Primedia Out of Home appoints Ken Varejes as COO and Steve Ratlou as Deputy Chairman

Ken Varejes has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Primedia’s Out of Home Division, comprising Primedia Outdoor, Primedia In Store and Primedia Face to Face. Added to this portfolio is the position of COO of the Group’s three commuter media companies, ComutaNet, Rank Branding and Rank TV.

Varejes, who will remain Managing Director of ComutaNet, is South Africa’s undisputed leader in the commuter media market having built ComutaNet from humble beginnings as Star Taxi Music into the commuter media icon it is today with over 80% market share.

Keith Giemre, Chairman of the Out of Home Division, says, “I am delighted that Ken has accepted this challenging position which provides exciting synergistic opportunities for him to exploit across the two media Divisions."

“With his exceptional track record in the Out of Home arena, Varejes is the ideal candidate to lead these key Primedia Divisions into the future,” says Kuben Pillay, Chief Executive Officer, Primedia Limited, Advertising Division. “He has an incredible energy, and passion for the media business which we are confident will soon permeate all the companies in his new portfolio.”

Steve Ratlou has been promoted to Deputy Chairman of the Primedia Out of Home Division. Steve served on the Primedia Limited Board as a Non-Executive Director from March 2001 to September 2002 when he was appointed as an Executive Director of the Primedia Out of Home Division.

A practical and hands-on manager, Steve has carefully built his own skills inventory. He derives his academic expertise from diligent studies and learning programmes, which range from an International Management Certificate from Japan and Wits Business School’s MAP, to UNISA’s Advanced Development Programme. Steve is currently adding an MBA to his credentials.

Keith Giemre, who successfully mentored Dan Moyane into the role of Executive Chairman of Primedia Broadcasting, has embarked on a similar path with Steve Ratlou, mentoring and preparing him for the Out of Home Chairmanship. “I am delighted with Steve’s appointment, it is a natural progression and maximises his boundless energy, skills and abilities,” comments Giemre.