The PR Power List is a groundbreaking initiative created by GLG Communications in collaboration with The Guardian to commend and recognise exceptional PR professionals in Nigeria, coinciding with the annual celebration of World PR Day on July 16. This year’s list showcases some familiar faces from last year as well as new entrants who have distinguished themselves in the last 12 months:
ICONS – These individuals have not only made remarkable contributions to the public relations industry but have also established solid foundations for their peers, ultimately reshaping the PR landscape in Nigeria and Africa at Large. For 2023, we have a PR Icon with over 30 years of expertise with an immense impact that can be seen through his pioneering efforts.
CHANGEMAKERS – Experts, agency founders, c-suite executives, and leaders who have earned recognition as some of the most influential figures within the Nigerian PR industry. Their expertise and influence have propelled them forward.
COMMUNITY IMPACT – Acknowledging those dedicated to creating platforms or communities that foster growth in PR and communication fields. These builders establish nerve centers where industry professionals can enhance their skills and inspire others.
RISING VOICES – These are young industry leaders with formidable talents within the realm of PR. Through resilience and innovation, they defy all odds while transforming brands with unparalleled creativity.
MEDIA IMPACT – We cannot overlook the integral role of the media platforms, without which our perception of PR would remain incomplete. The contributions from these industry media houses play a pivotal role in amplifying our work.
With love and gratitude,
Omawumi Ogbe
Managing Partner, GLG Communications.
ICON
1. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya
Group Managing Director at CMC Connect (Perception Managers).
With an illustrious career spanning over 30 years in the Marketing Communications industry, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya is a true icon. Affectionately called YBO, Badejo-Okusanya is the Group Managing Director at CMC Connect (Perception Managers). In 2010, he became the first recipient of the PR Golden Eagle Award as the Most Outstanding Public Relations Person of the Year. His remarkable journey continued with numerous accolades, including being the inaugural recipient of the Bob Ogbuagu Leadership Award in 2017. As a Board Member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), he played a pivotal role in mainstreaming Africa into global PR practice. His selfless service to the African Public Relations Association (APRA) as a two-term Secretary-General and two-term President (2016-2023) has been instrumental in elevating the profession on the continent. The West African Chair for the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), Badejo-Okusanya’s invaluable contributions have earned him a well-deserved place as the first African to be inducted into the prestigious International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) Hall of Fame.
CHANGEMAKERS
2. Adetokunbo Modupe
CEO of TPT International Ltd.
With over 24 years of experience in marketing communications and public relations, Modupe is one of the most sought-after perception management specialists in Africa. His firm, TPT International Ltd, emerged as the Digital And Social Media Agency Of The Year At Lapriga 2022. Also PR Agency of the Year at the Nigerian Marketing Awards.
3. Adewunmi Desalu
BUA Foods-Director, Marketing, and Corporate Communications
Adewumi Desalu is the marketing and communications director at BUA Foods, Nigeria’s leading Food and Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) business. With a proven track record in effectively leading cross-functional teams, she has collaborated with prominent companies such as Spotify, Samsung, Axa Mansard, and Globacom. Notably, she played a pivotal role in leading BUA Foods to its listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2022.
4. Amaechi Michael Okobi
Group Head, Corporate Communications, Access Bank Plc
Highly motivated marketing and communications professional with extensive working experience in diverse industries. At Access Bank, he manages the Corporate Communications and External Affairs Department with responsibilities that include the development of the Bank’s communications strategy as related to Brand Strategy & Advertising; Media and Public Relations; Events & Sponsorship; and Corporate Social responsibility & Sustainability.
5. Anthony Chiejina
Group Head, Corporate Communications, Dangote Group.
Anthony Chiejina is a corporate communications professional with over two decades of experience. He currently serves as the Group Head of Corporate Communications at Dangote Group, one of Africa’s largest conglomerates. He has been with the company as a senior communicator for 16 years—during which it has won numerous awards in Nigeria and across the entire African continent.
6. Anurika Azubuike
Consultant, Africa Regional Communications, International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Anurika Azubuike is the Consultant at the Africa Regional Communications arm of the International Finance Corporation where she communicates IFC’s high impact work and thought leadership in driving private sector-led growth in the sub-Saharan Africa region. She has two decades of hands-on experience covering strategy, marketing, communications, growth partnerships, and business management for start-ups.
7. Ayeni Adekunle
Founder/CEO at BHM
Described in Forbes Africa Magazine as “one of the pioneers who led Nigeria into the digital-first strategy era of Marketing Communications”, Ayeni was named Nigeria’s PR Practitioner of the Year in 2017. He is the founder and CEO of BHM Group, a leading public relations and media company in Nigeria. He is the Chairman of the committee in charge of the Africa PR & Communications report, the first global PR and Communications report from Africa.
8. Bola Balogun
Founder and CEO of The Glam Brand Agency
Bola Balogun stands as a trailblazer in the world of lifestyle and beauty PR consultancy in Nigeria. She is the founder of Glam Brand Agency, a renowned firm dedicated to positioning brands, and their products for exponential growth. Through effective brand strategy and top-notch public relations services, the agency has played a pivotal role in transforming the landscape of brand positioning in Nigeria.
9. Bukola Sawyerr Izeogu
Founder & CEO, BukiHQ Media
A strong advocate for gender equality, Bukola Sawyerr is an experienced communications professional with over 20 years of experience. She is the Chief Executive Officer of BukiHQ Media, a public and media relations firm and Edge Solutions Company, a content communication company, where she leads dedicated professionals to manage clients including Burna Boy, Adekunle Gold, Mr Eazi, and M.I.
10. Chinma Banksharon-Nwaneri
Senior Marketing Manager, Tecno Telecoms Nigeria.
Chinma is an experienced marketing and communications expert with 12 years of work experience spanning Storytelling, Project planning, and management, Digital marketing, Channel Management, Brand Management, Media planning & buying, and Customer analytics. She leads Tecno’s Marketing, Public Relations, and Digital Team for Nigeria which is over 60% of the SSA market.
11. Comfort Obot Nwankwo
Chairman, Lagos NIPR
Comfort Obot is the Managing Director of Cicom International Limited, a professional signage design, manufacturing, and installation company based in Nigeria. She is also the Chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR, where she is steering the ship of the most powerful branch of the association.
12. Efosa Aiyevbomwan
PR & Publicity Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, Netflix.
Efosa Aiyevbomwan is a Senior Marketing Communications professional with extensive experience in the initiation and execution of campaigns for multinational brands across different sectors. He is the PR & Publicity Manager for Netflix in Sub-Saharan Africa where he handles all PR affairs in the region. In his role, Africa has seen increased recognition in the global movie space, with the premiere of the Queen Charlotte series and other Nollywood first-of-its-kind series and movies.
13. Elizabeth Oputa
Senior Brand Manager Amazon Prime Video.
Elizabeth Oputa is a Creative Marketing Leader with 15 years of experience in both brand management and agency marketing in various countries, including the US, Nigeria, Argentina, and England. In her role as Senior Brand Manager at Amazon Prime Video, she has handled top collaboration including the launch of the first-ever Prime Video marketing campaigns in Africa – South Africa and Nigeria, all in less than two years.
14. Elizabeth Osho
Co-Founder & Lead Strategist, So.Me Solutions
A skilled strategist and communications expert, Elizabeth Osho is the visionary founder of So.MeSolutions. With over fifteen years of experience, she champions a humanized and contemporary approach to PR, diverging from the conventional media relations model. Over the past year, her team has handled top PR jobs for brands including the premiere of black panther in Nigeria and the Essence Festival of Culture among others. With her visionary leadership, the company has expanded outside the African continent, bagging top luxury clients in the process.
15. Emeka Oparah
Vice President Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Africa
Multiple award-winning crisis management expert, and rebranding veteran, Emeka Oparah has over 25 years of consistent communications practice spanning advertising, public relations, and corporate social responsibility. He currently works as the Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Africa in Dubai where he is responsible for reputation and perception management as well as corporate social responsibility (CSR).
16. Femi Falodun
Executive Director, BHM Holdings
A marketing and communications professional with vast experience in the use of marketing principles, creative multimedia content, public relations techniques and digital tools. A chartered marketer, he has led teams responsible for the development, launch and management of digital technology products and platforms, such as Thenet.ng and Neusroom.com (media), Plaqad.com (marketing tech) and NECLive (entertainment and creative industry conference).
17. Francesca Uriri
Global Internal and Executive Communications Lead of Diversity and Inclusion at Meta
Francesca is an experienced, results-oriented communications leader with a global background and over 16 years of experience in strategic and inclusive communications. She is the head of global internal and executive communications for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Meta (formerly Facebook) where she drives the communication strategy to effectively convey the company’s DEI initiatives and engage the extensive workforce of nearly 100,000 employees.
18. Funso Aina
Senior Manager, External Relations at MTN Nigeria Plc
With over 26 years of cumulative experience, Funso is a public relations/corporate communications professional with multi-sectoral experience in telecommunications, cultural diplomacy, and journalism. He currently works as Senior Manager, External Relations at MTN Nigeria where he leads strategy and drives targeted engagement with the company’s critical stakeholders. He was recently named Innovator of the Year (brand) at the IN2 SABRE Awards.
19. Ijeoma Balogun
CEO, Redrick Public Relations
Ijeoma Balogun is an award-winning lifestyle journalist, Forbes Africa 30 under 30 honoree, and seasoned media & communications professional with over 10 years of brand-building experience working with Consumer, Lifestyle & Tech brands across mass & niche markets as the CEO of Redrick Public Relations. Redrick PR roster of clients includes government agencies, international corporations, and SMEs such as Prime Video, BAV Consulting (a unit of the WPP Group & Forbes Global 2000), Hayat Kimya Nigeria, Mitsubishi Motors, L’Oreal Group, Moët Hennessey, The Federal Ministry of Trade & Industry, to mention a few.
20. Itiola Omobolaji Ikudinakin
Director of Marketing and Communications, Opay.
Itiola Omobolaji Ikudinakin is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Opay, one of Nigeria’s Fintech companies. During the currency change and cash crunch in Nigeria, she played a pivotal role in Opay’s consumer-centric marketing model, that helped the company increase its users to over 35 million users and 500,000 agents.
21. Jide Sipe
Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication at Ecobank Nigeria
Babajide Sipe is the Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication at Ecobank Nigeria. He leads and enriches the Bank’s Marketing and Corporate Communications Department, where he ensures that the Bank remains the go-to bank for Pan-African trade facilitation and payments. Pior to joining Ecobank, Jide spent over a decade with Guaranty Trust Bank in key roles including – Head of Brand Management and Experiential Marketing, Head Corporate Communications and Media Relations, amongst others.
22. Laolu Thomas
Senior Public Relations Manager – DStv
Laolu Thomas is a professional and impeccably presented and driven Brand Strategist with experience in maximizing the awareness, sales and profitability of recognizable brands. She is the Senior Public Relations Manager at DSTV, top sub-Saharan African video entertainment company where she shapes and enhances the brand’s reputation through strategic communications and media relations.
23. Mabel (Aladenusi) Adeteye
Head, Brand & Marketing Communications, Wema Bank.
Mabel Adeteye is a highly skilled corporate communications and public relations professional with extensive expertise spanning over a decade. A member of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) in the UK, she has held significant roles, including Head of Corporate Communications, PR & Digital, at a prominent Nigerian broadcast media company, TVC Communications. Her significant contributions made the rollout of the bank’s “Sounds of ALAT”, a platform to support young creatives in the entertainment industry a huge success.
24. Michelle Atagana
Head of Communications and Public Relations, Africa at Spotify.
Michelle Atagana is the Head of Communications and Public Relations, Africa at Spotify where she sets local strategy and implements communications campaigns across all channels in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Recently, under her leadership, the company launched Afrobeats: The Journey of a Thousand Streams, a site that explores the origins of Afrobeats and its global success. The company has also been more intentional about the African continent from the New Africa Podcast Fund to new playlists amplifying the African sounds.
25. Niyi Aderibigbe
Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Transcorp Hotels Plc.
Over the past 10 years, Niyi Aderibigbe has executed strategies to grow brand appeal and profitability through marketing campaigns, and strong public and media relations. He currently leads Marketing & Corporate Communications at Transcorp Hotels Plc, where he develops growth strategy and content as the company continues to build one of Africa’s largest hospitality brands.
26. Ngozi Emeagi
Director, Communications – Data and Analytics at London Stock Exchange Group, UK.
Ngozi is a strategic communications professional with extensive experience in Financial Services and most recently, Insurance. Experience in Corporate, Financial, Brand PR, and Crisis Comms and passionate about driving diversity and inclusion programs within organizations. She was listed in PR Week’s UK Power Book of 2023 as one of the most PR practitioners in Britain.
27. Oluwasola Obagbemi
Corporate Communications Manager, Anglophone West Africa at Meta
Sola, a seasoned Public Relations and Communications professional, has excelled in her 11-year career journey. Currently serving as the Corporate Communications Manager for Anglophone West Africa at Meta (formerly called Facebook), she oversees brand communications across multiple countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Gambia, and Sierra Leone. Sola is a fellow of International Management Consultants (FIMC, CMC), demonstrating her expertise in the field.
28. Omasan Ogisi
General Manager, External Communications, MTN
Omasan is a proven Marketing and Communications professional with extensive experience of almost two decades delivering public relations, marketing, sales, and team leadership through comprehensive integrated communications initiatives. She is the current General Manager, External Communications at Telecoms giant, MTN South Africa.
29. Orimolade Oluwamuyemi
Senior Business Program Manager, MarComms at Microsoft, ADC West Africa
Orimolade Oluwamuyemi is a communication and public affairs expert with fourteen (14+) years of experience. He is passionate about unlocking emerging markets’ immense potential, through advocating for the relevance of young people in Africa to acquire digital literacy with the effective deployment of technology for social & economic impact.
30. Otega Ogra
Director & Group Head, Corporate Communications, BUA Group
Otega Ogra is the Director and Group Head of Corporate Communications at BUA Group where he charts and drives a strategic communications and brand management strategy for the Group and its subsidiaries. Before now, he has worked as Head of Corporate Communications at Wema Bank, and Corporate Communications Manager at Guaranty Trust Bank.
31. Rafiat Gawat
Head, of Corporate Communication at TGI Group
Rafiat Gawat serves as the Head of Communication and Corporate Affairs at Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, where she she excels in effectively communicating the corporate message, across expansion meetings with stakeholders, investors, and host countries. She is a valued member of professional organizations such as the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, the Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria, and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
32. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade
Communications & Public Affairs Manager, West Africa, Google
With over 18 years of experience in Public Relations and integrated communications, this seasoned professional is currently at the helm of product communications, economic impact storytelling, misinformation prevention, and regional communication strategy development for Google’s Global Communications and Public Affairs in West Africa.
33. Taiwo Ogunwumi
Executive Director, Brooks + Blake
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade is an accomplished PR and brand communications expert, boasting over 20 years in the industry. At the helm of Google’s Global Communications in West Africa, he champions economic impact storytelling, actively combats misinformation, and meticulously designs regional communication blueprints. His critical roles in the Innovate Africa Challenge and the Google News Innovation Challenge underscore his commitment to shaping the region’s media landscape and fostering innovation.
34. Temitope Oguntokun
Corporate Affairs and Legal Director, International Breweries Plc (AB InBev)
A business leader with impactful experience in Corporate/Public Affairs, Strategic Communications, Sustainability, and Management. With a demonstrated experience of over two decades spanning Nigeria, Africa and global contexts, she provides integrated communications and sustainable development services for organizations and brands in different industries and within multinational and multicultural backgrounds.
35. Tomilayo Aluko
Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing at CSCS.
Tomilayo is an experienced Brand Consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the Banking industry. She is the Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing at Central Securities Clearing System. With her significant contributions and an increased management focus on PR and media, the company has achieved excellent visibility in the past year.
36. Tomi Ogunlesi
Group Head, Brands, Communications & Corporate Responsibility, Interswitch Group.
Tomi Ogunlesi is a seasoned Marketing & Communications Director with a remarkable 14-year extensive cross-sectoral experience in insight-driven marketing, communication, and business development. Tomi is a proud member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK), the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), and the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). He is the Group Head, Brands, Communication & Corporate Responsbibility at Interswitch Group where he is leading communication efforts on new products.
37. Vanessa Amadi
Founder at VA|PR Publicity
She has executed PR campaigns for A-list stars like Usher, Ciara, Naomi Campbell, and Estelle. In addition, her events, music licensing, and entertainment company, VA-PR Management, currently represent Music stars, including Tiwa Savage and Davido.
38. Victoria Uwadoka
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestle
Victoria Uwadoka is a seasoned Public Relations and Communications professional with over two decades of experience. As Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Nestle, she focuses on strengthening Nestlé’s social impact by fostering relationships with stakeholders and communities and showcasing the company’s positive contributions. She also organized a successful event during African Communications Week 2023, themed “Telling the Africa Story: The Communicators’ Responsibility,” in celebration of Africa Day.
39. Victor Oladokun
Senior Adviser to the President (Communication and Stakeholder Engagement), African Development Bank Group.
Victor Oladokun is a highly accomplished media and communication professional with extensive regional and global experience in corporate communication, and PR. In his role as the former Director of Communication and External Relations at the African Development Bank (AfDB), his significant contributions enhanced the bank’s global visibility and reputation and positioned the AfDB as a key player in driving sustainable development in Africa.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
40. Adedoyin Jaiyesimi
Co-Founder, The Comms Avenue.
A communications and public policy expert, she has successfully executed projects for Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Level One Financial Inclusion Project), and Specta by Sterling, amongst others. As Co-founder and Communications Advisor at The Comms Avenue, she works with an amazing team to create capacity building and networking opportunities for communication professionals.
41. Eniola Harrison
Director IE Africa Center & Co-Founder of Africa Communications Week
Eniola is passionate about advancing balanced narratives about Africa and co-founder of Africa Communications Week, a global movement that convenes Africa-focused communication professionals to engage and impact Africa’s socio-economic transformation through strategic communication. She is a communication professional with experience managing public relations, digital and strategic communications for corporate organizations and institutions in the EU and Africa.
42. Peter Ukhurebor
MD, UWG New York & Founder, Black at Cannes.
With over 15 years in advertising as a unicorn, Peter Ukhurebor’s career spans three continents working as a copywriter, art director, planner, brand manager, and UX strategist. He is also the Founder of Black at Cannes, an organization that aims to create systematic change in advertising by increasing the representation of black people at Cannes.
43. Tolulope Olorundero
Principal Consultant at Mosron Communications & Founder, Nigerian Women In PR
Tolulope is a versatile B2B public relations and strategic communications consultant for multinational organisations and global executives. With exemplary skills in crises management, strategy development and digital communications garnered over 16+ years of business experience, she is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Mosron Communications, a boutique public relations consultancy in Lagos, Nigeria. She is also the Founder and Chair of, Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Women in PR.
RISING VOICES
44. Blessing Abeng
Co-Founder & Director of Communications, Ingressive for Good.
Blessing Abeng is a branding and communications expert dedicated to helping brands discover their unique identity and share compelling stories. With a focus on tech products, growth, and sales, she crafts communication strategies that connect with teams, target audiences, partners, and investors. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient and a United Nations 100 Most Influential Person of African Descent Under 40 in the Philanthropy sector.
45. Enitan Kehinde
Lead Consultant and General Manager, BHM UK.
Enitan Kehinde is a communications and project management expert who has over the years, been recognized as a top innovator in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; a global young changemaker across Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East; as well as one of the top 40 under 40 women in Marketing Communications from Nigeria. She won the Rising PR Practitioner of the Year at the 2022 LAPRIGA Awards.
46. Nowe Isibor
PR & Communications Manager, Filmhouse Group
Nowe Isibor is the Public Relations and Communications Manager at Filmhouse Group, Nigeria’s largest cinema chain where she drives impactful communications strategies to elevate brand awareness and reputation. She worked as the PR MVP behind Hilda Baci’s journey to breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual in the world.
47. Oluwayemisi Ode
Integrated Marketing Communications & Public Relations Manager, Infinix Nigeria.
Yemisi is an accomplished Brands and Communications Specialist with over 7 years of progressive experience in driving remarkable revenue growth and enhancing corporate marketability for leading industry players. She is the current Integrated Marketing Communications & Public Relations Manager at Infinix Nigeria where she directs strategic communications plans.
48. Yewande Akomolafe – Kalu
Head, Storytelling and Branding, Flutterwave
Yewande Akomolafe-Kalu is a Branding, Storytelling and Marketing specialist with over 5 years of experience helping brands develop, grow, and market their services and products globally. She is the Head of Storytelling and Branding at Flutterwave where she contributes to Flutterwave’s success in building a strong and recognizable brand presence in the fintech industry.
MEDIA IMPACT
49. John Ajayi
Editor in Chief & Publisher, Marketing Edge Magazine
Veteran journalist and Publisher of Nigeria’s leading marketing and advertising magazine, Marketing Edge, John Ajayi is an experienced professional with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. He directs the operations of Marketing Edge; a Nigerian-based marketing and advertising publication that provides insights, news, and analysis on marketing-related topics in Nigeria and beyond.
50. Joshua Ajayi
Publisher, Brand Communicator
Joshua Ajayi is the Chief Executive Officer at Awesome Communications and Publisher of Brand Communicator. In his role as Publisher, he has led the company to become the leading marketing and advertising publication in Nigeria that focuses on providing news, insights, and analysis on branding, marketing communications, and the advertising industry in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
