MultiChoice Nigeria has appointed Atinuke Ngozi Babatunde as the Academy Director, West Africa, MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF).
She succeeds Femi Odugbemi, who occupied the role between 2018 and 2021.
In her new role, she is expected to drive the development of Nigeria’s creative industry through the MTF, an initiative conceived to source and up-skill young West Africans in film and television production as well as expand the capacity of already practising professionals.
A statement by MultiChoice Nigeria described Atinuke Babatunde as a seasoned professional with over 20 years’ experience spanning entertainment, branding, research, media management, marketing, and strategy.
“Atinuke Babatunde will deploy her wealth of knowledge gained from over 20 years in the media and marketing industry to lead the MultiChoice Talent Factory by ensuring that highly talented creatives are given world-class training at the academy.
“Having previously demonstrated vision, innovation and skill in her previous roles as the Head of Channel for Africa Magic Entertainment (now Africa Magic Showcase) and Head of Channel for Africa Magic Urban, she is poised to offer her expertise as the Academy Director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory,” the statement said.
Atinuke Babatunde joined Mnet (Africa Magic) in 2014 as the Head of Channel for Africa Magic Entertainment (now Africa Magic Showcase). In 2015, she was appointed Head of Channel for Africa Magic Urban where she led the team that converted the channel from a movie-only platform to one that currently provides general entertainment. She also led the team that launched the Africa Magic Igbo channel on the DStv platform.
In 2018, Africa Magic Epic channel was added to her portfolio of channels, and she drove the content acquisition strategy for the four channels. In partnership with different production teams, she ensured that all large formats contents like Big Brother, Nigeria Idol, AMVCA and The Voice were strategically positioned within the channels.
Atinuke Babatunde is passionate about mentoring and coaching with a bias towards young adults and women. She is a Cherie Blair Foundation for Women Mentor alumni and has mentored in Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ). She is also an Adjunct lecturer at the Lagos Business School (Pan Atlantic University).
She holds an MSc degree from the University of Lagos and an MBA from the Lagos Business School where she graduated with distinctions in Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Strategy.
She also holds a post-graduate certificate in Business Research and is currently pursuing a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (DBA) at the Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University in the UK.
She is an Associate Member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, and a member of the British Academy of Management.