Iquo Ukoh and Lolu Akinwunmi have been announced as Co-Chairs of the 2026 edition of the CMO Circle, Nigeria’s invitation-only forum for Chief Marketing Officers and senior marketing executives.
The announcement was made ahead of the 2026 convening of the platform, which is organised by MarkHack in partnership with StatiSense and Brand Communicator.
The CMO Circle serves as a high-level platform designed to bring together influential voices in marketing to shape conversations around business strategy, innovation, enterprise growth, and policy direction within Nigeria’s corporate ecosystem.
According to the organisers, the platform also seeks to institutionalise its influence through the quarterly CMO Index, a publication expected to aggregate executive sentiment, market intelligence, and forward-looking insights aimed at informing policy discussions and economic decision-making.
As Co-Chairs, Ukoh and Akinwunmi are expected to curate and lead strategic discussions focused on innovation, talent development, enterprise growth, and the evolving role of Chief Marketing Officers within executive leadership structures.
Ukoh, Chief Executive Officer of Entod Marketing and former Director of Marketing Services at Nestlé Nigeria, is widely recognised for her work in brand strategy, consumer engagement, and cultural storytelling.
Akinwunmi, who serves as Group Chief Executive Officer of Prima Garnet, brings decades of experience advising multinational and indigenous brands, alongside years of leadership within Nigeria’s advertising and communications industry.
Commenting on the appointments, Convener of MarkHack and the CMO Circle, Victor ‘Gbenga Afolabi, said the platform was created to position marketing leadership as a critical voice in business and policy conversations.
“The CMO Circle is intentionally designed as a premium, outcomes-driven platform — one that moves marketing leadership beyond the boardroom into the sphere of policy influence,” he said.
He added that the appointment of Ukoh and Akinwunmi reflects the platform’s commitment to authority, relevance, and industry impact.
The inaugural 2026 session, themed “The C-Suite Mandate: Talent Density and Marketing Leadership,” is expected to convene senior marketing executives and business leaders to discuss leadership, strategy, and the future of marketing in Nigeria’s corporate environment.
