The media sales house says stronger collaboration between business, media and marketing leaders is key to building globally competitive African brands.

Brand Africa founder and chair, Thebe Ikalafeng, with recipients of the Africa CMO 100 awards. Image: Supplied

Africa’s leading chief marketing officers (CMOs) are doing more than building brands; they are helping shape how societies see themselves, how countries present themselves to the world, and how Africa authors its own story.

This was the central theme as media sales house United Stations, together with Kaya 959, hosted the live celebration of the inaugural Africa CMO 100 list on 9 July 2026. Produced by Brand Africa with African Business magazine, Mipad, and the African Media Agency, the independent ranking honours 100 of the continent’s and diaspora’s most influential marketing leaders across 21 countries. The recognised executives collectively lead brands worth an estimated $800 billion in global revenue.

The initiative comes at a critical time for the continent’s economy. Brand Africa’s long-running research has consistently found that while 80% of Africans believe in Africa, only a small proportion of the brands they most admire are African. In 2025, that admiration gap reached a historic low of 11%, down from 34% in 2011.

For Brand Africa founder and chair Thebe Ikalafeng, the Africa CMO 100 is a direct response to that gap. “Africa does not have a talent problem,” Ikalafeng said.

“It has world-class marketing leadership capable of building globally competitive brands. The Africa CMO 100 is about naming, recognising, and celebrating the people who can help close that gap.”

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By hosting the celebration, United Stations positioned regional radio as a primary tool to drive cross-border corporate integration, regional competitiveness, and collaboration to close this gap.

Speaking at the event, Dr Tumelo Chaka, CMO of United Stations, said the initiative recognises the strategic role marketing leaders play in shaping Africa’s economic future.

“The ACMO 100 is more than a recognition of outstanding marketers — it is a recognition of the strategic leaders shaping the economic narrative of Africa,” Chaka said.

The brands represented here influence investment, consumer confidence and business growth across the continent. Bringing these leaders together at Kaya 959 creates a platform for conversations that can accelerate African competitiveness.”

Building collaboration across industries

According to the Africa CMO 100 rankings, South Africa led the continent with 31 honourees, while Southern Africa accounted for 39 of the 100 executives recognised.

Financial services was the most represented sector on the list, while women made up 62% of the honourees.

Chaka noted that utilising regional media networks serves this broader purpose of cross-industry collaboration: “At United Stations, we believe radio’s greatest value is not simply reaching audiences but convening industries,” Chaka stated.

By partnering with Brand Africa, Business Day, Opportunity Africa, Masa and Absa, we are creating a space where marketing leaders, business executives and media can collaborate to shape ideas that extend well beyond a single evening or a single campaign.”

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Chaka concluded that while Africa has no shortage of industry-leading minds, the immediate opportunity is to convert that expertise into globally admired African brands.

“At United Stations, we believe Africa has no shortage of exceptional marketing talent,” Chaka added. “Our opportunity now is to convert that talent into globally admired African brands. That requires stronger partnerships between business, media, academia and the marketing profession. If we can collectively tell Africa’s story with greater confidence and consistency, we will strengthen both our brands and our economies.”