Showmax makes Gichonge East Africa GM

Video-on-demand service, Showmax has appointed Kenyan tech and product executive Emma Gichonge as the general manager in East Africa.

Gichonge possesses a master’s degree in IT Management alongside a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology. She has garnered acclaim for her ability to cultivate high-performance teams, developed through experiences across various industries and countries. Notably, her tenure at the startup tech firm Yutap saw her spearheading the deployment of mobile money solutions across Africa and Asia.

Additionally, she led the transition of Safaricom’s legacy M-Pesa mobile money platform, initiating the creation of an Enterprise Project Management Office within the organisation. Recently, she served as the managing director at MultiChoice Malawi, overseeing various commercial initiatives within the country.

She said, “Showmax is a bold business, and is in an exciting stage in its story – moving onto the globally scaled Peacock platform, increasing its loved local content slate and introducing affordable new plans. With my passion for innovation, and for East Africa, I’m looking forward to building the business with the Kenyan Showmax team. We’re already hard at work with our partners Safaricom to re-integrate in-app M-Pesa payments with our new technology.”

Showmax chief operating officer Joe Heshu added; “Driven by a strong partnership between the MultiChoice Group and Comcast NBC Universal, Showmax is embarking on a new era with a game-changing Premier League in your pocket plan, alongside a slate of sensational African and international content. With our ambition to be Africa’s No 1 streamer, we’re very happy to welcome Emma, whose wealth of experience will serve our customers in the key East African market.”