Standard Group Promotes Veteran Journalist To Acting CEO

Standard Group Limited on Wednesday, July 2 announced the appointment of veteran journalist Chaacha Mwita as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer (Ag. CEO).

In its announcement, the company revealed that the appointment of Mwita to the new post took effect on July 1, 2025. This is a promotion from his previous role as the Group's Chief Executive Editor.

"Pursuant to the provisions of Regulation 10 of the Thirteenth Schedule of the Capital Markets (Public Offers, Listings and Disclosures) Regulations, 2023, the Board of Directors of The Standard Group PLC ("the Company") wishes to notify its shareholders and the general public of the appointment of Mr. Chaacha Mwita as Ag. Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective 1st July 2025. He has also been appointed as an Executive Director to the Board," the statement read in part.

An image of Standard Group's Acting CEO, Chaacha Mwita. /BIGSTAR NEWS

Mwita's appointment came after Marion Gathoga Mwangi resigned from the role on Monday, June 30. He is now expected to use his over 20 years of extensive local and international experience in leadership, communication and policy engagement to bring a strong foundation in journalism to the new post, albeit temporarily pending the substantive appointment of a CEO.

Standard Group hailed his significant contributions to enhancing editorial capacity in newsrooms across Africa, focusing on media sustainability, business model selection and specialisation.

"His professional background includes conducting comprehensive media assessments in several African countries, including Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, eSwatini, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.

"His leadership roles have included positions at reputable organisations such as the Standard Group PLC- where he has previously served as Editorial Director and recently in the Board-as well as the Nation Media Group, Aga Khan Foundation, African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) and Thomson Foundation (London, UK)," added the statement.

Beyond corporate responsibilities, Mwita has also made significant contributions to international panels such as the Africa Means Business Advisory Panel under Thomson Foundation (UK) working closely with esteemed institutions like Oxford University's Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE), the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Strathmore Business School (SBS), and the University of Ghana (Accra).

Academically, he holds Bachelor of Education (Arts) degree from the University of Nairobi, a postgraduate diploma in Mass Communication from the University of Nairobi's School of Journalism, and an MBA from the University of St Gallen, Switzerland. He has also participated in executive development programmes at the Haas School of Business (University of California at Berkeley, USA) and the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

Beyond his professional accolades, he is a published author and a former Fanning Fellow for Journalism at the Kettering Foundation, Dayton, Ohio, USA. He has undertaken consultancies for prestigious organisations such as Internews and UNICEF, contributing his expertise to projects spanning media development, social budgeting guidelines and developing parliamentary training materials.

"We believe Chaacha's solid achievements as a distinguished journalist and media leader will add value to the organisation as it seeks to reinvigorate its journalism to uphold its tenets of boldness and independence," added the century-old media house.

Prior to her exit, Gathoga has been at the helm of the Company since July 2024. The Mombasa Road-based media house revealed that she left to pursue other career interests. "The Board takes this opportunity to thank Ms. Gathoga for her invaluable service and leadership and wishes her all the best in all her future pursuits," added the statement.

Mwita returned to Standard Group in early April 2025. On July 4, 2023, he was appointed to the media house's Board, bringing with him vast experience in leadership, media and communication management, as well as policy engagement consultancy. This was a stint he held for just one year.

A photo of immediate former Standard Group CEO Marion Gathoga Mwangi. /CIO AFRICA