Four high-profile MultiChoice executives have resigned or have left the company in recent weeks, raising questions as to what is behind these departures.
This week, MultiChoice announced that the CEO of its South African operations, Mark Rayner, had resigned to “further his journey outside the group” and the company said Rayner will leave MultiChoice on 30 November 2020 and that his successor will be announced “in the near future”.
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This follows shortly after the resignation of MultiChoice Connected Video CEO Niclas Ekdahl in June to “pursue personal interests”. Yolisa Phahle will take over Ekdahl’s position, in addition to running the General Entertainment division.
Other departures include MultiChoice Group chief strategy officer Max Krudop and MultiChoice Connected Video head of communications Richard Boorman. The exodus of high-profile executives at MultiChoice sparked speculation that there may be something more to these resignations than meets the eye.
One theory is that MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela’s management style and strategic direction for the company led to the resignations. There is also speculation that some of the resignations and departures were not planned, but this could not be confirmed.
MultiChoice questioned about the spate of high-profile departures at the company, commented that:
Over the last while we have reflected on our ways of work and structure focusing on our efficiencies within the group. As part of this process, we have had some voluntary departures. We will continue to strive for efficiencies going forward.
Here is a quick overview of the high-profile MultiChoice resignations and departures in recent weeks.
MultiChoice SA CEO Mark Rayner
MultiChoice South Africa CEO Mark Rayner joined the company 2007, where he served as the CFO of DStv Mobile until September 2008, after which he took the helm at the company.
As CEO of DStv Mobile, he oversaw the introduction of various mobile television services across the African continent. In November 2013, Rayner was appointed as the chief operating officer of MultiChoice South Africa and was promoted to CEO in May 2016.
MultiChoice Connected Video CEO Niclas Ekdahl
MultiChoice Connected Video CEO Niclas Ekdahl was appointed to the position in September 2018. He drove several projects at the Connected Video unit during his tenure, including a redesign of the DStv Now interface and the launch of Showmax’s R49 mobile-only plan.
Under his leadership, the company performed field tests for its standalone streaming service, which will offer DStv content over the Internet without requiring an installed dish or decoder.
MultiChoice Group Chief Strategy Officer Max Krudop
MultiChoice Group chief strategy officer Max Krudop joined Naspers in January 2016 as a strategy director. In this role, he was responsible for group strategy, support to Naspers portfolio companies, business development, and identifying new investments.
In May 2018, he joined MultiChoice Group as chief strategy officer where he was also responsible for new investments, partnerships, and special projects.
MultiChoice’s Connected Video’s Head of Communications Richard Boorman
MultiChoice’s Connected Video’s head of communications Richard Boorman was one of Showmax’s first employees when he joined the company in August 2015 as head of communications.
After Showmax merged with MultiChoice’s Connected Video division, he was appointed as head of communications and brand journalism. He is well-known as one of South Africa’s premier communications specialists who have successfully run media and investor relations at Vodacom and Sappi.
