Iretomiwa Akintunde-Johnson Named Managing Director Of African Communications Consultancy BHM

BHM Holdings has appointed Iretomiwa Akintunde-Johnson as Managing Director of BHM, effective 1 January 2027.

The appointment forms part of a wider leadership transition announced on BHM’s 20th anniversary. Founder Ayeni Adekunle has become Group Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of BHM Holdings, while the group’s operating companies move under dedicated executive leadership.

Akintunde-Johnson joined BHM as an associate consultant in 2018 after training and practising as a lawyer. She subsequently served as a public relations consultant, lead communications adviser and Regional Manager for West Africa.

Her work has covered corporate communications, crisis and issues management, stakeholder engagement, advocacy and growth strategy. She has led assignments for major companies and institutions, including programmes for MTN Nigeria, FCMB Group, Wema Bank and Honeywell Group.

She also spearheaded the development of the Africa PR and Communications Report, which uses research and expert contributions to document the communications industry across 29 African markets.

Akintunde-Johnson holds an LLB from the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2015.

“Iretomiwa combines strategic judgement, rigour, empathy and an unusual commitment to learning,” Ayeni said. “She understands the standards our clients expect, the culture we want to preserve and the changes required to build the consultancy of the future.”

As Managing Director, Akintunde-Johnson will oversee client service, consultancy operations, business development, innovation and talent.

“My journey at BHM has shown me what becomes possible when talented people are trusted with meaningful responsibility,” she said. “Our next phase will be about building stronger specialist practices, producing more measurable value for clients and ensuring that African communications talent can compete anywhere in the world.”

BHM has received 26 acknowledgements from PRovoke Media in five years and was named to the publication’s Best Agencies in Africa list for the fourth time in 2026. It is the only Nigerian consultancy to have appeared on the list more than once.