GCGL makes 4 appointments

The Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) has appointed four persons to various positions to strengthen the company’s mandate as the dominant media group in the country.

Mr Samuel Essel has joined the company as the Director of Finance to replace Mr Kwabena Baah-Adade, who retired late last year.

Mr Theophilus Yartey, who is the Editor of the Graphic Business, one of the publications within the group, has been appointed Deputy Editor of the flagship Daily Graphic, with additional responsibility over the Graphic Business.

Also, Ms Doreen Hammond has been appointed Editor of The Mirror, while Ms Kate Baaba Hudson has been appointed Editor of the Junior Graphic.

Mr Essel

The Director Finance comes to the job with over 18 years' experience in finance, which started at KPMG Ghana, where he was an auditor from 1997 to 2002, planning and executing external audits in sectors such as banking, manufacturing, service, mining, shipping, education and non-governmental organisations (NGO).

He moved to the Ghana Community Network Services Ltd (GCNet), where he worked for 11 years, first as an Assistant Financial Controller, then Finance Manager and eventually Head of Corporate Business Support.

In this top management role, Mr Essel managed the Finance and Administration aspects of the company, establishing procedures and implementing appropriate financial controls to ensure sustainable growth in its operations.

In 2013, he joined SGS Tanzania as the Finance Manager and later rose to the position of Regional Financial Controller for East Africa, managing companies in Tanzania, East Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Mr Essel has vast experience in securing funding for capital investment projects, management of networking capital, finance transformation and restructuring and financial planning and control.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast and an Executive MBA from GIMPA and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana).

Deputy Editor, Daily Graphic

Mr Yartey, with over 25 years’ experience in frontline journalism, has, in the last five years, led the team as Editor of the Graphic Business to implement a number of initiatives, including content marketing, activations, experientials and a successful digitisation.

The interventions helped the brand to consistently exceed its targets, with sales growth of over 200 per cent, thereby entrenching the brand as the leading business publication in the country.

Mr Yartey worked with the Spectator and the Ghanaian Times before moving to the Business and Financial Times, from where he joined the Graphic Business as its Editor in 2014.

Mr Yartey holds a Master of Philosophy in Leadership degree from the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA); a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Science in Banking & Finance, both from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), and a Diploma in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).

Editor, The Mirror

Ms Hammond succeeds Ms Janet Quartey, who retired last year. Before her appointment, Ms Baaba Hudson acted as editor.

The 2018 GJA Journalist of the Year has worked in various capacities, including columnist and Features Editor of the Daily Graphic.

Ms Hammond holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from the University of Ghana, Legon, and has undertaken a number of advanced courses in journalism.

Editor, Junior Graphic

Prior to acting as Editor of The Mirror, Ms Hudson was the Foreign and Supplements Editor of the Daily Graphic.

She had earlier been the Business and Foreign Editor of the Daily Graphic and previously acted as Editor of the Graphic Business.

She had also been the Education Page Editor, the Regional News Page Editor, among others.

Ms Hudson holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree (Marketing option) and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) Administration degree (Marketing option), both from the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), and a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Communication Studies from the University of Ghana School of Communication Studies.

She also holds a Diploma in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism and a Diploma in Port and Shipping Management (DPSM) from the Regional Maritime Academy (RMA), now the Regional Maritime University (RMU).

She has also undertaken other certificate courses at the RMU.