Association to elect new Executive Council as Dr. Doyin Salami and AI trust expert Crystal I. Berger headline executive forum on economic resilience, leadership and the future of brand credibility.

The Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) has unveiled plans for its 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Executive Leadership Session, positioning the gathering as a major platform for charting the future of Nigeria’s marketing and advertising industry amid economic uncertainty and the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence.

The event, scheduled for Thursday, July 23, at the Radisson Hotel in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, will begin with the Association’s statutory Annual General Meeting before transitioning into a high-level executive forum designed to equip business leaders with practical insights for navigating today’s rapidly evolving marketplace.

At the heart of the AGM will be the election of a new Executive Council, a development expected to usher in another phase of strategic leadership for the Association.

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In addition to reviewing the organisation’s activities and governance framework, members will deliberate on critical issues expected to shape ADVAN’s future direction, strengthen industry advocacy and reinforce its role as the collective voice of advertisers in Nigeria.

However, the day’s engagement will extend far beyond governance. Immediately after the AGM, ADVAN will convene senior executives, chief marketing officers, brand custodians and corporate decision-makers for its Executive Leadership Session, where discussions will focus on the economic, technological and consumer trends redefining business growth.

Leading the conversation is economist and business strategist Dr. Doyin Salami, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of KAINOS Edge Consulting Ltd and former Economic Adviser to the President of Nigeria. He will deliver a keynote presentation titled “The New Rules of Growth: Navigating Nigeria’s Evolving Economy and Consumer Landscape.”

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Through the session, Salami is expected to unpack the realities confronting businesses as inflation, changing consumer spending habits, policy adjustments and digital transformation continue to reshape Nigeria’s commercial environment.

More importantly, he will explore practical strategies organisations can adopt to remain competitive, strengthen resilience and unlock new opportunities despite prevailing economic headwinds.

Drawing on decades of experience across economic policy, academia, public sector advisory and corporate strategy, Salami is expected to provide participants with valuable perspectives on the intersection of macroeconomic trends, consumer confidence and sustainable business growth.

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Meanwhile, the leadership session will also spotlight one of the defining issues confronting organisations globally, the challenge of maintaining trust in an increasingly AI-driven economy.

Accordingly, ADVAN has themed a special executive conversation, “The Future of Brand Trust: Thriving in an AI-Powered World,” to examine how organisations can preserve credibility, strengthen transparency and deepen consumer confidence as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in business operations, marketing and communication.

The discussion will feature Crystal I. Berger, founder and Chief Executive Officer of EBO and Vettify™, whose work centres on developing trust verification systems for the artificial intelligence era.

Before venturing into technology entrepreneurship, Berger built an extensive career in broadcast journalism as a Senior Booking Producer and National Feature Host at FOX News.

During her tenure, she coordinated more than 140,000 media bookings across the network’s television and radio platforms, giving her firsthand exposure to the growing challenges surrounding credibility, information integrity and public trust within today’s digital media ecosystem.

That experience ultimately inspired her to establish EBO and Vettify™, platforms designed to introduce measurable standards for verifying trust and authenticity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Her work has since attracted significant recognition, including a US$200,000 TEDCO Pre-Seed Builder Fund investment for EBO, while she has also received the NAACP Freedom Fighter Award and earned recognition from Forbes, JPMorgan Chase, T. Rowe Price and Wells Fargo for innovation and social impact.

Beyond her entrepreneurial achievements, Berger serves as Co-Chair of the AI & Technology Council of the Central Maryland Chamber of Commerce, contributes to startup development through the Techstars Equitech Accelerator and has addressed audiences at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference.

Speaking on the significance of the upcoming event, ADVAN President, Osamede Uwubanmwen, said the Association deliberately designed this year’s programme to address the realities confronting business leaders across Nigeria.

According to him, organisations are increasingly required to balance economic uncertainty with rapid technological advancement, making strategic leadership and informed decision-making more important than ever.

He explained that bringing together respected experts such as Dr. Doyin Salami and Crystal Berger reflects ADVAN’s commitment to providing members with practical knowledge that will enable them to build resilient organisations, strengthen brand competitiveness and sustain consumer trust in an increasingly complex business landscape.

Uwubanmwen further noted that the Association remains focused on preparing marketing professionals and business executives to anticipate change rather than merely respond to it, adding that continuous learning and executive engagement remain central to ADVAN’s long-term vision for industry development.

With leadership succession, economic strategy and artificial intelligence expected to dominate discussions, the 2026 AGM and Executive Leadership Session is poised to reinforce ADVAN’s role as a leading platform for executive collaboration, professional development and thought leadership within Nigeria’s marketing communications industry.

The Association has consequently encouraged members to participate fully in both the statutory meeting and the executive forum, describing the combined event as a timely opportunity to gain strategic insights, exchange ideas and collectively shape the future of brand growth and responsible marketing in Nigeria.

 

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