Young Pitcher Academy 2026 Unveils First Speakers, Sets Stage For Hybrid Expert Review In Lagos
The Young Pitcher Academy 2026 has announced its first lineup of speakers, a carefully curated faculty of creative, strategy, and marketing leaders drawn from across Africa and beyond.
Designed as a high impact learning and development platform for emerging talents in the marketing communications ecosystem, this year’s Academy signals an even stronger commitment to cross disciplinary excellence, continental collaboration, and industry immersion.
Leading the 2026 cohort are some respected voices shaping creative and strategic conversations across markets:
• Max Ngari, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Creative Africa (Kenya, Zambia, Uganda & Tanzania)
• Oriane Canfrin, Head of Marketing & Communications, Ecobank Côte d’Ivoire
• Graham Deneys, Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Media Brands South Africa
• Carolina Rodriguez, Director, Dilucidar Singapore
• Nnenna Onyewuchi, Founder, The Barefoot Strategist Nigeria
These speakers will guide the participants through a week of intensive masterclasses structured to refine creative instincts, deepen strategic frameworks, and strengthen collaborative execution across disciplines.
One of the programme’s most anticipated moments, the Group Presentation & Expert Panel Review Day, returns in a dynamic hybrid format.
Scheduled for Friday, 13 March 2026, the event will be hosted live from the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, while accommodating virtual participation from across the continent.
According to the organisers, the review day serves as the grand finale of the Cross Disciplinary Masterclasses Week (9 – 13 March). Participants will receive their creative brief midweek, collaborate intensively in cross functional teams, and then step forward either physically or virtually to present their ideas before a distinguished panel of industry experts.
Beyond evaluation, the session is positioned as a real world simulation of high stakes pitching environments, offering emerging professionals exposure to feedback, scrutiny, and mentorship at an industry level.
The 2026 calendar reflects a layered and structured approach to capability building, beginning with the Cross-Disciplinary Masterclasses Week from 9–13 March, focused on creativity, culture, strategy, storytelling, collaboration, and case study analysis. On 13 March, the programme will culminate in a Hybrid Group Presentation & Expert Panel Review Day, and will be hosted live at the Radisson Blu Hotel Ikeja with virtual participation from across Africa. 16–20 March will feature deep dives tailored to Creative, Media, PR, and Brand disciplines. The calendar then advances to the Young Pitcher Competitions from 4–8 May, a continental showcase where participants demonstrate their craft on a broader stage.
Beyond the sessions, participants gain access to mentorship, industry leaders, collaborative team challenges, and a pan African creative community that continues long after the programme ends.
The 13 March hybrid Expert Panel Review Day at Radisson Blu Ikeja is set to be a defining moment of the Young Pitcher Academy, a powerful blend of creativity, collaboration, and industry level exposure.
This year’s programme brings together cross disciplinary sessions, sector specific deep dives, and the highly anticipated Young Pitcher Competitions, giving participants a rare chance to sharpen their craft from multiple angles.
Registration for the 2026 cohort is officially open, and interested participants are encouraged to secure their place early in what is shaping up to be one of the continent’s most inspiring creative development programmes.