Nation Media Group (NMG), East Africa’s biggest media house, has named Geoffrey Odundo as its new Group Managing Director and CEO, effective April 7, 2025. He steps in at a critical time as the company navigates declining newspaper circulation and shifts its focus toward digital to drive growth.
Odundo succeeds Richard Tobiko, NMG’s Chief Financial Officer, who has served as interim CEO since August 2024. Tobiko stepped in after Stephen Gitagama, who had spent 17 years at the company, retired and steered it through major transitions.
Board chairman Wilfred Kiboro said Odundo is joining to “strengthen the team” and push NMG’s mission forward as the media house navigates big industry shifts.
The media giant has adopted a Financial Times-like strategy that prioritises digital distribution (it tapped FT’s expertise when launching its business publication, the Business Daily, in 2007) to help shape its digital transformation plan to secure long-term sustainability.
Before this appointment, Odundo was the CPF Group Executive Adviser and previously served as the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) CEO. Odundo also has a track record in executive leadership, including being the first Managing Director and CEO of Kingdom Securities, a Cooperative Bank-backed brokerage firm.
Odundo’s appointment continues a broader leadership shake-up that started in 2022. Joe Ageyo has been the Group’s editor-in-chief since 2023 and leads an integrated newsroom, while Monicah Ndung’u was appointed the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2022 and oversees the broadcast division.
NMG is betting on digital to turn things around. The new leadership will be expected to execute that vision by tapping into fresh revenue streams and keeping the company ahead in an increasingly digital-first media landscape.
