

“Declining consumer spend will be a future challenge in the magazine business, but continued relevance and excellent editorial will continue to position Media24 Magazines as a leading player in the South African market,” commented Relihan.