Primedia Broadcasting brings in heavyweight Mark Jakins as CCO

Mark Jakins

“Mark will be driving the commercial strategy for our business as a whole, which is a much broader portfolio than we have had in the past and he will bring his considerable talents and skills to bear to grow revenue and strengthen our market positioning,” said Primedia Broadcasting CEO, Omar Essack.

Mark has proved to be exceptionally strong at managing multiple portfolios to drive revenue and improve profitability, as well as lead new initiatives and projects to bring in new revenue streams, motivate teams and build equity for the brands that he has worked on.

He will join the broadcaster from Peermont Hotels Casinos and Resorts where he has served as both Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Marketing and Operations Executive since 2006.

His experience spans the hospitality, entertainment, service and FMCG industries, and includes significant exposure to the media environment. He was Chief Executive of Commercial Enterprises at the SABC from 2001 to 2006 – responsible for all television and radio airtime sales, sponsorships, marketing, audience services, mobile and merchandising divisions – whilst serving on the SABC EXCO – and was a key driver in returning the SABC to profitability at the time.

Mark has also held senior positions in marketing and sales at Budget Rent-a-Car, Southern Sun Hotel Group and early on in his career worked for Sun International, Royal Beechnut (Nabisco) and Unilever.

“Mark is a very strong negotiator; has an excellent track record as a leader and he’s an innovative marketer,” said Essack. “With this combination of talents, we feel he is going to play an important role in future-proofing and growing our business.”

“I am looking forward to joining and making a difference in the dynamic Primedia family, and its fantastic brand offerings – real assets that are loved by knowledgeable audiences – and who are in turn chased by serious marketers wanting to connect and positively influence their own product sales,” Jakins enthused.