Machumu to leave MCL after two decades at the company
Mwananchi Communications Ltd outgoing managing director, Bakari Machumu. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
Machumu’s departure marks the culmination of a long-planned leadership transition. He leaves behind a strong foundation for the company’s continued success
Dar es Salaam. Bakari Machumu, a renowned media executive, is set to retire from his role as Managing Director of Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) after two decades with the company.
The announcement was made by the media company's Board Chair, Leonard Mususa, on June 3, 2024.
"The Board of Directors of Mwananchi Communications Limited wishes to inform its esteemed readers, shareholders, and other stakeholders that its long-serving executive and current Managing Director, Bakari S. Machumu, will be retiring from the organization effective August 31, 2024," read part of the statement from the board.
Mr Machumu’s departure is part of a long-planned executive leadership transition, building upon foundations laid down during his tenure as the key architect of MCL’s transformation from traditional print publisher to Tanzania’s largest digital news and related services network.
The company's current Executive Editor, Victor Mushi, will act in the capacity of Managing Director upon Machumu’s effective departure as the Board seeks a substantive replacement.
Machumu joined MCL in July 2004 as business editor for The Citizen, later leading the publication as Managing Editor between May 2006 and December 2013, driving its evolution into Tanzania’s premier business news brand.
From December 2013 to July 2020, Machumu served as Executive Editor, championing inclusive transformation across the entire news division at the peak of Web 2.0 in Tanzania, when journalism shifted from being editor-driven to being powered by audience insights and data, with user-generated content and usability at the centre of news delivery.
In July 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board once again trusted Machumu to lead at the highest level as Managing Director, where he successfully shepherded the organization to profitability at a time of great upheaval for media companies locally and globally.
Over the past four years, Machumu’s steady hand at the helm has kept MCL fighting fit, ensuring the business thrives despite significant economic volatility in the media sector, extreme post-COVID supply chain disruptions, and profound legislative pressures, effectively securing MCL’s future in the pantheon of great Tanzanian media houses.
The company's board assured its stakeholders that MCL will continue to champion digital engagement with its customers, "firmly rooted in award-winning public-interest journalism that empowers the nation."
