Awarding body, the Nigerian Marketing Awards (NMA) recently announced its debut awards ceremony, set to hold on Friday, November 11, 2022 at Eko Hotel and Suites.
The ceremony themed ‘Celebrating Marketing Excellence’ has also unveiled the award decision council (the judges), who are seasoned marketing professionals, accomplished experts in the marketing field and leaders in the industry.
Here’s everything you should know about the judges:
Ekwunife Okoli
Ekwunife is a graduate of marketing with first class honours from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He has over thirty years of FMCG marketing experience in the beverage industry with Diageo Plc/Guinness Nig Plc, spanning sales and marketing roles within and outside Nigeria. He currently runs a consultancy. He is also a non-executive Director of two Nigerian publicly quoted companies.
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Nkechi Ali-Balogun
Nkechi Ali-Balogun is one of the leading Public Relations experts in Nigeria. She is a multi-talented industry veteran with over 25 years of professional experience in client services and public relations consultancy proffering value-adding solutions to managerial problems and turning issues as they arise into opportunities. Her wealth of experience includes serving as Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos State Chapter.
She is the founder and convener of the foremost annual PR roundtable, NECCI Public Relations Roundtable now in its 21st edition. Nkechi is founder and anchor of Chat with NAB, a 15-minute social media talk show on life skills.
Angela Ukara-Makinwa
Angela is an experienced Team Lead with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. She is skilled in Marketing Management, Experiential Marketing, Brand Management, Corporate Communications, Direct Marketing, and Marketing. Angela Ukara-Makinwa was a former COO of Melvic Gold Communications limited. He served as Director General/CEO of Oyo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OYSAA) between 2015 and 2016. In addition, she is the Chairman of Streettoolz Limited an advertising agency with AAAN and the Chairman of Nimbus Media Limited.
Babajide Fagade
Babajide aka ‘Babs’ is an advertising and marketing professional with over 25 years of experience that cuts across diverse sectors like banking, manufacturing, Telecommunications, Advertising agencies, Media agencies and Outdoor Media companies. He is a change agent through his pet project known as Young Outstanding Undergraduates (YOU), a youth empowerment initiative that promotes entrepreneurship spirit in the next generation.
Bunmi Oke
Bunmi is a globally skilled and analytical marketing communications and advertising professional with extensive track record in strategic brand building for international, regional and local brands in all segments of the economy. She was the 2012 – 2014 President & current corporate member of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN). Bunmi OKE Frpa, is currently the CEO / Lead Consultant at Ladybird Limited.
Dr. Ogechi Adeola
Dr Ogechi Adeola is an Associate Professor of Marketing and the Head of Department of Operations, Marketing and Information Systems at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria. Her multi-dimensional research focuses on the advancement of knowledge across the intersection of marketing, tourism, and gender studies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In March 2022, she received the 2022 Female Achievers’ Recognition (co-sponsored by American Corner Ikeja, Lagos) for her contributions to women empowerment and was also listed as one of the top 100 inspiring women in Nigeria.
She is the Founder of the Digital Business Tutelage for Women Empowerment in Africa Initiative, a platform designed to enable young African women to unlock their potential
Adedayo Adefila
Adedayo is a senior marketing and communications professional. He has over the past 20 years, led high performing teams, nationally and regionally to build successful brands, drive commercial success and execute successful digital marketing transformation initiatives. As a digital marketing pioneer, he led HotSauce Digital as Co-Founder/CEO between 2011 and 2017 and helped brands like Samsung Mobile, Flour Mills, Transsion, to realize the measurable impact of digital on their businesses, helping to trigger a faster adoption of digital marketing in Nigeria by more brands. Today, he is the Head of Digital Marketing at PZ Cussons in Africa. He is also a member of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria and was recently appointed Vice-Chairman, Membership and Chapter Development Committee of the same institute.
Ijedi Iyoha
Mrs Ijedi Iyoha is a professional advertising regulator with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). She has served in various capacities at the Council and has represented the Council at national and international programmes, delivering lectures in advertising and advertising regulatory topics in diverse spheres.
Iquo Ukoh
Iquo Ukoh is currently the CEO of Entod Marketing Ltd an organisation that provides dynamic marketing services to businesses in the West African market. Ukoh is a fellow of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) and also a member of the American Marketing Association.
Joan Ihekwaba
A passionate Marketing and Management professional with over 25 years at senior and executive director positions in core FMCG sector, Joan is a champion of people capacity development and transformational leadership. She is a Fellow – National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN). She was 1st Vice President, Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) 2015-2017, and member, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON).
Joan is currently the MD/CEO of BJ37 Resources Limited, an integrated Food Services company.
Nsima Ogedi Alakwe
Nsima Ogedi-Alakwe is a Business Leader and Marketing Professional, the Principal Consultant and Chief Growth Officer at Gotcha Communications Limited, a people-first, technology-driven Marketing Communications firm. She is the recent Marketing Director at Unilever – where she led Marketing Strategy and Innovation to drive growth across various brands and categories in Africa.
Nsima is a strong advocate for gender and talent diversity in the workplace and has championed coaching and mentoring initiatives that have promoted positive externalities within the industry and her community. Her purpose is to inspire with calm, to unlock hidden potentials and nurture talents for today and for the future.
Yomi Benson
Yomi Benson is a consummate Entrepreneur l, an astute lover of Brand marketing and an optimist who believes in people and their super abilities to create lasting legacies in business when they take the leap. He worked in the best organizations in Nigeria before starting his own marketing communications outfit called Culture Communications where he pioneered disruptive locally relevant brand communications.
He is a Fellow of The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria and a winner of the marketing Egbe advertising of person of the year 2018.
