Over the years, the role of women in the marketing and communication industry has evolved beyond administrative and support positions to C-Suite and core function roles. For example, in advertising, women have created some of the most iconic and memorable campaigns and have also been instrumental in driving the growth of social media platforms, which have become essential tools for business communication.
Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms, is proof of women’s invaluable contribution to the industry. The app’s first employee and head of marketing, Eva Chen’s close work with influencers and brands, showcased the platform’s visual storytelling capabilities and established it as a vital tool for business growth. Fashion and lifestyle platform Pinterest also benefited from its first employee and creative director, Sahil Lavingia, who shaped Pinterest’s user experience into its current appeal.
These are only a few examples of women who have displayed exceptional prowess in marketing. Here are ten more examples of marketing’s strongest African voices in no particular order.
Sola Obagbemi, Corporate Communications Manager, Anglophone West Africa at Meta: Sola Obagbemi is currently the Corporate Communications Manager for Anglophone West Africa at Meta (formerly called Facebook with over 12 years of experience in brand strategy, communications, advertising, digital marketing, media management and growth marketing, she oversees the brand’s communications across Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Gambia, and Sierra Leone with great expertise and commensurate results.
She also worked as the Senior Communications Manager for Africa at Andela, leading strategic personal relations efforts that increased the brand’s visibility in her first six months of employment.
Motunrayo Babalola, Country Marketing Lead, Ekaterra
Motunrayo Babalola is a marketing professional with over 12 years of experience in the FMCG sector. She currently serves as Country Marketing Lead on the leadership team of Ekaterra Plant Based Limited. Her core expertise is in brand development, sales management, brand communication, team building, marketing strategy development and execution, including customer-brand relationship management.
She launched Lux Even Complexion with a high brand growth rate in 2019/2020 and Lifebuoy sanitiser with an outstanding result of a 25% increase in turnover rate. She also developed the framework for Unilever Nigeria’s Supermarket business in Lagos, with a 5% increase in the company’s turnover.
Adedoyin Jaiyesimi, Co-Founder, The Comms Avenue
Adedoyin Jaiyesimi is a marketing communication professional with over 15 years of experience. She is the Co-Founder of The Comms Avenue, a public relations and communications agency that focuses on creating and executing strategic communications plans for clients across various sectors.
She has successfully executed projects in various companies, including; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Specta by Sterling, Fountain of Life Church, and Heritage Bank. An adept communication expert, she runs training sessions for communication professionals and employees. She also lectures part-time at the University of Nairobi CIPR UK programme.
Onyebuchi Allanah, Senior Brand Manager, Maltina
Onyebuchi Allanah is an award-winning marketing professional with over six years of experience in merchandising, media buying, product launch, consumer and market intelligence, and media strategy. As the brand manager of Star Radler in 2021, she successfully planned the brand’s relaunch and catalysed the corresponding increase in the brand’s reach and revenue, as evidenced by an over 800% boost in social media followership within a week of the brand’s relaunch.
With a vast experience in product innovation and driving brand equity and growth in Nigeria and DR Congo, Onyebuchi is highly adept at reviving and growing brands in the FMCG industry, creating new territories in white spaces and winning in channels by delivering successful customer experience across several markets in West and East African countries. Currently, she is the Senior Brand Manager of Maltina, one of Africa’s iconic malt drinks under Nigerian Breweries, where she develops and implements cutting-edge marketing strategies.
Bidemi Zakariyau-Akande, Founder/ CEO, LSF PR
Bidemi Zakariyau-Akande is the founder and CEO of LSF PR, a full-service public relations agency in Lagos, Nigeria, where she sets and oversees overall business goals and strategies. With over a decade of experience in the PR industry, Bidemi has worked with some of the biggest brands in Africa, including Uber, Heineken, and British Airways.
Adia Sowho, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria
Boasting over a decade of experience in the telecommunications sector, Adia Sowho is an experienced marketing professional. She is currently the Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria, one of the largest telecommunications companies in Africa. Before this, she was the VP of Growth and Managing Director in Nigeria for Migo, a machine learning-powered instant credit platform. She grew the company’s user base to one million users and successfully led its expansion to Brazil. She also worked as the Director of Digital Business at 9mobile (formerly Etisalat Nigeria), where her partnership with startups led to the delivery of mobile content, advertisement and financial services to the company’s 23 million users.
Dolapo Otegbayi, Director of Specialised Nutrition, Friesland Campina
Dolapo Otegbayi is an experienced marketing professional with over a decade of experience in the FMCG sector. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise from being in the industry for over 18 years, she is currently the Director of Specialised Nutrition at FrieslandCampina, one of the largest dairy companies in the world, where she designs and leads marketing strategies for the company.
As the Head of Shopper Marketing Modern Trade and Alternative Trade Business, she initiated and successfully executed the Peak-My-Town project, which generated a 20% increase in revenue for the channel. In addition, her product strategy led to the launch of the Evaporated Milk in sachets for the first time.
Biodun Adefila, Chief Operating Officer, SO&U Limited
Biodun Adefila is a marketing communication professional with almost 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer of SO&U Limited, one of the leading advertising agencies in Nigeria, where she designs and implements business strategies, policies, plans and procedures for high-impact projects, which have yielded an 18% growth increase for the company.
She is a strategic business leader with decades of experience in brand management, business process improvement, strategic planning, and business development.
Tola Elatuyi, Marketing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Pladis Global
Dr Tola Elatuyi is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry. She is a seasoned professional with solid management experience across key markets and industries, working in a high matrix structure. At Unilever, where she held the post of Trade Category Manager in 2012, she developed the channel’s vision, standards and strategy to allow for a seamless triumph of the fusion of marketing and sales at the critical point of purchase.
In 2015, as the Marketing and Activations Lead in West Africa, she developed the best-in-class marketing communications plans, digital marketing and E-commerce, driving market share and doubling digit growth with a proven record of scalable and repeatable success models in Marketing Mix Management.
Ediri Ose Ediale, CEO/ Executive Director, Advertisers Association of Nigeria
Ediri Ose Ediale is a seasoned expert in marketing and communications. With over a decade of experience in the industry, she has displayed prowess in media outreach strategies and creating and implementing product announcements, which she did while she was the Head of Corporate Communications at Capital Express Insurance in the early years of her career. She is currently the CEO/ Executive Director of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria. In addition, she is skilled in marketing management and digital strategy.
Women have demonstrated their dedication and capability and have played a pivotal role in shaping the marketing and communications industry, which has yielded significant results and improvement. This remarkable achievement deserves commendation and recognition.
