QMA x SBBA: Influential Black Women In the Marketing Industry

SBBA x QMA Nucleus Cover.jpg

In honour of both Black History Month and Women’s History Month, the Queen’s Marketing Association has teamed up with the Smith Black Business Association to provide educational resources for marketing and business students across the country. We have created a list of influential Black women that have played a transformative role in the marketing industry, and we are so excited to share these women and their accomplishments with you.

Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma Saint John has experience in a variety of industries at multiple Fortune 500 companies, including Uber, Apple Music, PepsiCo, and most recently, marketing and entertainment mega-agency Endeavor. Her impressive skills in marketing, branding, and technology have caused many big-name companies to seek out her talent and recruit her, such as her most recent promotion as Netflix’s new Chief Marketing Officer in June 2020. Among her numerous awards and achievements, one of her most notable titles was being recognized on Forbes’ World’s Most Influential CMOs list in 2018. 

Bozoma recently announced her newest project, The Badass Workshop, where she will share her extensive knowledge that she has accumulated regarding her career, style, health and wellness, parenthood, and so on. Her willingness to help others and her electric personality have given her an admirable reputation, exemplified through her recognition from Buzzfeed as the “coolest person to ever go on stage at an Apple event.”

She is a strong advocate for women of colour, and she believes it is her responsibility to ‘hold the door’ and create a path for those who look like her. This past June, Bozoma Saint John helped lead the #sharethemicnow campaign which involved 50 celebrity white women handing over their Instagram accounts to 50 Black women for a day to facilitate dialogue and reach new audiences. This campaign had a social media reach of 300 million, demonstrating Bozoma’s success in amplifying Black voices. 

Elizabeth Ogabi

Elizabeth Ogabi is a communications expert with extensive experience in internal, external, and digital communications across several industries. Elizabeth currently works as the Director of Communications & External Affairs at Ogilvy UK, and she also is a member of the Inclusion Board and the Co-Head of Oglivy Equals. Ogilvy Equals is an internal network that is focused on achieving gender equality in the workplace as part of the company’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging action plan. One of her most notable career experiences was her role at Unilever where she played a pivotal role in the successful rollout of The Unilever Foundation in partnership with Save The Children, West Africa.

Elizabeth Ogabi is the founder of For Working Ladies, which is a Feminist digital media brand building a community of entrepreneurial-thinking women. This platform focuses on advancing women forward professionally by producing and creating content made to support women to build confidence in their careers, side hustles, and businesses. An interesting series that they launched was called 'She's My Co-founder', where they interviewed female co-founders from all over the world, in different professions.

Elizabeth has been recognized for her work by Forbes, The Dots, and other notable publishers. Last year she was named by The Dots UK as one of 100 women redefining the creative industry on International Women’s Day and named the UK Ambassador of Women's Entrepreneurship Day established by The UN.

Kemi Anthony

During Kemi Anthony’s two decades at Ikea, she has led some of their most memorable campaigns, including Ikea’s first UK Christmas ad in 2019 which features an original track by UK grime artist MC D Double E. Kemi Anthony currently works as a Marketing Communication Manager for Ikea UK and Ireland and she helps to maintain the brand’s fun and bold personality through her brutal honesty and creative instincts. Her strong reputation and notable achievements have resulted in her being named Campaign’s Creative Marketer of the Year twice in a row.

As COVID-19 has brought urgency to many important issues, Kemi Anthony shares that Ikea is making sustainability a bigger priority. They are aiming to help people live their lives more sustainably without having to sacrifice the things they enjoy. After the multitude of events that 2020 brought, Kemi believes that “there is a growing cultural need for people – and brands – to stand up and speak out. We’re intent on exploring how our brand platform ‘The Wonderful Everyday’ can trigger more meaningful conversations in culture that also encourage people to think differently.” The Wonderful Everyday campaign has been run by Ikea since 2014, and it involves the celebration of life’s everyday moments and the ways that IKEA can enhance them. Kemi is evidently working to make a transformative change within Ikea and also encouraging other people and brands to do the same.

Nekasha Pratt

Nekasha Pratt is an award-winning marketer with over 15 years of experience and a number of creative recognitions under her belt. She is currently continuing her marketing journey as a Senior Marketing Director with HarperCollins Publishers and the Founder of her own marketing and strategy agency, Bright Advisory Group. She has spearheaded engaging campaigns in industries such as consumer goods, tourism, music, and financial services, and has held leadership positions at global organizations, marketing agencies, and worked with Fortune 500 companies. Campaigns she has helped lead have won 25 creative awards, including national Webby, Clio, Effie, and Addy creative awards and three international Cannes Lions awards.

Beyond her exceptional accomplishments as a marketer, Nekasha also changes lives as a speaker and a storyteller. She is a sought-after international speaker, presenting with a combination of experience, data analytics, humour, and practical application that leaves listeners feeling empowered. She has leveraged her experience when presenting for organizations such as TEDx, the International Black Film Festival, the International Association of Business Communications, and more. Moreover, Nekasha is a thought-leader who has been featured on podcasts as well as interviewed for publications such as Thrive Global, Bizwomen Business Journal, and Platform Magazine. She recently achieved the award of the 2019 Nashville Women of Influence Award and was named a BizWomen Economic Development Headliner.

Jasmine Gibson

Jasmine Gibson is a digital marketing strategist in Baltimore, MD, an owner of her own strategic consulting firm, and a proud advocate for Black women business owners and marketers. With an outstanding passion and expertise in digital marketing and advocacy, Jasmine works in industries where Black women are striving to unlock their greatest potential. At her firm Miocoa Strategies, Jasmine works to empower Black women with their brand and digital presence. 

Jasmine’s expertise in her field spans 7+ years where she has helped brands increase awareness, boost profit, and foster strong communities. She has additionally served alongside various elected officials, advocacy teams, and nonprofits on brand development, social media marketing, creative writing, market research, brand awareness, content creation, event management, and more.

In 2016, Jasmine spearheaded and led a client's event at the White House that brought social justice, racial equity, and civil rights leaders together to discuss problems and solutions to issues that disproportionately affect people of colour—issues that she cares about and advocates for deeply. In the same year, she pioneered and organized the Elevation Awards, a Baltimore-based philanthropy project designed to financially support grassroots efforts to improve outcomes for city residents. Her advocacy continued in 2018 when she spent time working in Washington, D.C. to speak for children, youth, and families relying on Medicaid and healthcare in America. Her contribution to the #SaveMedicaid campaign increased social media engagement and community awareness by 206%, aiding in the bill's defeat and protecting millions of families.

If you are interested in learning about more influential Black marketers, we have provided some insightful resources below:



Queen's Marketing AssociationComment