Veteran journalist and media executive Julie Gichuru has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Nation Media Group Plc (NMG) as part of sweeping changes to the company’s board.
Gichuru is among six new directors appointed to the NMG Board, with the changes taking effect on Friday, August 28, 2026, following the conclusion of a recent transaction. Other newly appointed directors are Julius Kangogo Kipng’etich, Juliana Rotich, Georgia Mutagahywa, Bharat Thakrar and Wilfred Musau.
NMG Group Chairman Joe Muganda announced the changes in a message to employees, saying the new directors bring extensive experience in media, communications, technology, digital transformation, financial services, corporate leadership, governance, marketing and stakeholder engagement.
“Their diverse perspectives and experience across East Africa and beyond will strengthen the Board as Nation Media Group continues to evolve and respond to the opportunities and challenges shaping our industry,” Muganda stated in the notice obtained and verified by Vantage Ke.
Four directors step down
The board changes will also see Sultan Ali Akbar Allana, Fayyaz Nurmohamed, Al-noor Ramji and Prof. Nancy Booker leave the NMG Board.
Muganda thanked the four outgoing directors for their service and contribution to the media company, noting that they had served in different capacities across the Board and its committees.
“On behalf of the Board and Nation Media Group, I extend our sincere appreciation to them for their dedicated service and contribution to the organisation and wish them every success in the future,” he said.
The appointments mark a significant reshaping of NMG's leadership, bringing together expertise spanning traditional and digital media, technology, finance and corporate governance.
Julie Gichuru Profile
Gichuru's appointment is particularly notable given her long career in Kenya's media industry. She is a prominent media personality and former television news anchor who has also held leadership roles in communications and digital media.
She is one of Kenya’s best-known media personalities, with a career spanning print, radio and television. She began in print, running the lifestyle magazine Quest between 2000 and 2002, before moving to Capital FM as a presenter and talk-show host.
She later joined KTN as a reporter and news anchor, where she pioneered the investigative programme The Inside Story, before moving to NTV and subsequently Citizen TV, where she became the face of the flagship current affairs programme Sunday Live with Julie Gichuru, while also developing programmes focused on national dialogue, including Fist to Five for Change and Voices of Reason.
Beyond broadcasting, Gichuru has built a career in entrepreneurship, communications and leadership. She founded Arimus Media, a production company focused on African content, and has been involved in the Africa Leadership Dialogues, which examines issues around African development and leadership.
She later served in senior public affairs and communications roles at the Mastercard Foundation and thereafter as President and CEO of the Africa Leadership and Dialogue Institute. Her career has earned her several recognitions, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Salute to Greatness Award, the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW), and recognition as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
Bharat Thakrar Profile
Thakrar is a veteran Kenyan advertising executive and the founder of Scanad, which he established in 1982. He went on to build the company into Scangroup, one of East Africa’s leading marketing communications groups, which was listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange in 2006. In 2013, he ceded a controlling stake in Scangroup to global advertising giant WPP, after which the company became WPP-Scangroup.
Thakrar served as WPP-Scangroup’s chief executive until 2021 and has more than four decades of experience in advertising and communications. During his career, businesses under his leadership were behind several high-profile campaigns, while he also served as chairman of the Advertising Practitioners Association.
In other appointments, Kipng’etich brings extensive corporate leadership experience, while Rotich is known for her work in technology and digital innovation. Musau has experience in financial services.
Muganda said he looked forward to working with the new directors alongside NMG's management and staff as the company pursues its mission to “Positively Influence Society.”
The changes come as NMG continues to navigate a rapidly changing media industry, marked by the growth of digital platforms, changing audience habits and increasing competition for advertising and audiences. The new appointments take effect immediately, on August 28, 2026.
