Independent Media chief of staff Zenariah Barends has been appointed Sekunjalo Investment Group’s senior executive, while Howard Plaatjes will serve as chief operations officer for Independent Media.
The announcements were made by Sekunjalo and Independent Media executive chairman Dr Iqbal Survé yesterday.
Barends’s expanded portfolio will include management responsibility for legal services, communication and media liaison, multilateral engagement, international relations, talent development, academic engagement and transformation. She remains Independent Media’s chief of staff.
Survé said: “I am pleased to be making this announcement about Zenariah’s new position. I have known her for two decades, since she joined the Sekunjalo Group, as a young woman, fresh out of heading an Investigative Unit at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). She has consistently demonstrated her capacity to learn, lead and rise to new challenges.”
Barends said: “I started at Sekunjalo at 1998, when we had very little, using doors as tables. To be part of the history of a company, which is purpose-driven, committed to transformation and excellence, makes me so proud.”
Barends’s association with the Sekunjalo Group goes back to 1998 when she was a member of the team responsible for the listing of the fledgling BEE investment company on the JSE.
Meanwhile Plaatjes, who currently holds the position of group executive: trading performance and operations, joined Independent Media in August 2013. He was responsible for overseeing the alignment of the company’s printing, distribution and circulation operations with a focus on optimising efficiencies and cost-saving.
He was also responsible for establishing and monitoring performance reporting systems and participated in the development and co-ordination of operating budgets and strategic plans.
“In the evolving media environment, Howard’s penchant for risk assessment and building turnaround strategies is going to be critical to ensure that Independent Media achieves its growth strategy. I have every confidence in Howard and wish him success with his new portfolio,” said Survé.
Plaatjes was at the helm of Independent Media’s redesign process and the implementation of the company’s new business strategy, which started in mid-2016. The process culminated in the expansion of Independent Media’s operations to include specialised content business units for lifestyle, sports, business and politics.
Plaatjes said he was inspired and encouraged by the entrepreneurial approach and strategy of Independent Media.
“I look forward to working with the experienced team members, as well as the energy of the many talented young people who have joined our organisation over the past 18 months. Together we will work towards transforming Independent Media into the leading content provider on the continent.”