New NTC MD Assumes Office

By Cliff Ekuful

The newly appointed Managing Director of the New Times Corporation (NTC), Mr Fredrick Amissah on Monday assumed office with a vision of transforming the corporation into a world class media organisation.

However, this vision, according to him, could only be achieved with unity of purpose, commitment, dedication and hard work on the side of both management and staff of the corporation.

Mr Amissah who was speaking at a short ceremony to formally introduce him to the board and management of the corporation said, he was excited about the new challenge of managing the NTC, which also happens to be his first ever public sector leadership role.

He said it was important for all to appreciate the fact that the hallmark of leadership was about taking along people, stressing that, "I am the people's person and everything I do is centred on the people."

The MD said his appointment must be viewed as a journey of legacy and one that would leave positive foot prints years after both the present management and staff had left.

"Ultimately, I will need your support, cooperation and advice to enable me bring about the transformation that we all so desire," he emphasised.

Mr Amissah said underpinning his administration would be the deployment of innovation, adding that "We are in the world of innovation and we will require innovation to step change our operations."

With nearly two decades of experience from the private sector, both locally and internationally, the MD said whatever synergies that would be required to turn the fortunes of the corporation would be adopted.

He said it was important for both management and staff to see his administration as a clean slate and work hand-in-hand to make the corporation the publisher of choice.

On his part, the chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, who introduced the new MD, said the time had come for workers of the NTC to renew their minds towards the growth of the corporation.

He said the mentality where some of the staff viewed the corporation as a civil service outfit was one of the banes of the growth of the organisation, and that would have to change, if progress was to be made.

"The New Times Corporation is not a civil service outfit and you have to do away with that mentality, and start thinking outside the box, if you are to improve and grow," he emphasised.

Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo said what the corporation needed at this time was unanimity of purpose, if the fortunes of the corporation were to be overturned, stressing that, "You need to come together, because if you are not, then you will not be able to achieve anything."

Touching on the relationship between the MD and the board, he said even though both were appointed by the NMC, the MD's responsibility was towards the board.

"Open up and work with the board, and it is only when the board becomes unreasonable that we will come in, and this is because we have not appointed you to be micro managed. If you know that you cannot respect the board and see them as your first line of responsibility then decline the appointment," he said.

He assured that the NMC would not bow to pressure from government, as a result when it succeeds, it would be its own making, and when it fails too, it could not blame anyone.

"The Commission is independent and we will continue to assert our independence," he said.

The Board Chair of the NTC, Most Reverend Ama Afo Blay, commended members of management for holding the fort over the last eight months.

Mr Amissah later met staff and rallied them to collaborate with him to better the fortunes of the corporation.

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