FrieslandCampina director honoured for marketing leadership

Marketing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Maureen Ifad

Marketing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Maureen Ifada, has received the Leadership Award in Marketing at the 2026 EDGE Awards.

According to a statement on Friday, Ifada received the award at the 14th edition of the EDGE Awards, organised by MARKETING EDGE in Lagos recently.

The ceremony, themed “Celebrating Excellence Beyond Borders,” brought together professionals, brands, agencies and business leaders in Nigeria’s marketing communications industry.

The recognition comes shortly after another milestone in her career. In August, she was unveiled in Lagos as one of three African marketing and brand leaders selected for the Africa 2 Class of Black At’s 2027 DARE Awards, alongside Mabel Adeteye of Wema Bank and Amaechi Okobi of Access Bank.

Ifada joined FrieslandCampina WAMCO in 2003 as a management trainee in the Consumer Marketing Department and has held several strategic roles before becoming Marketing Director.

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Her work has also extended to the international marketing community. In 2026, she served on judging panels for the SABRE Awards EMEA, Native Advertising Awards and International ECHO Awards.

The latest recognition follows several other awards. In 2025, she was named Marketing Director of the Year at the Brand Handlers Awards and received the Outstanding Marketing Amazon of the Year award at the EDGE Awards.

She was also recognised as Nigeria Marketing Amazon at the Nigeria Marketing Awards and has twice featured among WIMCA’s Top 50 Most Influential Women in Marketing and Communications.

Speaking at the ceremony, Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of MARKETING EDGE, Amos Oladele, said the awards recognise professionals and organisations that challenge convention, embrace new ideas and demonstrate exceptional performance.

For Ifada, the latest honour adds to her more than two decades of experience in the FMCG and marketing sector.

Arinze Nwafor is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with five years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s economy, industry, data, metro, and judiciary. He focuses on highlighting growth, policy, and market challenges shaping Africa’s largest economy. Arinze’s reporting reflects practical newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a strong commitment to accurate, informative, and audience-focused journalism.

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