The IAA Africa Rising Leadership Conference has consistently featured prominent and very skilled speakers from Africa and across the globe, to share their knowledge and expertise with existing and growing brands.
For over four years, great minds have converged to educate thousands of people and institutions on how to build and sustain resilient brands.
It is that time of the year again and IAA and its partners are set to hold another edition of the conference, scheduled to take place at the Labadi beach hotel in Accra on October 5 and 6.
Just like previous conferences, a host of successful and prominent speakers will grace the occasion to speak on the theme:“Brands for Purpose, Brands for People.”
Below is the list of speakers expected to mount the stage;
Joel Edmund Nettey
Joel Edmund Nettey is the World President and Chairman of the International Advertising Association (IAA), having previously served as Senior Vice President and Vice President in charge of Communications.
Joel is a savvy and well-acclaimed Management, Marketing and Marketing Communications expert and the Founder and Chief Executive of The Ninani Group, a group of Marketing Communications Specialist Companies that include Innova DDB Ghana, ReZultz Advertising, Touchpoint Magna Carta (Africa and Ghana’s PR Consultancy of the Year 2019), Interactive Digital and Brand Alert in Ghana as well as Innova Liberia.
A thoroughbred marketing communications professional, he has also been Chief Executive of various multinational marketing communications agency affiliates in Ghana including Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis and is a 2-term Past President of the Advertising Association of Ghana and the IAA Ghana Chapter.
In November 2010 the Network Journal USA recognised his sterling qualities when it named Joel as one of the inaugural 20 honorees from across Africa in its “TNJ 40 under Forty Africa” Awards.
He holds a Master in Business Administration (Marketing) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics and Psychology degrees from the University of Ghana. Joel and his wife Rachel, are blessed with 3 children – Nichole, Natasha and Nigel.
Sasan Saedi
Sasan Saedi is the Global Client Partner – The Coca-Cola Company – Wunderman Thompson Global.
He has lived advertising for over two decades, across brands, business sectors and multiple regions of the world.
Starting and building his career in North America, he is a strategic planner by trait and has spent most of his career focused on international markets and building global brands.
Today, Sasan leads the Global Coca-Cola relationship and business for Wunderman Thompson Global. Sasan and his worldwide team manage the business of the Atlanta based client worldwide working hand in hand with the WPP Open X team.
The offering ranges from creative and comms, to high level marketing operations consultancy, data optimization and personalization, commerce solutions, tech and innovation support across a range of Global brands and categories.
Prior to this assignment, Sasan successfully led the Global Nestlé relationship for Wunderman Thompson for 3 years, working with Nestle SBU’s and Markets across the Globe on brand building and marketing communication for some of the most iconic brands in the world.
Some of his previous roles also include Regional CEO- Gulf for J. Walter Thompson, Group Managing Director at McCann FP7 and other management and strategy roles at BBDO; Saatchi & Saatchi- Canada & FCB-Canada. Sasan is an international industry speaker and academic lecturer and enjoys sharing his love and knowledge of the communication and creative industry regularly.
He has been with the IAA since 2014 and is currently the Global Senior Vice President at the IAA. Currently Studying for a management degree in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for business at the Saïd Business School- University of Oxford. He is an avid listener and reader of everything; a big fan of world cultures & fashion. He loves his two sons, Sammy and Alexander, and Basketball.
Chief Brand Officer, Moderna, Kate Cronin
As Chief Brand Officer, Kate Cronin is responsible for amplifying Moderna’s story and the promise of mRNA science for patients. Ms. Cronin joined Moderna from Ogilvy Health, part of WPP plc., where she served as Global CEO.
In this role, she led the full spectrum of Ogilvy Health’s core capabilities including public relations and influence, brand strategy, advertising, medical education, market access, and patient and consumer engagement.
Additionally, Ms. Cronin grew Ogilvy’s business in the health and wellness arena, encompassing a broad portfolio including pharmaceuticals, consumer health, insurance, hospitals, health technology and medical devices.
Ms. Cronin led integrated campaigns involving social, digital, brand and public relations for Ogilvy’s largest, long-term health clients including BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck and Pfizer. Prior to her role as CEO, Ms. Cronin held numerous leadership roles within Ogilvy including Global Managing Director, Managing Director of Ogilvy Public Relations’ New York office, and most recently Co-President of Ogilvy Health in the United States.
Before her 17-year tenure at Ogilvy, Ms. Cronin was a Partner at Porter Novelli. Before starting her career in communications, Ms. Cronin conducted research in the field of neurobiology at Cornell University Medical College.
She co-authored several research articles focused on learning and memory and published in peer-reviewed publications. Ms. Cronin received a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Smith College.
Global Creative Strategy Director, Islam Eldessoukay
Islam’s conviction is storytelling is the way, it builds a long-lasting experience and relationship with people. He has been the driving force behind some of Coca-Cola’s most successful, awarded, and impactful campaigns whether globally or regionally.
His obsession with creating genuinely clutter-breaking work has seen him rise through the ranks at the Coca-Cola Company, from Brand Manager on Sprite for the Middle East to Integrated Marketing Communications Manager to now leading globally the Creative Strategy of leading brands like smartwater, Powerade, fuzetea, Vitamin Water, and Costa together with many others.
He is driven by ideas that achieve results, an approach that has seen his work awarded both creatively and strategically, in the region and across the world. And, he is a firm believer that Storytelling is a Super Power, once harnessed authentically and consistently it drives Brands to penetrate culture and become part of people’s lives. He is Egyptian, a lover of history, BBQ, and a passionate fan of Basketball, Sneakers, and Hip- Hop music.
Chairman of Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance, Jeffrey A. Greenbaum
Managing Partner of Frankfurt Kurnit since 2010, Jeffrey A. Greenbaum is one of the country’s leading advertising lawyers.
He is a partner in the firm’s Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Group and has extensive experience representing advertisers, advertising agencies, and media companies on advertising, branded entertainment, and intellectual property matters.
He is also the Chairman of the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance. Best Lawyers in America has twice named him “Advertising Lawyer of the Year” for the New York metro area. Mr. Greenbaum advises clients on a wide variety of advertising-related matters, including advertising regulation, rights clearance, social media, sweepstakes and contests, union issues, network clearance, and global clearance issues.
He helps clients negotiate virtually any type of advertising-related agreement, including advertising agency agreements, media buys, talent contracts, production agreements, intellectual property licences, and sponsorships.
He also regularly represents advertisers in connection with advertising litigation, including federal, state, and local regulatory investigations and National Advertising Division and other self-regulatory proceedings. In addition to being Chairman of the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance, Mr. Greenbaum is a member of the Board of the International Advertising Association and the Chair of the IAA’s Public Policy Council.
He has previously served as Chairman of the Committee on Consumer Affairs of the New York City Bar. He currently chairs the City Bar’s annual “Hot Topics in Advertising Law” program. He has also served as a Director and Secretary of the Brand Activation Association and has served as Co-Chairman of the Brand Activation Association’s law conference. Mr. Greenbaum has been recognized for many years as a leading advertising lawyer by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA Leading Lawyers for Business, The Legal 500, and Super Lawyers.
In addition, Best Lawyers in America named him “Advertising Lawyer of the Year” for the New York Metro area (2015, 2017) and “Copyright Lawyer of the Year” for the New York metro area (2019). The Legal 500 also gave him special recognition as a “Leading Lawyer” (2017-2021). Who’s Who Legal – Data also recognized him as a leading lawyer in Telecoms & Media (2019).
He was also twice the recipient of the Brand Activation Association’s Beacon Award. Mr. Greenbaum is a frequent speaker on advertising issues in the United States and around the world. He has spoken at the Federal Trade Commission’s “Protecting Kids’ Privacy Online” workshop, the “FTC at 100” workshop, the FTC’s “Rebate Debate” workshop, and at the FTC’s “Green Lights and Red Flags: FTC/BBB Rules of the Road for Advertisers” program.
He has also spoken at conferences and programs sponsored by the National Advertising Division, the Association of National Advertisers, the Brand Activation Association, the National Advertising Review Council, the Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program, the Electronic Retailing Association, the Intellectual Property Owners Association, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, the Society of Digital Agencies, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, ASIPI, ALI/ABA, the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance, the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar, the New York County Lawyers Association, and many others.
Mr. Greenbaum has been quoted in publications such as, The New York Times, The New York Post, The Washington Post, Advertising Age, Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter, CNBC, Mashable, FTC Watch, Law360, and many others. He has appeared on the CBS “Early Show” and Bloomberg Law.
He participated in the symposium, “New Impressions on Advertising Law,” which was published in the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal (2016). He is also the author of “Specific Corporate Compliance Challenges by Practice Area: Advertising” in Corporate Compliance Practice Guide: The Next Generation of Compliance (LexisNexis, 2009). He has also served as the “Legalease” columnist for Shoot magazine for many years.
Mr. Greenbaum is a graduate of Brandeis University and Columbia University School of Law. He is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of Michigan Law School. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Parsons School of Design. He is admitted to practice in New York.
Fatima Alimohamed
Fatima Alimohamed the CEO of African Brand Warrior is an African and Kenyan of Indian ancestral heritage. She is an advocator for Africa and African brands with a solid track record across African markets that lead her to change from boots to heels where needed. Fatima is a thought leader in Strategy, Brand Development, Consumer Relationships, NPD, Marketing and Communication.
Prior to Founding and becoming the CEO of African Brand Warrior, she was the GM for Wilmar Africa in both the Palm and Shea Industry in West Africa and has been representing the industries in various positions and boards. Fatima’s passion is to create brands that make an impact on the end consumers and are tied to the social development of a Nation. Her belief is that every contact she makes through her various African markets visit must educate, inspire and help transform the lives of people.
She believes that lifting the people up through brands is the one way to grow both people and businesses. One of the great traits Fatima has is that she humbly shakes hands with Presidents of Nations and the Common man and woman in the market places with the sole understanding that all are sons and daughters of the same soil. None is greater or inferior than the other.
Fatima is known for creating from scratch to re-creating and rebranding various brands across Africa in various categories in Rice, Edible Oil, Soaps & Detergents, Milk, Tyres, Cement. Personal Care, Beverages, Food, Telecom amongst others. In Ghana, she is known for taking the Frytol brand that was bought over from Unilever by Wilmar to become Ghana’s Number 1 brand and in Uganda she was part of the team that developed Oil Palm Uganda and thereafter, the Bidco Uganda Palm Oil refinery in jInja, later created and built the Fortune brand to take the leading brand position in a short span.
Her current and past clients in the palm sector range from Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Malawi, Zambia amongst others. Known not to be one to sit behind desks but rather walk markets in places where many dare not to, Fatima is in touch with the pulse of the market.
Her knack of getting her hands and feet into the soil to deeply understand African consumer needs and wants is unmatched. It can be said that Fatima only creates brands that vie for the number one position and nothing less. Various Universities draw and tap into her skills, where she mentors young African marketers and entrepreneurs on being uniquely different. She has represented the Marketing Fraternity as a Governor on the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), been the Chair of the Marketing Society of Kenya, Founder Marketing Society of Tanzania and Uganda, The Vice President Chartered Institute of Marketing- Kenya, Chair of the Advertising Standards Committee, Vice President Junior Chamber International (JCI) plus a Member of various Marketing and Advertising Boards.
Fatima was pulled in by the Founders of Brand Kenya who reported to the President on various occasions on how to market the Country. She was with Bidco Oil Refineries Kenya and Bidco Uganda overseeing Marketing and Sales of leading brands in East Africa and was prior to that, the Regional Director for very powerful brands of MNC’s whist at Ayton Young & Rubicam a part of the International WPP Group. She was selected to represent Young & Rubicam amongst the best of Africa’s teams to join the Young & Rubicam global participants at the ASAS intensive training in Prague, Czech Republic.
Fatima was honoured with the TOP 50 CMO’s Global award in Singapore and the TOP 100 Most Talented Marketers Global Award in India and was recently handed a Citation for Leadership Excellence by the African Women Leaders CMO Asia. She was also honoured with the Mother of Ghana award for a social development brand cause and was also honoured and Stooled as the Queen Mother (Nkosohemaa) in Memia, Western Ghana for her role in social development in the area of women and children.
This has earned her the title of a Queen Mother and a Local name ‘Nana Nyanzu’. She was yet again stooled as the Queen Mother in Hohoe in the Volta Region as Mama Dzomi Dor I. In both the regions she has lived to her titles of social development having built modern school classrooms and done boreholes in Memia and brought a consortium of Singapore Agri Investors to Hohoe to create an agri based value chain program to uplift the community through modern farming.
Early in May 2018, she was awarded in London, United Kingdom at two separate events the ‘Inspirational Woman of the year’ By Women4Africa and also won the award of Marketing Woman of the year by WinTrade London. In April 2019, the Women Economic Forum awarded Fatima with the award of ‘Iconic Woman Building a better World’. In March 2020 Fatima was yet again awarded in Egypt at the WEF for being an inspiration in her field. She also drives the agenda for building Africa from the soil across the value chain and sits on the committee of International trade relations at the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and is the current Chairperson of the Agriculture Sector in Ghana at the AGI advocating for Africa to work on the full value chain and not be an importer and exporter of raw materials. She sits in on the team working on the Continental free trade agreement at the AGI.
Fatima is also the regional director Africa for NOW (Nations of Women) and the Chapter Chair for Ghana for All Ladies League an international organization. She was appointed in 2019 as the Global Ambassador Africa for Empowering a Billion by 2020 and was recently appointed on the Board of the African Diaspora Chamber of Commerce based in London as the CMO. She is also supporting the African Fintech Startups project (AFS) to drive scale ups in Africa. In March 2022, she was awarded in Mumbai, India at the Global Women Achievers conference as Global Woman Achiever. Fatima is an avid writer on marketing in various media publications and an astute speaker at International Conferences, schools and Universities.
She focuses on her new passion Agriculture, Women & Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and of course Brands and Marketing. Fatima is referenced in various books by International University Professors when writing on Marketing in Africa. She supports the Strands of Pearls project in Ghana on mentoring young African girls on a project titled ‘Path of Hope’, and is known to be involved in many charity and scale up rural projects without talking about it publicly as she believes when the right hand gives, the left hand should never know.
Fatima is the essence of a true daughter of the African Soil. Her story is of an African woman who has stood against all odds and continued to defy all challenges thrown at her with her crown firmly in place.
Kwabena Akuamoah Agyekum
Kwabena Akuamoah Agyekum is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Marketing – Ghana (CIMG).
He holds an MBA in Project Management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and has a Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in UK. He is a Chartered Marketer, with over twenty (20) years’ experience in Marketing and Administration in tactical, Managerial and strategic levels. He has been involved in policy formulation, advisory and planning in the business arena.
Kwabena was a consultant to the Association of Small-Scale Industries and a lecturer at the Academy of Business Administration and the Graduate School of Management. He is an Adjunct lecturer at the University of Cape Coast and the Simon page Business school and very much involved in research work.
As a marketing consultant he has organized training sessions for leading private firms such as PZ, Astek Ltd, Golden Tulip; reputable banks and insurance companies including: Barclays, GCB Bank, SIC Insurance Company, SG-SSB now Societe Generale Ghana,the media and telecommunication giants such as TV3, MTN, Joy FM and Milicom Ghana on marketing information systems, buyer behavior, marketing culture, gaining and retaining customers, marketing intelligence and strategic marketing planning.
Kwabena serves on some of Boards and committees both public and private (i.e., Global Advisory Council of the Africa brand Summit, Koforidua Polytechnic, West Africa Examination Council and The Blessed Aged Fund-2010, Kasapreko Company Limited, Lapaz Community Hospital and Berock Group of Companies). He also acts as the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Advertisers Board (GAB) and Ag. Co-ordinator for Ghana Advertising and Media Research Foundation (GAMERF).
Dr Terence Sibiya
Qualifications: BSc (Information and Decision Systems) (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA), MEd, EdD (Instructional Systems Design and Information Technology) (University of Pittsburgh, USA), AMP (Duke University) Terence was appointed to the Nedbank Group Exco in April 2020.
Before starting his current role in 2018, Terence was the Managing Executive of Client Coverage in Nedbank CIB. Before joining Nedbank in 2011 he was the Executive and Head of Power, Infrastructure, Construction, Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy in the Corporate and Investment Banking Division of the Standard Bank Group.
Lara Kayode
Ms Lara Kayode is the founder of the law firm of O. Kayode & Co based in Lagos, Nigeria. An IP boutique firm, her practice covers both corporate and commercial matters, with a particular emphasis on industrial and intellectual property law, and alternative dispute resolution with a special interest in mediation.
Lara studied law at the University of Buckingham, England, and at the QMW University of London, where she obtained an LLM in intellectual property law in 1994. She was admitted as a solicitor and barrister of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1992. She began her career as a practising lawyer in 1992 with one of the leading intellectual property law firms in Nigeria, and is today recognised as one of Nigeria’s leading trademark practitioners.
A CEDR-accredited mediator since 2005, Lara is a member of a number of associations including the Section of Business Law of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), PTMG, ITMA and AIPPI where she is the Vice President of the Nigerian National Group. Lara also practices Advertising Law and is a member of GALA.
Lara is an active and former Board member of INTA. She is the current subcommittee Chair of the SME Building Bridges Committee, and was previously the subchair of the Unreal Campaign Committee. She heads the Legal commission on the Management committee at the Lycee Francais Louis Pasteur in Lagos Nigeria.
As an active practitioner in the field of IP and an international speaker, Lara is currently ranked by Chambers and Partners, MIP IP Stars and she is a WTR Global Leader. In 2019, she received the prestigious INTA President’s Award. She is a published author of articles in global trademark Journals such as The Trademark Lawyer (CTC Legal Media) and the INTA Bulletin. Lara has authored a number of articles on trademarks including “IP Management in Nigeria: Trademarks & Designs” (World IP Review); “The growing necessity for the protection for service marks in Nigeria”; and “The legal remedies plaintiffs have in Nigeria to protect their products and trademarks” (World IP Review).
Gillian Hammah
Gillian has over 25 years’ experience in financial services. She leads a Marketing team comprised of project managers, copywriters, and graphic designers, plus a sales team of over 120 staff across 19 branches.
Prior to joining Databank, Gillian worked for Invesco Canada – a leading asset management firm in North America, with branches in over 20 countries. She has proven success creating and executing award-winning marketing campaigns, both in Canada – where she lived for 19 years – and in Ghana. Gillian is recognized for her strong management and strategic planning capabilities.
She is inspiring and decisive and is motivated by excellence and results. She was recognized as one of the 50 most influential CMOs in Ghana for 2019. Gillian holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from York University (Canada) and a Masters in Marketing Strategy from the University of Ghana Business School. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate, pursuing a PhD in Business Administration at Nobel International Business School. She has been married for 24 years and has three children.
Natalia Vega-Berry
Natalia is the Founder of the Global Brain , a social impact not for profit creative incubator. A creative and visionary executive with a unique combined experience spanning over 25 years in the field of Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, Marketing and Advertising. Natalia’s expertise is to focus on the integration of Climate and Sustainability Communications to promote and catalyze systemic change with a strong focus on Global Campaigns and advocacy.
During the past 8 years, Natalia has been widely recognized for her work creating innovative strategies, campaigns, films and experiential events in support of the United Nations, working with The Office of the UN Secretary General, The Office of the President of the UN General Assembly and the UN Global Compact. Natalia was named one of the “Top 10 Most influential Media and Communications Executives of 2015″ by the Media for Social Impact Summit, as she put her skills to work for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change.
She has experience collaborating internationally with partners in all fields of business from progressive Corporations to Humanitarian NGO’s, Government Agencies and Entrepreneurs to translate complex messages and stories that transform culture and inspires change. Natalia has a solid International experience in the Advertising and Media industry and as Executive Producer across multiple platforms: Films, Experiential, Interactive, Digital and Events.
She is part of the D&AD Impact Council, and has been a UN Strategic Advisor working in the field of advocacy for climate, the environment and our goals to reach 1.5 by 2030. Committed about innovating with purpose and creating disruptive solutions, she is currently developing The New Zero World, a multiyear action-oriented initiative born in response to the urgent need to shift the narrative on climate change to the “everything change” and reimagining the visions of the future, to elevate future-focused solutions and new emergence technologies to catalyze mainstream action for society and the planet.