News : Zimbabwean Strive Masiyiwa joins Netflix board of directors

Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa was appointed on 16th December to the Board of Directors of US streaming giant Netflix. A decision which is part of the expansion strategy of the video on demand platform on the continent.

“His entrepreneurial spirit and vision for building businesses across Africa and beyond will bring valuable knowledge and experience to our board as we work to improve and serve more members around the world”. These were the words of Reed Hastings, co-founder and co-director of Netflix after the announcement of the appointment of Strive Masiyiwa to the board of directors of the US streaming platform. The Zimbabwean billionaire, founder of‘Econet, a telecommunications company active in Africa, Europe and South America, thus becomes the first African personality to join the governing body of the world leader in streaming.

Strive Masiyiwa‘s appointment to Netflix is no coincidence. It is part of a strategy to expand the video-on-demand platform in Africa. For a few years, Netflix has decided to conquer the African market by starting in 2016 to buy African films for its catalogue and two years by developing and producing original content (Queen Sono, Blood & Water) in collaboration with local producers. The arrival of Masiyiwa will help to strengthen Netflix’s positioning on the continent, as with his experience of more than 20 years in telecommunications in Africa, he will certainly be able to guide the platform to understand consumption patterns and the specificities of the continent.

“Netflix is at the forefront of providing quality entertainment from anywhere in the world to everyone, and I look forward to working with the Board of Directors and all stakeholders to continue its traditions of innovation and growth,” said Masiyiwa after his appointment. This is a new challenge for the London-based 50 year old who has already served on several boards of international companies such as: Unilever Plc, National Geographic Society, Asia Society, etc.

Rostand Wandja