Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, Lagos State’s Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, is set to deliver the keynote address at the 2026 edition of the Women in Marketing Communications Conference and Awards (WIMCA), holding on Saturday, August 29, at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos.
She will be speaking on the conference’s main theme, “Grow, Give, Glow: Building Resilience For Distinction.” Now in its 12th edition, this year’s WIMCA is expected to draw more than 1,000 professionals from Nigeria’s brands, marketing and communications industry, including senior executives, agency leaders, entrepreneurs and academics.
Medebem brings decades of corporate and public-sector experience to the platform. Before her appointment as Commissioner in September 2023, she spent years in senior communications and sustainability roles, most notably as Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development at Lafarge Africa Plc, a role she took on in 2016. Her career also spans stints at organisations including Diageo, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ford Motor Company and Zurich Financial Services, along with public service work with Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance and the UK’s Department for International Development.
She holds a degree in Accounting and Finance from London Guildhall University and an MBA from the Open University Business School in the UK, and is a certified financial management consultant with the Chartered Insurance Institute, UK.
Beyond her corporate and government roles, Medebem has built a reputation as an advocate for women’s advancement in business, serving on the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ Private Sector Advisory Group for Nigeria, as a Senator with the World Business Angels Investment Forum, and as a driving voice behind the Women in Manufacturing Africa initiative.
Her present office gives her a vantage point that organisers believe makes her keynote especially valuable to WIMCA’s audience. As Commissioner overseeing commerce, trade and investment in Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, she sits at the intersection of policy and enterprise, with firsthand insight into the economic forces, market access channels and investment opportunities available to women today. For a room full of female marketers and communicators, that vantage point promises more than inspiration; it offers a practical playbook for translating industry expertise into business influence, boardroom visibility and long-term career growth.
Her selection as WIMCA’s keynote speaker follows a string of recent appearances at industry platforms focused on women’s leadership in marketing. At the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria’s inaugural LeadHers in Marketing Conference earlier this year, she urged senior women in the profession to build structured mentorship pipelines, telling attendees that every accomplished female marketing leader should intentionally mentor the next generation of professionals.
WIMCA, established in 2014, has grown into one of the most prominent platforms in Nigeria dedicated to the professional growth and recognition of women in marketing communications, combining a conference programme with an evening gala and awards ceremony.
