Intro » Business Background » Board of Directors/Management » Key People



ABN’s Board of Directors (left to right)
Chairman John Sanderson
Deputy Chairman and CEO George Twumasi
Finance Director Robert Soteriou
Chief Operating Officer Duncan Irvine
Executive Director Mary Goodyear
Executive Director Qondisa Ngwenya

Director details
John Sanderson, Chairman. John is a media business development expert. After ten years as a leading leisure and media sector investment analyst, John set up his own company, JFWS Ltd. Clients have included United Business Media, the English Football League, Channel 5 and Endemol UK.

George Twumasi, Deputy Chairman and CEO. George is the visionary force behind ABN. He has extensive professional, market knowledge of the free-to-air television broadcasting and advertising landscape in Africa and has established a global network of industry contacts. His ability to secure partnering commitments from the major African broadcasting organisations reflects his pivotal role in African media.

Robert Soteriou, Finance Director. Robert was with Price-Waterhouse in the UK, and is now senior partner at Soteriou Barnerji, a firm of chartered accountants in London. He has a working knowledge of Africa and extensive business know-how, having successfully run his own practice for over twenty years. Robert is also the Company Secretary of ABN.

Duncan Irvine, Chief Operations Officer. Duncan is a successful South African television producer, with extensive knowledge of programme procurement and product branding, direct spot advertising, corporate social responsibility sponsorships, and co-production management. He has produced over six thousand hours of television and has strong international links with major media companies including BBC Worldwide and the Los Angeles based United Talent Agents. The operational infrastructure of Johannesburg based Rapid Blue Pty Ltd (www.rapidblue.com), which Duncan founded - is supporting ABN’s pan-African head office operation.

Mary Goodyear, Director. Mary is a market researcher with a distinguished international track record. She has worked for numerous multinational companies and institutions, including the BBC, British Airways, CIBA, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Glaxo-Smith Kline, Shell, Unilever etc. Since her first project in Cameroon in 1971, she has worked extensively throughout Africa.

Qondisa Ngwenya, Executive Director. Qondisa is Managing Director and Deputy Group Managing Director of Octagon Marketing. As Managing Director of Octagon's South Africa office, Qondisa oversees new business development, key account management on marketing consulting and TV and new media business, and a number of other areas. He also provides risk and financial management, and heads OctagonÕs expansion to the rest of Africa including liaison with football and broadcasting stakeholders around the globe. Prior to working at Octagon, Qondisa held positions at the South African Sports Commission and the National Sports Council of South Africa. He holds an MBA from Leicester Business School and a BS from the University of Cape Town.