When Fiona made the decision to leave a career as a journalist in the United States and move back to Africa, it wasn’t a gamble, she was following a pull that had always been there.

“I’ve always had this deep passion for Africa,” she says. Even though she grew up in the States, Liberia is home. Her family left because of the war, but she always knew she would come back.

Her bold, personal, and deeply intentional return has since evolved into a remarkable career in media and marketing, bridging continents, cultures, and disciplines. Today, Fiona serves as the Managing Director for Nigeria and West Africa at Pulse, one of the continent’s leading digital media companies and marketing consultancies. From Lagos to Accra, she leads strategy, operations, and storytelling that resonate across generations.

Her journey has been anything but linear. After years in journalism, she pivoted to marketing; pursuing an MBA in the Netherlands with a specific focus on branding, culture, and consumer engagement. When an opportunity came up to work with Pulse in Nigeria, it felt like everything aligned: “It was the perfect blend of my two passions, media and marketing, and I was curious to learn from a place that was constantly shaping and reshaping culture.”

Moving to Nigeria was a revelation for Fiona. “It was definitely a culture shock,” she admits. “But it has also been one of the most accelerated learning experiences I’ve had”. The pace, the creativity, the ambition; there’s nowhere quite like it.

From Pernod Ricard to Amazon Prime Video, and Reckitt Benckiser, she has overseen campaigns that blend local insight with global storytelling, helping brands connect authentically with Africa’s young audiences.

In 2024, her influence was recognised in #TheJoy150—Chude Jideonwo’s annual list of the 150 Most Interesting People in Nigerian Culture. “That recognition meant a lot. It reminded me that culture isn’t just something you consume, it’s something you shape, one idea at a time.”

For Fiona, the work is far from over. “There’s so much more to build,” she says. African stories deserve to be told at scale, with nuance, creativity, and pride. The future we can write together is what excites her most.

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