Iquo Ukoh And Lolu Akinwunmi To Chair The 2026 CMO Circle
The CMO Circle—Nigeria’s premier, invitation-only forum for Chief Marketing Officers and senior marketing leaders—announces Iquo Ukoh and Lolu Akinwunmi as Co-Chairs for its 2026 convening.
Designed as a high-trust, executive platform, the Circle brings together the most influential voices in marketing to shape strategy at the highest levels of business and public policy.
Convened by MarkHack in partnership with StatiSense and Brand Communicator, the CMO Circle operates at the intersection of enterprise leadership and national development. Beyond dialogue, the Circle institutionalizes its influence through the quarterly CMO Index—a flagship publication that aggregates executive sentiment, market intelligence, and forward-looking insights to inform policy conversations and economic decision-making. In doing so, the Circle positions marketing leadership as a critical voice in shaping Nigeria’s business environment and policy direction.
As Co-Chairs, Ukoh and Akinwunmi will curate and lead high-level discussions focused on innovation, talent density, enterprise growth, and the expanding mandate of the CMO within the C-suite. Their stewardship reinforces the Circle’s role as a convening authority—one that not only reflects industry thinking but actively defines it.
Ukoh, Chief Executive Officer of Entod Marketing and former Director of Marketing Services at Nestlé Nigeria, is widely regarded for her leadership in brand strategy, consumer engagement, and cultural storytelling. Akinwunmi, Group CEO of Prima Garnet (Ogilvy Nigeria), brings decades of experience advising leading national and multinational brands, alongside a distinguished record of industry leadership.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Victor ’Gbenga Afolabi, Convener of MarkHack and the CMO Circle, stated:
“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. With Iquo Ukoh and Lolu Akinwunmi as Co-Chairs, we are setting a clear tone of authority, depth, and relevance. Through the CMO Index and our quarterly convenings, the Circle will play a defining role in shaping both industry direction and policy dialogue.”
The inaugural 2026 session, themed “The C-Suite Mandate: Talent Density and Marketing Leadership,” will convene a curated network of CMOs and business leaders, reinforcing the Circle’s position as the definitive forum for strategic influence, peer exchange, and policy-relevant insight in Nigeria’s marketing ecosystem.
