Pitcher Festival has appointed Ngozi Akinyele, the group executive, chief marketing and communications officer, Coronation Group, as the 2024 dean of the Future Creative Leaders Academy (FCLA).

Ngozi is a seasoned brand and marketing professional, with a strong management consulting background. She holds a B.Sc. (Economics) from the University of Lagos, a certificate in Advanced Marketing Management from Kellogg School of Management and is a fellow of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria. Ngozi also holds membership status at the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria.

As the dean of the Future Creative Leaders Academy, she will be responsible for leading the academy’s efforts to develop the next generation of creative leaders in Africa. Her extensive experience in brand management and marketing, coupled with her strong management consulting background, makes her an ideal candidate for this role.

In her current position as group executive and chief marketing & communications officer at Coronation Group, Ngozi oversees brand, marketing, communications, corporate citizenship and sustainability across all 13 Coronation entities in Africa.

Prior to her role at Coronation, she served as head of Strategic Brand Management at Union Bank, delivering several groundbreaking and award-winning brand and product initiatives between 2016 and 2022. She also worked as a senior consultant at the management consulting practice of KPMG Nigeria, where she led and supported several projects, helping local, pan-African, and global companies solve complex problems in business strategy, marketing, human resources and operational transformation, technology implementation, and change management.

Ngozi is passionate about women thriving through family life, careers, and business. She co-anchored a weekly radio show addressing these areas and mentored young female professionals in the Alpher x WIMBIZ program. She also volunteers as the host of The Platform Nigeria, a global media forum reaching millions of Nigerians within the country and the Diaspora annually, propelling them towards professional development and nation-building.

Reacting on her appointment, she said: ”I am thrilled to be part of Pitcher Festival’s Future Creative Leaders Academy 2024, which seeks to nurture and empower the next generation of creative minds, fostering a community where brilliance knows no bounds. I look forward to a career-defining journey, as we build creative conviction and shape the future of innovation together.”

Dr. Nnamdi Ndu, chairman, Pitcher Festival, speaking on the development, said “We are excited to welcome Ngozi to the Pitcher Festival and the Future Creative Leaders Academy 2024 and look forward to the impact she will make in shaping the future of advertising in Africa”.

The Future Creative Leaders Academy, now in its 17th year, is an intensive professional immersion programme organized annually for students in tertiary institutions who intend to take up careers in advertising and related fields on graduation and has been a pathway to the Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy in France.