The list of brands backing this year's Women in Marketing Communications Awards reads like a cross-section of corporate Nigeria. The 12th edition of WIMCA, themed "Grow, Give, Glow: Professional Resilience for Distinction," takes place on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, and this year's sponsor list spans food manufacturing, hygiene products, fintech, dairy, banking and telecoms infrastructure.
Flour Mills of Nigeria anchors the food and agro-allied side of the sponsor list, while Molped, the feminine hygiene brand under Turkish multinational Hayat Kimya, represents the personal care category. On the fintech side, Interswitch brings its position as one of Nigeria's earliest digital payments companies, while Three Crowns, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria's milk brand, covers dairy and FMCG.
Banking is represented by Union Bank of Nigeria, now operating under TGI Group following its merger with Titan Trust Bank, alongside Stanbic IBTC, part of South Africa's Standard Bank Group, the continent's largest bank by assets. Consumer goods heavyweights PZ Cussons and Coca-Cola round out that segment, joined by Power Oil, the Tolaram-owned cooking oil brand, and Maggi, Nestle Nigeria's seasoning line.
Telecoms infrastructure gets a seat at the table too through IHS Tower, part of IHS Holding Limited, one of the largest independent tower companies globally. Rounding out the list are AACE Foods, a Nigerian agro-processing company focused on spices and nutrition products, CWAY, the Nigerian arm of the Chinese beverage multinational, and Rubellite Cosmetics, a homegrown beauty and personal care brand.
Joshua Ajayi, who convenes WIMCA, explained the thinking behind this year's theme by pointing to how nonlinear most professional paths actually are. "The theme is predicated on the fact that lasting professional success is rarely a straight line; it is built through seasons of reinvention, quiet resilience, and the willingness to begin again in pursuit of a bigger purpose," he said.
The conference sessions, he added, will dig into how professionals can turn career disruptions into openings for bigger impact rather than treating them purely as setbacks.
This year's speaker roster draws from across marketing, banking, consumer goods and professional development circles. Confirmed names include Funmi Osineye of Nestle Nigeria, Tolulope Medebem of Aster Integrated Marketing, Gloria Nwabuike of AACE Foods, Dr Nkiru Olumide-Ojo of Standard Bank Group, NIMN President Dr Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, Diageo's Bodam Taiwo, PZ Cussons' Martha Kayode, HerVest's Solape Akinpelu, TGI's Kenneth Iruonagbe, Procter and Gamble's Chidera Ibekwe, and Dr Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi of the Society for Corporate Governance.
The full-day format includes a conference, an exhibition floor, a gala dinner and an awards ceremony, closing out with WIMCA's signature recognition of exceptional women and organisations that have shaped the marketing communications industry over the past year.
Twelve editions in, WIMCA has become a fixture on the marketing communications calendar, drawing brand sponsorship from across sectors precisely because of the audience it consistently attracts, senior women in marketing, communications and adjacent industries who make up a significant share of purchasing and brand decisions across corporate Nigeria.
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