Meet Matthew Rice

Get to know Matthew Rice, Regional Sales Manager for the Subscription Services Division and GOBI Library Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn more about Matthew’s role selling journal subscriptions and e-books through GOBI and why he rates Puerto Rico as his favourite destination.

What is your role within EBSCO?

I hold the position of Regional Sales Manager for both the Subscription Services Division and GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

Explain your job as you would to a 5 year old.

I help libraries and companies decide which journals, magazines, newspapers and books are best for their patrons and employees to read in order to help them do their jobs better.

What is the best aspect of your job?

I really enjoy interacting with librarians and being able to provide them with resources that can make a difference to their library and their users. Being able to leave a legacy through providing useful content is very rewarding and motivating for me.

How long have you worked at EBSCO?

In October 2024, I will celebrate my 9th year of working at EBSCO.

How has your work changed in recent years? How do you think it will evolve in the future?

I am now a lot more involved in a holistic approach in providing solutions and services for libraries.? What this means is that I now have much stronger relationships with publishers as well as customers, in understanding the solution that our publisher partners can provide and then discussing these with our customers.

I think this trend will continue in the future as we hopefully add more publishers with whom we have a preferred relationship with.

Did you attend college/university? If so, what did you study?

I studied Cost and Management Accounting through Nelson Mandela University for a few years and then moved over to sales around 23 years ago.

What excites you most about EBSCO’s future?

I love the fact that we can provide so many diverse solutions to the Information Services sector, providing our customers with a ‘one-stop shop’ for almost everything related to information technology. I like to think of EBSCO as ‘the glue’ that holds the market segment together.

What is the most interesting place you have ever visited?

I think Puerto Rico takes 1st prize!? I really enjoyed the cultural diversity there, along with the lovely beaches, of course.

How do you define success?

For me, success is two-fold; firstly, the constructive impact one’s passion, drive and will to succeed has on those who have a vested interest in you, customers, employer and fellow workers, for example and secondly, the achievement of one’s personal goals in successfully making this impact a reality.

In both instances, it is the positive legacy that one creates.

What was the last book you read?

‘Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty’ by Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson. This is a fascinating read which analyses the fabric of society and consequences of decisions made hundreds of years ago which have now shaped society. Available in hard copy through GOBI .

What is the best way to reach you? [email protected] | 011?380 1800