Real Talk Debate - Lagos: From Creative Ambition to Impact - Is Nigeria Realising Its Creative Potential?

Andrea Djan-Krofa

HOST - CEO, Women in Marketing (WiM) Africa

Andrea Djan-Krofa is the CEO of Women in Marketing Africa (WiM Africa), part of the Women in Marketing (WiM) Global network. She leads the pan-African platform advancing women in marketing, advertising, communications, and creative leadership across more than 20 African markets and the diaspora.

Through partnerships, events, and thought leadership, Andrea champions gender equity, amplifies African talent, and creates opportunities for greater visibility and influence within the global marketing industry. With more than 20 years’ experience spanning global brands, start-ups, and social enterprises, her work sits at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, inclusion, and the positive repositioning of Africa on the global stage.

Oluwaseyi Layade

MODERATOR - Chief Operating Officer - Leo Burnett Lagos / Chairperson - Women in Advertising (AAAN)

Brenda Nwagwu

PANELLIST - President - MIPAN

Brenda Nwagwu is the President of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of QVT Media. She is a communications and media professional with more than two decades of experience across marketing communications, financial services and technology.

Brenda’s career has included senior roles at leading agencies such as MediaReach OMD and All Seasons Mediacom, where she developed expertise in media strategy, planning, investment and communications. She subsequently founded QVT Media, where she works across media strategy and planning, media buying, content, training and consultancy.

She is also involved in Leeds Production Nigeria, the exclusive media sales representative for Star TV Network in Nigeria and Ghana, and has been active in initiatives supporting local content and professional development.

Brenda’s LinkedIn profile describes her as a seasoned entrepreneur and communications specialist with a finance background. It records her long-standing involvement with MIPAN and AIESEC Alumni Nigeria, as well as her professional qualifications, including Fellowship of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria.

In 2026, Brenda became the first woman elected President of MIPAN since the association’s establishment. QVT Media has also highlighted her recognition in WIMCA’s 2026 Top 50 Most Influential Women in Marketing and Communications.

Her career combines financial expertise, media investment, entrepreneurship and industry leadership, giving her a strong perspective on the changing media landscape, audience measurement, communications strategy, media planning and the future of marketing in Nigeria.
 

Esosa Osagiede

PANELLIST - Group Creative Director - Insight Publicis

Esosa Osagiede is the Group Creative Director at Insight Publicis in Nigeria and a senior creative leader working at the intersection of advertising, brand storytelling, cultural insight and emerging technology.

Her LinkedIn profile describes a career focused on what comes next in advertising and communications, with experience across advertising, copywriting, brand marketing, content strategy, digital marketing and social media. Her professional experience includes work with major brands and organisations across Nigeria and internationally.

Esosa has also developed a strong presence in the global creative community. She was selected for the Cannes Lions See It Be It programme, representing Nigeria and West Africa among a small international cohort of female creative leaders. Her industry involvement extends to judging and participating in major creative awards platforms, giving her exposure to work and creative thinking from markets around the world.

Her recent professional development also includes training in AI basics and tools for creativity, reflecting her interest in how emerging technology is changing creative practice.

Esosa’s perspective is particularly relevant to conversations about the relationship between technology and human creativity. Her work and public commentary emphasise the importance of using AI as a tool while preserving human insight, originality and cultural intelligence.

As Group Creative Director, she brings the perspective of a senior creative practitioner responsible for turning strategy, insight and ideas into communications that connect with people and culture.
 

Fiona Uwagwu

PANELLIST - MD Special Projects & Chief Digital Officer - First Primus Group (WPP Partner)

Fiona Uwagwu is Managing Partner at First Primus, WPP, in Nigeria, bringing more than two decades of experience across advertising, digital, social, content and creative leadership.

Her career has spanned leading international agencies and major brands across the United Kingdom and Africa. She has worked with organisations including Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA and Ogilvy, gaining experience across a broad portfolio of sectors and markets. Earlier in her career, she worked on international accounts including British Airways, American Express, Barclaycard, NatWest, Morgan Stanley, Nestlé and Mars.

Fiona has played an important role in developing digital and social capabilities across Africa. During her time with Ogilvy, she was involved in establishing and developing the agency’s presence in Nigeria and in leading digital capability across Sub-Saharan Africa. Her later leadership in the UK included responsibility for social and content, giving her experience across both agency operations and specialist communications disciplines.

On LinkedIn, Fiona describes more than 25 years of professional experience and writes about the importance of people, diverse perspectives and organisational culture in delivering creative and business success. She was also shortlisted for Advertising Week Europe’s 2024 Future is Female Awards.

Her career across markets and disciplines gives her a strong perspective on creative leadership, digital transformation, inclusive organisational culture and the challenge of keeping brands relevant in rapidly changing African markets.
 

Emme Akande

PANELLIST - Director, Regulation Monitoring and Enforcement - ARCON

Emme Akande is an advertising-regulation professional who has worked with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) since 1998. Her career has covered regulatory, monitoring and enforcement functions, giving her extensive experience in the systems and standards that govern advertising practice in Nigeria.

ARCON’s official management information notes that she joined the organisation as a contract staff member involved in the ARCON House project and was confirmed as staff in 2001. She progressed through roles including Vetting Officer, Monitoring Officer, Chief Inspectorate Officer, Head of Vetting and Monitoring and Assistant Director. The official profile also records her service as Chair of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit and Secretary of the Advertising Standards Panel. Recent industry reporting refers to her as Director of Regulation.

The event listing describes her panel portfolio as Regulation Monitoring and Enforcement. Her experience sits at the intersection of advertising standards, compliance, accountability and industry development. She brings an important regulatory perspective to how the sector can support creative excellence while maintaining public trust and professional standards.

Addy Awofisayo

PANELLIST - Creative Economy Strategist & Founder - Adeola Studios

Addy Awofisayo is a media and technology executive and creative-economy strategist with more than 15 years of international experience across Africa, Europe and North America. She began her career in finance and strategy at Microsoft in Seattle before moving into media, including work with Discovery Communications on content for international markets. Her career has combined strategy, partnerships, content and business development, with a focus on opportunities for African creators.

In 2018, Addy joined YouTube as Manager of Content Partnerships for Africa, working with media companies and developing initiatives to support creators and the digital creative economy. She later became Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa, working at the intersection of music, culture, technology and global distribution. Her work involved engaging artists and industry partners and connecting African music and creative talent with wider audiences.

A 2026 BusinessDay profile describes her career as spanning strategy, finance, content and partnerships, and highlights her work to scale Africa’s creative GDP. The Tix Africa listing identifies her as Creative Economy Strategist and Founder of Adeola Studios; this affiliation is retained as supplied by the organiser. Addy brings a perspective on the partnerships and business models needed to turn cultural influence into sustainable economic value.

Osato Evbuomwan

PANELLIST - Senior Director, Marketing - Coca Cola

Osato Evbuomwan is a marketing leader and cultural strategist whose career spans more than 16 years across consumer goods, spirits and premium beverage brands. Her experience includes Unilever, Diageo and Moët Hennessy, where she developed expertise in consumer insight, brand strategy, portfolio growth and culturally grounded marketing across African markets.

At Unilever, she worked across consumer brands and regional marketing responsibilities. She later held roles at Diageo, working with premium spirits portfolios, before becoming Marketing Director at Moët Hennessy Nigeria. Her industry profile highlights her ability to connect cultural understanding with commercial objectives. She was selected for the Luxury Lions jury at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The official event listing identifies Osato as Senior Director, Marketing at Coca-Cola. Some external professional biographies still show her previous Moët Hennessy role, so the event-listed title is used here. She brings a brand-owner’s perspective on turning cultural relevance, storytelling and creative ambition into effective marketing and commercial outcomes.

Seun Adaramola

PANELLIST - Marketing Director West Africa, Visa

Seun Adaramola is a marketing and business-growth leader at Visa, where she leads marketing for West Africa. Her work centres on translating Visa’s global brand promise into experiences that are locally relevant to consumers and businesses across the region. In a November 2025 interview with The Guardian Nigeria, she discussed how Visa draws on West Africa’s youth culture, entrepreneurial energy and everyday consumer experiences to make its marketing resonate while maintaining a consistent global identity.

Her career spans marketing, brand strategy and commercial growth across technology, telecommunications and payments. Public professional profiles associate her with senior marketing responsibilities at Visa and earlier roles in telecommunications, including Airtel. She has also undertaken executive education at Harvard Business School. This experience gives her a perspective on how global brands can remain recognisable while adapting to local culture and consumer behaviour.

For the debate, Seun brings the perspective of a regional marketing leader working at the intersection of culture, consumer insight and commercial strategy. Her experience is relevant to how African creativity can move beyond visibility and translate into lasting brand relevance and business impact.

Tamara Ojeaga

SPEAKER - Client Growth & Commercial Partner, Kantar

Tamara Ojeaga is a Client Partner at Kantar, where she partners with global organizations to drive brand growth and consumer strategy across complex, high potential markets. She combines data, cultural intelligence and commercial strategy to help brands unlock opportunity across Africa’s diverse and rapidly evolving economies.

With experience spanning African markets and beyond, Tamara specialises in decoding the nuance behind Africa’s consumer landscape, from digital acceleration and youth influence to the growing influence of globally connected urban consumers shaping tastes and expectations across borders.

She encourages brands to approach African markets with depth and curiosity, investing in real consumer understanding rather than relying on broad generalisations. Her focus is on helping organizations build brands that are locally relevant, culturally informed and commercially sustainable.

Tamara has also spoken at Kantar’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity event, where she highlighted the importance of hyperlocalisation, cultural nuance and humour in building emotionally resonant brands across the continent.
 

Katharina Link

FIRESIDE CHAT HOST - CEO, Pulse Africa / Business Insider Africa

Katharina Link is a media executive who leads Pulse Africa and Business Insider Africa. She joined Pulse in 2020 and has helped lead a digital media organisation serving young audiences across markets including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Kenya. Pulse’s business spans digital publishing, video production, creators, digital marketing and branded content, placing it at the intersection of media, culture and commercial communications.

Since 2022, Link has also served as CEO of Business Insider Africa, a business-news platform covering companies, markets, entrepreneurship and economic developments across the continent. Before joining Pulse, she held senior management roles at Axel Springer in Germany. Her background combines European media management with leadership in African digital media and audience development.

Pulse’s official leadership page lists Link as CEO of Pulse, while WAN-IFRA’s speaker biography confirms her roles at Pulse Africa and Business Insider Africa. She brings the perspective of a media leader working across audience engagement, digital publishing and commercial content, with insight into how African creative industries can build distribution and sustainable business models around content and culture.

Steve Babaeko

SPEAKER - Founder & CEO X3M Ideas / VP Africa International Advertising Association (IAA)

Steve Babaeko is one of Africa’s most influential voices in advertising, creativity, and brand innovation. As the Founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas, he has redefined the possibilities of African creativity on the global stage, building one of the continent’s fastest-growing and most awarded independent agencies, with offices in Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Dubai, Congo Brazzaville, Kenya and London.

Since launching X3M Ideas in 2012, Steve has transformed it into a multi-million-dollar enterprise that blends world-class strategy with a deep understanding of African culture. Under his leadership, the agency has delivered game-changing campaigns for leading brands, won multiple international awards, including at Cannes Lions, Loeries, Cristal and earned recognition as a creative powerhouse from Lagos to London.

A born storyteller and brand strategist, Steve began his career as a Copywriter and rose rapidly to creative leadership roles at Nigeria’s biggest agencies before making the bold leap to entrepreneurship. His journey embodies resilience, vision and a refusal to play small, qualities he attributes to growing up in a Nigerian Army barracks, where resourcefulness and courage were non-negotiable.

Beyond advertising, Steve is deeply committed to talent development, social impact and nation-building. He has championed educational reform, spearheaded school renovation projects, and launched initiatives to equip young Nigerians with technology and creative skills. His appointment as Chairman of the rebranding Nigeria campaign, among others, reflects his belief in the power of branding to drive economic transformation.

In 2023, Steve was appointed Visiting Fellow at Henley Business School (UK), where he mentors the next generation of global business leaders and shares insights on leadership, creativity, and the African growth story.

Known for his candor, strategic mind, and relentless pursuit of excellence, Steve has been featured in global media including Forbes, Adweek, Campaign and BusinessDay. He serves on several industry boards and is recognized as a bridge-builder between Africa and the world in the creative economy.

Whether in the boardroom, on the global awards stage, or in classrooms shaping future innovators, Steve Babaeko remains guided by a singular mission: “To make an indelible mark on the world so much so that I’ll be unforgettable.”