Still, in the spirit of celebrating women making giant strides in the corporate sector, we have highlighted the impact of these outstanding women in Marketing. These women have shown clear growth in their career trajectory which proves that there is no room for mediocrity, and women can be all they desire to be even in the face of discrimination.
Meet top 6 Women in Marketing that were Listed Among LLA 50 Leading African Women in Corporate For 2022!
Alison Badenhorst — She is the Chief Marketing Officer of Rand Merchant Bank (RMB). Where she drives innovation and the optimization of the RMB brand and consumer experience. Prior to becoming CMO, she was the Head of Corporate Marketing at RMB. She was once the Head of Marketing at Standard Bank Group, then served as the Head of Marketing at Absa Capital, after which she became the Director of Corporate & Investment Banking Marketing at Standard Bank Group.
She is an expert in branding, marketing and communications with experience spanning over 20 years in the financial service sector.
Dara Treseder — She is SVP, Head of Global Marketing & Communications at Peloton, the world’s largest interactive fitness platform. At Peloton, Dara sets the strategy and goals for Peloton’s marketing efforts to build the Peloton brand and drive the company’s growth and international expansion. She also oversees brand, strategic marketing, consumer strategy & insights, communications, and creative. Prior to that, She was previously the CMO of Carbon and the CMO of GE Business Innovations & GE Ventures. Earlier in her career, she led marketing and growth efforts at Apple and Goldman Sachs.
Dara has received several awards and industry recognition for her work. In 2021 she was honored with Adweek’s CMO award and Campaign US’ Fearless Pioneer award. In 2020, she was recognized by Forbes as one of the Most Influential CMOs in the world, by Silicon Valley Business Journal as one of Silicon Valley’s top 40 leaders under 40, by Adweek as one of the Women Trailblazers, and by Business Insider as one of the Top 25 Most Innovative CMOs in the World. In 2019, she was named a CMO to Watch by Business Insider and inducted into the Advertising Hall of Achievement, the premier industry recognition for leaders under 40 who are making a significant impact in the industry and in their communities. In 2018, she was recognized by Forbes as a “CMO Next”—one of the 50 Marketing Chiefs Redefining the Role and Shaping the Future. Dara was also recognized in 2018 by AdAge as one of the “Women to Watch.” In 2017, she was recognized in Inc. Magazine as one of the “30 Inspirational Women to Watch in Tech.”
Ifesinachi Okoli-Okpagu — She is the Chief Marketing Officer of two of the most ambitious insurance companies in Nigeria, Heirs Insurance and Heirs Life.
She is the co-founder for a few passion projects such as FigoCard, a company changing the way people network, Tribahl, the first pan-African influencer marketing company and GapX, a company on a mission to realize a corporate Africa where 50/50 representation of females in leadership is the norm.
Ifesinachi is also a writer, marketing communications professional, screenwriter, artist and an advocate for working women. She has managed the marketing portfolios of pan-African companies across sectors spanning investment, technology, real estate, media/production, philanthropy, and most recently, insurance. She has served as a jury member and script consultant on the Nigeria Film Integrity Awards for up-and-coming creative talent, Homevida. She has also served thrice as a jury member of Africa’s most prestigious movie awards, Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA.
Nthabi Motsoeneng — She is the Marketing Director Sub-saharan Africa, Pernod Ricard where she leads brand strategy and innovation. She started leading marketing as a Marketing Manager at 3M, then she joined Kimberly-Clark as a Marketing Lead. After this she spent 2years+ as Marketing Director at Tetra Park before joining Pernod and Ricard.
Her career started in 2000 as a Sales Coordinator at SABMiller, after this, she moved to become National Merchandise Coordinator and after 5yrs left as the Assistant Brand Manager- Amstel Lager. She continued her career as a Brand Manager and Senior Brand Manager at The Coca-cola Company. She also served as Brand Manager in GlaxoSmithKline and Senior Brand Manager in Tiger Brands. She is an expert with over 20 years of experience in branding, marketing and sales. Experience acquired from top retail companies in SA.
Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo — She is the Global CMO, Amazon Prime Videos & Studios Global & General Manager for Prime Video US Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service.
Prior to this role, Ukonwa served as Global Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President for M.A.C Cosmetics, a multi-billion dollar cultural icon and the world’s #1 Makeup Brand. Before that, she served as Global General Manager & CMO for an iconic portfolio including CoverGirl, Clairol, Sally Hansen, Rimmel, and Lifestyle Scenting/Fragrances. She is a seasoned C-Suite Executive & General Manager that brings simplicity to complexity, with over 2 decades of experience delivering business results through a differentiated vision and strategy, astute P&L and operational management, creative communication that cuts through, social/digital/product innovation, and leading teams to achieve more than they think is possible.
Over the course of her career, she has been recognized with over 50 awards and honours for driving outstanding market leading results and delivering creative campaigns/innovations that motivate people to act including Forbes 50 Most Influential CMOs, Business Insider’s Most Innovative CMOs, Variety’s Most Influential Women in Entertainment, AdAge 50 and A List, Adweek 50, WWD Brand Builder of the Year, WFA Global Marketer of the Year List and Financial Times Upstanding 100.
Zethu Dlamini — is the Chief Marketing Officer (FNB Eswatini). She is an experienced communications executive and entrepreneurial game-changer. She is also a lecturer and communications consultant.
Prior to her role as the CMO of FNB Eswatini, she served as the Non-Executive Director of The Corporate Gap and provided strategic oversight with the Directorship of the Company. She also served as Head of Marketing at FirstRand.
For over a decade, she has specialised in providing marketing, communications, branding and events management solutions for leading public and private enterprises within Swaziland. She has also created valuable content for publications ranging from commemorative national magazines for regional summits (SADC & COMESA,) to sector based publications for Swaziland’s international trade fair, the accountancy sector, women-owned businesses as well as SMEs.
You can still view the list exclusively here: Adia Sowho, Winnie Byanyima, Dara Treseder, Clare Akamanzi, Dorothy Ghettuba Pala, Angela Kyeremetan-Jimoh, Phumzile Mlabo-Ngcuka, Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo and more! These are Africa’s top 50 Corporate and Career Women – Leading Ladies Africa
