Kazana Group of Ethiopia chairman, Mr. Addis Alemayehou is named in the Rest of the World (RoW)’s 100 Global Tech’s Changemakers list 2022 in recognition to his contribution for the growth of a range of sectors.
From tech leaders, innovators and investors to activists, Rest of World (RoW) identifies people outside Silicon Valley and the west, whose efforts directly impact countries where the majority of the world’s population lives.
Earlier this year, RoW set out to find 100 of the most influential, innovative, and trailblazing personalities in fintech, e-commerce, policy, digital infrastructure, and a range of other sectors that intersects with and influence technology for its inaugural RoW100: Global Tech’s Changemakers.
To put together the list, the organization researched individuals in each regional ecosystem who have made an outsized contribution to their sectors while facing logistical, financial, and political challenges that come with building something groundbreaking within those communities.
Mr. Addis, the Chairman of Kazana Group, a holding company that currently holds a portfolio of more than 16 companies operating in a diverse array of industries and sectors, notably in marketing, communications, advertisement, fintech, telecom, manufacturing, logistics, technologies, investment management & advisory, and many more was recognized by Rest of World (RoW) among 100 individuals for his outsized contribution to a range of sectors while facing logistical, financial, and other challenges for more than an decade.
The founder and CEO of 251 Communications, Addis began from a humble three-people marketing agency 10 years ago to remarkably grow the company as one of the leading PR and communications firms in Ethiopia with a clear goal of providing world-class communications and marketing services for various private as well as public clients, among which are several multinational corporations and international organizations.
Having become a marketing and communications veteran, Addis expanded his outreach outside of Ethiopia by co-founding Africa Communications Media Group (ACG), the first African-owned, pan-African agency handling communication for global clients in the African setting.
Mr. Addis is also a co-founder and shareholder of a trailblazing private entertainment television station in Ethiopia called KANA TV in partnership with MOBY Group, based in Dubai. A year after launch, KANA TV had gained a 34% market share and 8 of the top 10 highest rated prime time shows were aired on the channel. Addis’s passion for media had already been manifested when he launched the first all-English radio station in Ethiopia, dubbed Afro FM, back in 2008.
Since 2016, Mr. Addis has held the role of Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group, a global business strategy firm based in Washington D.C. where he uses his expertise in communications, telecom, and other key sectors to support client engagements across East Africa.
Together, the individuals featured on the Global Tech’s Changemakers list (RoW100: Global Tech’s Changemakers) influences how products are made and distributed, how entrepreneurs are funded, and how tech is regulated and its users protected far beyond their local markets.
Kazana Group is a holding company holds a portfolio of over 13 companies operating in a diverse array of industries and sectors, notably in marketing, communications, advertisement, fintech, telecom, manufacturing, logistics, technologies, investment management & advisory, and many more. At Kazana Group, our mission is to promote economic prosperity by supporting companies in Africa make impactful changes and solve critical problems in the lives of communities around them.
Rest of World is an international nonprofit journalism organization. We document what happens when technology, culture and the human experience collide, in places that are typically overlooked and underestimated. We believe the story about technology is as big as the world that’s using it, and that everyone from those building technology to those using it can benefit from a broader global perspective.