In addition to Kenya, Mwazemba will now oversee OUP’s business in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. Hanri Pieterse has also been appointed to the new role of MD of OUP’s business in the East and Southern Africa region, excluding South Africa. Both roles are effective from Monday, 1 April.

Fathima Dada says, "Africa is an important part of the OUP portfolio, and a fast-growing region, demographically and economically — I see a good future here for the Press."

"We need to align to both the growth opportunities and the market conditions in order to make us more responsive and more efficient. John and Hanriare two experienced leaders who I know will be successful in implementing OUP’s strategic vision in our African markets," adds Dada.

The reorganisation of OUP’s business will aim to better position the company to capitalise on the changing education industry, while aligning the business to meet the customers’ needs, optimising the value of its published works and improving the efficiency of its operations in Africa.

John Mwazemba, regional director of Oxford University Press East Africa

After starting his publishing career at Macmillan, Mwazemba went on to work for an NGO, before becoming CEO at Phoenix Publishers. Mwazemba is an accomplished editor, having consulted for the World Bank, the United Nations and other government and non-governmental organisations. Since joining OUP in June 2016, Mwazemba has led the team in navigating significant challenges, winning tenders along the way.

Hanri Pieterse, managing director for OUP’s business in East and Southern Africa

Pieterse started her career at OUP South Africa where she was publishing director for Education, Academic, Trade, and Dictionaries. She then spent years at CUP in a number of senior roles, including managing director for its sub-Sahara African operation, and managing director of education and ELT globally (based in the United Kingdom), working in Asia, Latin America, the United States and Europe.

In April 2018, Pieterse took the interim management role in ORBiA (Oxford Regional Business in Africa), where, according to ORBiA, she has made progress in shaping the business for future success

Fathima Dada, managing director, Oxford Education

Dada joined Oxford University Press in December 2018 from Pearson where she was the global MD for English and schools, managing the strategy and performance of Pearson's ELT, language assessment and school services globally, within those sectors.

Dada was born and educated in South Africa and began her career there as a teacher in the apartheid era. She joined Pearson in 1988 as a trainee editor at its then joint-venture South African company, Maskew Miller Longman. She went on to work in South African, regional and global roles at Pearson, including the chair and CEO of Pearson's Southern, East and Central African businesses.

She has also undertaken voluntary work for governments and not-for-profit organisations in multiple countries.

Examples of her voluntary work include designing the South African primary and senior secondary curricula for the South African Education Ministry in the 2000s, to chairing Africa Ignite, a not-for-profit working with rural communities.

For more information, visit www.oxford.co.ke.