Jessica Motaung steps down as Kaizer Chiefs marketing director to pursue global role

Kaizer Chiefs board member Jessica Motaung has confirmed she will leave her position as the club’s marketing director, while continuing to serve on the Amakhosi board.

Motaung made the announcement exclusively to SABC Sport during a recent visit to Botswana in her role as Deputy Chairperson of the Africa Club Association (ACA). She said her next move would involve expanding her work internationally and taking on greater responsibilities across sport.

The long-serving executive is a member of the ACA executive and also sits on the SAFA and CAF women’s football sub-committees. She is now preparing to lead a wider project, the United League of Sports (ULS), which aims to operate across different sporting codes.

“​​Ikhosi alipheli umoya, Aus Jess is just growing into a bigger leadership space. I’m excited to continue serving on the Kaizer Chiefs board and giving my influence but most importantly I’m happy to take my learnings from being in the Amakhosi family and bringing into the rest of the continent and taking it to the rest of the world,” Motaung said.

Motaung said her future work would extend beyond football and include engagement with leagues and organisations in other sports. She recently attended a sporting conference in Johannesburg and travelled to New York, where she held discussions with leagues including the NBA about potential opportunities.

“I will be working very closely on other sporting codes as well, I’m excited I was at the sporting conference recently in Johannesburg which really spoke to different sporting codes. I was recently in New York speaking to leagues like the NBA around the opportunities that exist,” she said.

“I’m proud to also be championing an organisation called the ULS, United League of Sports, that will be working across all sporting codes and doing exciting stuff to take my learnings from football and on the continent to other spaces.”

Motaung held the marketing director position at Kaizer Chiefs for more than two decades. During that time, she developed the commercial division of one of Africa’s biggest football clubs.

Her wider responsibilities have also grown. Last year, she was appointed to FIFA’s Men’s Football Stakeholders Committee, where she will serve until 2029.

Motaung described the change as an opportunity to build on her experience while retaining a role at Kaizer Chiefs.

“I call it elevating, I’m elevating myself to the next level while still being able to give my wisdom and give input at the club. I think I have a lot to share with the continent and world and I’m excited about the projects that I have and look forward to making a difference,” she added.