The Pitcher Festival has announced the 2025 Dean and Session Leaders for the Future Creative Leaders Academy (FCLA).
Leading the academy this year is Sherif Lanre Akinpelu, Global Strategy Consultant and founder of Strategy Trybe, Lagos, Nigeria, who operates at the intersection of Strategy, Marketing, Behavioral Science, Data, and Technology.
He integrates these disciplines to create compelling marketing, brand, and communication solutions for global companies. He is the senior marketing manager for Visa West Africa. Sherif expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I am looking forward to introducing the next generation of creative leaders to the wonderful world of Account Planning and Strategy.”
Joining Lanre Akinpelu are several distinguished Session Leaders and they include: Razaq Ayodeji, CEO of Red Media Africa; Ifeoluwa Tabi, Deputy Group Head of Research and Creative at Noah’s Ark Communications; Jesimiel Williams, Creative Director, Stutern; Seun Longe, Growth Manager, Markova Creative; Ezinne Iheonunaekwu, Senior Executive Media Strategist at Mediareach OMD; Apondi Were, Head of Influence, Ogilvy Africa – Sub-Saharan Africa and Folakemi Phillips, Chief Storyteller, Wordslingers.
Razaq Ayodeji, CEO of Red Media Africa, is a luminary in the world of Marketing Communications, boasting over 15 years of crafting bespoke experiential solutions for esteemed brands across various sectors.
Ifeoluwa Tabi, Deputy Group Head of Research and Creative at Noah’s Ark Communications, is a skilled researcher, storyteller, and strategist.
Ifeoluwa thrives on harnessing the power of account planning and creativity to solve business and marketing challenges.
Jesimiel Williams, Creative Director, Stutern, Lagos. Jesimiel is an alumnus of the FCLA and has been pivotal in shaping innovative solutions for multiple brands since his participation in 2020.
Seun Longe, Growth Manager, Markova Creative, Lagos, is a marketing professional with over six years of experience leading digital marketing efforts for renowned brands.
Ezinne Iheonunaekwu, Senior Executive Media Strategist at Mediareach OMD, is known for her expertise in navigating the digital frontier and architecting growth for global brands.
Apondi Were, Head of Influence, Ogilvy Africa – Sub-Saharan Africa, excels in building digicentric, cross-generational, high-impact work.
Folakemi Phillips, Chief Storyteller, Wordslingers. She is a brand storyteller and creative coach committed to nurturing budding career creatives to attain excellence.
The Future Creative Leaders Academy is a youth programme of the Pitcher Festival and part of the Pitcher Academies. It is designed for students in universities and other tertiary institutions and provides a platform for intensive learning, discovering talents, as well as inspiring and immersing hopeful professionals into the world of advertising and marketing communications.
The academy is excited to inform participants that the FCLA will now be held from 17 – 21 March instead of the previously announced date. This shift allows for an even more immersive and enriching experience for all attendees.
Now in its 18th year, the Future Creative Leaders Academy offers a dynamic programme that includes the highly anticipated FCLA competition. The programme provides a pathway for participation in the prestigious Roger Hatchuel Student Academy in Cannes. The academy also acknowledges the academic staff with the “Best Lecturer” award for the supervisor of the best-performing student and the “Best School” award for the top participating tertiary institution.
Participating students need to be nominated by their Heads of Department. If you’re a student studying courses that could lead to a career in advertising and marketing communications like the creative arts, communication, design, digital craft, marketing etc., and your department is not already participating, please speak to your HOD to request nomination.