Dr. Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi: The Imperfectly Awesome Transformer

When Dr. Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi received the Leadership Award in Marketing at the MARKETING EDGE Awards in 2025, the recognition acknowledged a woman who has spent her career proving that authentic leadership requires neither perfection nor pretense, only purpose.

Currently serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Corporate Governance in Nigeria and Chair of the Brand Advisory Board at Meristem Nigeria, Dr. Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi brings a distinguished career spanning three continents and multiple industry-defining achievements. Armed with a Ph.D. in Marketing from the International School of Management, Paris, and an M.Sc. in Marketing from the University of Lagos, she combines scholarly rigor with practical market intelligence.

At Unilever, where she served across Nigeria and the Gulf region, Dr. Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi distinguished herself as Head of Shopper and Customer Marketing, brilliantly executing introduction-to-trade plans across key categories. Her experience in Dubai, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait as Customer Marketing Manager broadened her perspective on consumer behavior across diverse markets. At Guinness Nigeria, she led teams behind landmark product launches, including Nigeria’s first lager under a global beer portfolio and the first brand extension for a global crème liquor.

In 2025, her influence extended beyond boardrooms and into industry discourse. As a panelist at the MARKETING EDGE National Marketing Stakeholders Summit in September, she addressed AI integration in business, bringing her distinctive perspective on how purposeful marketing and strategic innovation can help brands navigate technological complexities. At the Q2 Virtual Summit, she reminded marketers that “Data without context is just noise,” urging the industry to prioritize actionable metrics and content that converts.

Perhaps her most personal contribution is her book, Imperfectly Awesome: Embracing and Becoming a Wholesome You. Written with raw honesty, it reflects her life’s storythe challenges, triumphs, and balancing act between ambition and authenticity. In an industry often characterized by curated perfection, Dr. Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi’s willingness to embrace vulnerability while maintaining excellence offers a refreshing counternarrative.

Mabel Adeteye: The Storyteller Who Transformed Banking Communications

When Wema Bank celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2025, the campaign that brought the milestone to life was more than marketing it was a 150-day journey through history, impact, and human connection. At the helm was Mabel Adeteye, whose approach to brand communications has redefined how financial institutions engage with their audiences.

As Head of Brand and Marketing Communications at Wema Bank, Adeteye oversees every facet of the bank’s communication strategy, from brand and corporate communication to crisis management, media relations, digital engagement, and stakeholder management. What distinguishes her leadership is an integrated approach that seamlessly blends digital prowess with traditional marketing.

The Wema @ 80 campaign exemplified Adeteye’s strategic brilliance. Launched on February 11, 2025, the “80 Days to 80” initiative was not merely a campaign but a cultural movement. Through strategic thought and creative direction, she unearthed stories from decades past, spotlighted the bank’s impact, and brought history to life through interviews with distinguished individuals who had journeyed with Nigeria’s longest-surviving indigenous bank.

Commenting on the anniversary, Adeteye articulated its significance: “From dreams nurtured to milestones conquered, from communities empowered to lives transformed. We have been shaping stories, building connections, and redefining possibilities for 80 years! This is more than banking, it is a legacy of resilience, innovation, and unyielding commitment.”

A trained corporate communications expert with over 15 years of experience, she is registered with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) UK and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), with accreditation in digital marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) UK. Throughout her career, Adeteye has managed diverse brand portfolios spanning FMCG, telecommunications, aviation, banking, media, and brewery sectors.

In March 2025, she was featured in Business Day’s Women in Business series, where she articulated her core values: “It’s easy to ignore that little voice inside that tells you something is not right, especially when everyone else seems to be pushing it forward. That voice is your moral compass. It is what will guide you through tough decisions, ensuring that you never compromise your integrity for success.”

Under Adeteye’s leadership, Wema Bank has demonstrated commitment to social responsibility through initiatives like the “Wema Celebrates Teachers” competition and educational interventions including scholarships and infrastructure support. What makes her work particularly noteworthy is her ability to find and amplify the human stories behind corporate milestones, proving that banking communications can be both strategic and soulful.

Omoefe Ohworakpo: The Media Girl Who Masters Brand Cultivation

Fondly known as “The Media Girl,” Omoefe Ohworakpo has built a reputation where precision meets creativity. In 2025, her contributions to digital marketing were recognized with the EDGE Outstanding Digital Marketing Personality of the Decade.

Currently serving as Brand Operations Media Manager at Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN), Ohworakpo leads with a rare blend of insight and innovation, seamlessly merging traditional and digital channels to deliver unified brand experiences. Her leadership continues to elevate FMN’s visibility while redefining how brands engage audiences in today’s digital ecosystem.

The EDGE Award represented the culmination of a career defined by meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to excellence. For Ohworakpo, mediocrity holds no place in marketing. She believes that anything less than excellent should never reach the consumer. Her philosophy toward brand management mirrors that of a patient farmer tending to a precious field—nurturing every brand with intentionality, feeding it with the right strategy, watering it with creativity, and protecting it with consistency.

Her expertise spans the full spectrum of digital marketing channels, including pay-per-click, display advertising, SEO, content marketing, social media, and mobile marketing. She has successfully set up and managed direct-to-consumer e-commerce channels for African markets and developed influencer marketing and content marketing strategies.

Academically, Ohworakpo holds a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing and Business Transformation from Rome Business School, along with certifications from Google, Facebook, and Harvard Business School Online. In 2025, beyond the EDGE Award, she was honored at the Women In Marketing and Communications Conference/Awards (WIMCA) as the Most Outstanding Media Professional of the Year (Brands) in October, and celebrated among the Top 35 Under 35 Marketing & Communications Professionals at the Brandcom Awards 2025 in November.

Oge Maduagwu: The Purpose-Driven Innovator Redefining Modern Marketing

When Oge Maduagwu emerged as the Outstanding Marketing Personality of the Year at the MARKETING EDGE Awards in 2025, it was an ovation for a legacy still in motion. In the same ceremony, Samsung Mobile Phone clinched the Innovative Mobile Phone Brand of the Year category, creating a resounding double victory.

As Head of Marketing and Communications for Samsung Electronics West Africa, Maduagwu spent 2025 demonstrating what it means to lead with purpose, innovate with intelligence, and connect with empathy. The year’s most significant achievement came in April when Samsung introduced Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba as official language options on selected Galaxy devices. This groundbreaking update represented more than a product feature it was a cultural statement about accessibility, inclusion, and heritage preservation.

Speaking at the launch, which featured traditional music and local cuisine, Maduagwu articulated Samsung’s vision: “At Samsung, we understand that technology is most powerful when it is accessible to all. By incorporating our local Nigerian languages, we are making our devices more intuitive and relatable, ensuring that millions of Nigerians can interact with their smartphones in the language they love and understand best.”

This initiative was followed in March by the launch of the Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G, and A26 5G series, which marked Samsung’s democratization of artificial intelligence through “Awesome Intelligence” a comprehensive mobile AI suite. In August, Samsung unveiled its Vision AI TV lineup, introducing intelligent lifestyle hubs that leverage AI to deliver personalized, contextual experiences.

Beyond product launches, Maduagwu has been an influential voice in industry discourse. In June 2025, she argued that multichannel presence alone no longer suffices: “Retail experiences should serve as a medium for shaping behaviour and belief, guided by insight, driven by content, and anchored in authenticity.”

Her journey to Samsung began with over 14 years in marketing communications, rising through ranks at Mediareach OMD before joining Unilever Nigeria in 2017. At Unilever, she progressed from Assistant Communication Channels Manager to West Africa Media Manager by 2021, overseeing operations for Nigeria, Ghana, and Francophone Africa, where she led a team that generated over 20 million Euros in savings while increasing brand power.

At Samsung, Maduagwu has transformed her role into a platform for demonstrating that marketing excellence lies not in speaking the loudest, but in leading with purpose humanizing brands, turning campaigns into conversations, and products into experiences that truly connect.

Akam-Ekpo Enoch: The Problem-Solving Media Strategist

In an industry where youth is often seen as a disadvantage, Akam-Ekpo Enoch has turned it into a competitive edge. As Business Director for Media Buying, Negotiation & Compliance at Starcom Media Perspectives, she represents a new generation of media professionals who combine technical expertise with strategic vision to deliver measurable results for global brands.

Akam-Ekpo’s rise through Nigeria’s media industry has been marked by her ability to solve problems and deliver results at critical moments. Her vast knowledge of working with various international brands has positioned her as one of the youngest professionals to lead buying control and investment functions in the media industry, a testament to her capability and the trust clients place in her judgment.

In 2025, her contributions to the industry were recognized when she was selected as part of the Young Professionals Academy Faculty at Pitcher Academies, where she now mentors and inspires the next generation of media practitioners. This role reflects not just her professional achievements but her commitment to knowledge transfer and industry development.

Her career trajectory through mediaReach OMD and other leading media agencies has equipped her with deep expertise in media planning, buying, negotiation, and compliance skills that are increasingly critical as brands navigate complex, multi-channel media landscapes. At Starcom Media Perspectives, she oversees strategies that maximize media investments while ensuring brand safety and regulatory compliance.

Akam-Ekpo has also contributed to industry leadership through her service as Assistant Publicity Secretary for the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), demonstrating her commitment to advancing the media profession beyond her immediate corporate responsibilities.

What distinguishes Akam-Ekpo is her pragmatic approach to media strategy. In an era of flashy campaigns and viral moments, she focuses on the fundamentals: rigorous analysis, strategic negotiation, and disciplined execution. Her success demonstrates that in media, as in life, consistent excellence beats occasional brilliance.

The achievements of Dr. Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi, Mabel Adeteye, Omoefe Ohworakpo, Oge Maduagwu, and Akam-Ekpo Enoch in 2025 represent more than individual success. They exemplify a generation of women who have shattered glass ceilings while rebuilding the industry’s foundation on principles of authenticity, purpose, and inclusive excellence. Their contributions demonstrate that the future of Nigeria’s integrated marketing communications industry will be shaped by those who understand that true impact comes from connecting commercial objectives with human values, technological advancement with cultural preservation, and professional excellence with personal authenticity.