Alex Okyere leads MultiChoice Ghana to next level
Still waters they say run deep and that’s more than an apt description of the Managing Director of MultiChoice Ghana, Alex Okyere.
Mr Okyere has been at the helm of affairs at MultiChoice Ghana since June 1, last year, with a task to further grow the business by taking it to the next level.
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“From all indications, things are moving along very well, even in the face of the economic difficulties Ghana is currently facing,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
Overseeing more than 400 plus staff at MultiChoice Ghana, the company that has made a major impact on the media and communication industry for close to 30 years, Mr Okyere is not daunted by that task but instead is ready to get down into the trenches and ensures he leaves an imprint.
Legacy
A chartered accountant and accomplished finance and sales professional, Mr Okyere wants to position MultiChoice Ghana as the biggest within the region.
“Although Ghana has very strong Free-to-Air channels, I believe we can crack that and become the biggest in our region. That is something I hope I can do with my team,” he told the Daily Graphic.
On a personal level, he wants to help alleviate poverty in the country.
“I know it is difficult but it is something that is dear to my heart, and I hope to be able to make a significant contribution to that,” he said.
His readiness and confidence are rooted in the vast experience he has garnered over the years working with some big-name organisations.
A chartered accountant who obtained his professional certificate in ACCA at Level 300 at the University of Ghana Business School he has worked with some bluechip companies, including accounting and advisory firms Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC); mining firm Newmont, oil companies Schlumberger and Weatherford in Nigeria and finally to MultiChoice.
“I think that was also a major turning point; going to Nigeria was heavenly. I didn’t witness all the bad things they were saying about Lagos. I got a lot of experience, and it was great.
It turned out to be as Sampson said in Judges 14:14 - Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet,” Mr Okyere said.
While working in Nigeria, he got another offer to work with another oil firm, Weatherford, where he oversaw West Africa, including Ghana.
MultiChoice Journey
Alex returned to Ghana in 2017 as the Regional Finance Director, with the office based in Accra.
After a restructuring in the office he was moved to Nairobi, Kenya, and he relocated with his family in 2018.
While in Kenya, there was another opportunity to return to Ghana in a Managing Director role and he took it last year.
With self-motivation drawn on his great feat in finance, Alex grabbed the opportunity and returned to head MultiChoice Ghana.
Challenge
“When I first took on the role, I was made to understand that the biggest problem was sales and GOtv. Sales goes with marketing, so I needed to give it attention and there were some people issues as well,” he said.
Mr Okyere said he spent 80 per cent of his time on sales, with many sleepless nights.
“Sometimes I had to come to the office at 4 a.m. I was always the first person to get to the office because I had to do presentations to my bosses in Dubai,” he told the Daily Graphic.
The first few months he spent a lot of time on sales, workshopping, finding out what was wrong and what could be done better.
Related to that was marketing because as he put it, “if you don’t have proper marketing communication, you can’t excel”.
The Managing Director of MultiChoice said that resulted in a number of measures, including fixing the sales and marketing operation, changing some officers, as well as changing incentives, re-demarcated the sales regions backed by scientific data.
“Our sales and marketing efforts are paying off and feeds into our subscriber numbers. The business has grown significantly, recording the biggest ever monthly growth in the history of the business in August 2022, with an all-time highest subscriber number in October, 2022,” Mr Okyere stated.
Humble beginnings
Born at Asamankese in the Eastern Region to a farmer father and a trader mother, Mr Okyere said the headmaster of the Junior Secondary School he attended at Asamankese nurtured his love for Accounting.
“Back then, I was among the best students in my school, coming first several times. And I had a headmaster who noticed I was good with business maths and encouraged me to study Accounting,” he said.
He spent a lot of time with his aunt and older sisters in Kumasi, and secured admission to Kumasi High School and graduated with aggregate 6.
He was in the school choir known as Shalom Singers, and plays the keyboard by understudying the one who played for the choir and also played for the Harvest Chapel, Kumasi, and at the University of Ghana, he was a member of the Chosen Vessels Choir.
Married with three kids, he loves football and his favourite teams are Accra Hearts of Oak and Chelsea. He also loves music and travelling.
Currently a member of the Ghana CEOs Network, the Association of South African Businesses in Ghana and the Association of French Businesses in Ghana, Alex is also a Fellow of both the ACCA and Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA) Ghana.
