The National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) has held its maiden “Leadhers in Marketing” Conference themed “Redefining Influence: Women Shaping the Future of Marketing,” delivered through a hybrid format on Friday, March 6, 2026.

The conference, strategically aligned with the period of International Women’s Day celebrations, brought together women professionals, executives, and thought leaders across the marketing and corporate landscape to examine the evolving role of women in shaping industry leadership, innovation, and strategic influence.

Speaking at the event, the President of the institute, Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, explained that the conference was designed to strengthen women’s participation in leadership across marketing and other sectors.

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According to her, the initiative seeks to build stronger leadership capacity among female professionals, improve visibility within the industry, drive measurable impact, encourage structured mentorship, and support continuous professional and personal development.

While acknowledging the progress women have made within the profession, she stressed the need to deepen the leadership pipeline.

She said, “While women have made remarkable strides in the profession, there is still a need to strengthen the leadership pipeline and create structured pathways that allow talent to thrive.”

The NIMN President explained that the conference initiative is anchored on six pillars which include leadership, visibility, impact, growth, mentorship and professional development.

“These pillars ensure that women are empowered to lead based on skill, capacity, and measurable impact, not just representation,” she added.

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The keynote address was delivered by Osayi Alile, Chief Executive Officer of the Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation, who shared cross sector leadership insights on the growing influence of women and the expanding opportunities for female professionals in shaping marketing practice.

The event also featured a high level panel discussion moderated by Chizor Malize, Managing Director of the Financial Institutions Training Centre,  FITC.

Panelists included Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Financial Officer of MTN Nigeria; Adebola Williams, Marketing Director at Promasidor Nigeria; and Chioma Afe, Director of External Affairs

During the discussion, Afe highlighted the growing role of sustainability and credible storytelling in building brand trust and corporate reputation.

She explained that marketing must be grounded in verifiable data and measurable impact, stressing that organizations must ensure transparency in communicating social, environmental and governance initiatives.

According to her, storytelling remains central to marketing practice, but it must be driven by accurate data and verifiable outcomes.

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She explained that organisations should maintain “one source of truth” when communicating their social programmes, environmental commitments and governance practices so that stakeholders can easily verify the impact being claimed.

Afe also pointed out that marketing plays a key role in shaping behaviour both internally and externally, particularly when organisations seek to embed sustainability practices into their operations and culture.

She further noted that women bring unique relational intelligence into leadership and stakeholder engagement, adding that this ability to balance relationships, collaboration and strategic thinking strengthens organisational decision making and community engagement.

Also contributing to the discussion, Ikenna Emeka emphasised that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analytics present major opportunities for women to strengthen their influence in business and marketing leadership.

She noted that technology itself is neutral, but the value derived from it depends on how professionals utilise data and insights to drive strategic decisions, customer segmentation and market understanding.

According to her, women must actively explore technology driven tools such as artificial intelligence and business intelligence systems to improve decision making, deepen customer understanding and enhance marketing performance.

She explained that the ability to question data, interpret insights and translate them into strategic actions can help women reposition themselves within commercial leadership roles across organisations.

Meanwhile, Williams stressed the importance of authenticity in marketing communication and brand storytelling. He explained that consumer trust remains a moving target, noting that loyalty must be constantly earned through product quality, availability, pricing sensitivity and credible messaging.

He added that marketers must remain close to the market and continuously engage consumers directly in order to understand changing behaviours, expectations and purchasing patterns.

The conference formed part of NIMN’s broader effort to strengthen professional development within the marketing industry while creating platforms that encourage inclusive leadership and collaboration among professionals shaping the future of the discipline.