Motsatse to take over as new CEO of SAMRO as Hooijer steps down

Nicholas Motsatse will be only the fourth Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Southern African Music Rights Organization (SAMRO) since the society's inception in 1962 when he takes over from the esteemed Rob Hooijer on July 1, 2006.

This development was announced on Wednesday, 01 February 2006 by SAMRO Board Chairman Annette Emdon. "We remain committed to the transformation of structures in which SAMRO participates so as to effect meaningful change in the lives of all South African citizens and especially our members. SAMRO's future will only be sustainable if we consistently meet the real needs of the creators and owners of music by protecting their intellectual property," she said.

Making this announcement to the senior management of the organization and the staff Emdon said, "As part of the organizational development and change within SAMRO, Mr Rob Hooijer felt the time has arrived to stand down so as to enable a new CEO to take SAMRO forward into the challenging brave new world of digital technology. As Mr Hooijer will be stepping down on 30 June 2006, the board felt it would be a natural progression for Mr Nicholas Motsatse to take over as SAMRO's new CEO."

She said however, that Hooijer will not be lost to SAMRO as he will serve the organization as a 'special advisor' to the CEO for the second semester of this year. Emdon thanked Hooijer for his dedication, vision and passion in 'steering the ship to where it is today'.

Hooijer has been CEO of SAMRO since the mid 90's taking over the organization's leadership from the founding executives and instilled a culture of bold targets for revenues that would benefit members in a meaningful way. In 2004 at the end of the Vision 2003 strategic initiative Hooijer said, "The implementation of this plan which set business goals as well as transformation objectives, has by and large, seen a number of noteworthy changes and developments within SAMRO. The next five years will see improvements taking place at SAMRO both in the front as well as back office services of the society."

Soon after Emdon made the announcement about Motsatse's appointment at SAMRO, Hooijer in congratulating Motsatse said, "Your passionate interest in and deep commitment to South African music has led to this point where you will now become the one entrusted with the responsibility of leading the team that looks after the rights and interests of our members."

Motsatse has been serving as Marketing Director and Joint Deputy CEO with Alan Johnston working together with Hooijer on the review of SAMRO's structures, strategies, including its purpose, its vision and the values which govern the way it does business. His leadership attributes knowledge of authors rights, collective management have earned him respect in the music industry and beyond.

A humanities graduate with further studies in marketing and communications, completing his Master of Business Leadership (MBL) with the UNISA School of Business Leadership, Motsatse, has been active participant in the South African music industry. Known for his passion for developing and growing both SAMRO and the South African music business, he has for the past two years become a person of note on the broader South African music scene, serving as Chairman of the Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition and acting as convener of the South African Music Industry Co-Operation Initiative, (SAMICI).

In welcoming the changes and his new role at the organization Motsatse said, "It is an honor to me to be entrusted with this responsibility and I accept it with humility. I am grateful to Rob for the sterling work he has done in building SAMRO into the formidable organization it is."

Soon after the announcement CEO designate Motsatse was already on his way to the International Chamber of Commerce meeting in Geneva to present a paper on "Intellectual Property in Developing Nations". The next five months will see the two men working closely together as part of the handover process. Motsatse however, insists that Hooijer is still the CEO and in charge and he (Motsatse) will continue in his role as the Marketing Director of SAMRO.

In line with the values of SAMRO and its team culture, Johnston will continue as Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer to sustain the strong team behind the new changes.