Aochamub lands in NBC hot seat

Marketing guru and MTC head of corporate affairs Albertus Aochamub was yesterday introduced to the NBC staff as the new king of the castle starting August 1. NBC Chairman Sven Thieme introduced Aochamub to the media and the staff after Cabinet approved Aochamub’s appointment on Tuesday. Thieme said Aochamub was the ideal candidate with the right experience and personality to take the NBC forward and had emerged as the preferred candidate out of 12 applicants.

Thieme said there would be no political interference and that the national broadcaster would do everything transparently. He said decisions would be made in the interest of the NBC and the board would be bold if necessary. Aochamub said he was prepared to make a success of the NBC and with a bankable business plan and attitude the institution could become commercial instead of relying on the public purse. “We can make this work,” he said.

Aochamub played down media reports that he last year turned down the NBC hot seat because he wanted a salary of more than N$1 million. He said his decision not to take the job then was not based on the salary offer.Thieme added that Aochamub was being underpaid for his level of responsibility and that his pay was below the market-related standard. He would not confirm the exact figure, only indicating that it was between N$500 000 and N$1 million a year.Aochamub is the sixth NBC Director General since Independence. Five other executives have served as acting DG during the same period.