Goal-driven and passionate

Michelline Nawatises

With 25 years of experience, Roger Gertze holds vast and proven expertise in the areas of business, strategy, finance, corporate governance and stakeholder relations.

Throughout his career, he has held executive management positions in finance and served as chairperson and trustee on several non-executive boards in Namibia.

He has also undertaken executive development programmes by leading South African universities, along with courses and masterclasses covering corporate governance, business leadership, e-commerce and strategic decision-making.

Gertze has been the managing director of MultiChoice Namibia since 2013 and is the holder of a bachelor’s degree in commerce and a master’s in business leadership. He has been instrumental in building and leading high-performing teams towards high-yielding and successful outcomes. His passion to serve and make an impact through the portfolios he manages has seen him double returns and grow asset allocations for organisations he has worked for.

Gertze explains the MultiChoice Namibia MD position has been very interesting and rewarding from a professional growth point of view.

“It is great to work for MultiChoice Namibia, where our purpose is to enrich lives,” he says.

When asked by Careers to name a few accomplishments so far, Gertze struggled to single them out.

“We have celebrated many milestones during my tenure as managing director of MultiChoice Namibia,” he says.

Some of accomplishments he eventually decided to mention are:

· Launching GOtv in Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Oshakati and Rundu;

· The opening of a MultiChoice branch in Katutura;

· Launching BoxOffice in Namibia;

· Launching One Africa Television on both the DStv and GOtv platforms;

· Launching various radio channels on DStv and GOtv, namely Radiowave, Channel 7, Rapids FM, Shipi FM, Energy FM and the 11 Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) audio channels, with the latest being Touch FM.

· Launching DStv Now in Namibia;

· Launching the Compact Plus and GOtv Max packages in Namibia;

· Launching the flagship MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), aimed at igniting the film industry in Namibia;

· Ensuring excellent relations with external stakeholders; and

· Ensuring good growth, which ensured that MultiChoice Namibia remains the leading satellite TV entertainment company in the country.

For the next two years, Gertze’s short-term goal for the company is ensuring that it continues to enhance its customer service experience for both DStv and GOtv customers at all touchpoints.

“My focus will also go into working with the local film industry to develop homegrown content that can become available on our platforms; and expand MultiChoice’s footprint across Namibia so that our customers can find it easy to engage with us,” Gertze says.

He says he is proud to work for a company that was founded in Africa and that is able to build a strong brand that is now present in 50 countries across the continent. He has worked at other institutions, including the City of Windhoek, Nedbank and First National Bank (FNB).

Gertze spends a typical day mostly ensuring that he creates a conducive environment for his team to flourish in and make a positive contribution. His inspiration comes from his desire to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of others.