The Pitcher Awards - a celebration of African creativity - has confirmed the first wave of jury members. The best African creativity in the marketing, advertising and communications industry will be revealed in May. South Africa's Graham Deneys and Buyi Mafoko are on the list.
The 2026 awards introduce two significant developments: the new Care Category, recognising health‑focused creativity and innovation; and the inclusion of digital content creators, whose influence continues to redefine brand storytelling and audience engagement. Additional jurors will be announced as confirmations are finalised.
The festival chairman, Dr. Nnamdi Ndu, noted that the calibre and diversity of the confirmed jurors reflect the evolving landscape of marketing communications. He highlighted the depth of experience represented across the categories and reaffirmed the festival’s commitment to celebrating work that resonates across the continent. “Our jurors bring a wealth of insight shaped by years of leading creative thinking across Africa,” Dr. Ndu said. “Their perspectives will be invaluable as we continue to recognise ideas that move people, shape culture, and deliver meaningful impact.”
The 2026 jury’s diversity, spanning markets including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Senegal, Singapore, Uganda, Mauritius, Rwanda, and the United States.
Below are the confirmed jury members for the 2026 edition:
Care Jury
- Kenneth Hammond-Aryee — COO, Innova DDB Ghana & BrandAlert Ghana
- Jelil Adedoyin — Digital marketing manager, Reckitt Sub-Saharan Africa
- Stephen Obalakun — Creative director, Playhouse Communication Ltd, Lagos
- Egemba Chinonso Fidelis — Co-founder AwaDoc & CEO, Aproko Doctor Global
- Safo Mallet - Chief operating officer, Optimal OMD, Accra, Ghana
Channel Jury
- Graham Deneys — Chief strategy officer, Dentsu South Africa
- Emmanuel Ante — COO, QVT Media Limited, Lagos, Nigeria
- Adeola Amosun — Group media manager, Tolaram Nigeria
- Bamitale Oladapo — Head, Strategy & Planning, All Seasons Zenith, Lagos
- Colette Amaeshi — Managing director, Pulse Ghana
- Peter Maina — Data & insights specialist, GroupM SSA, Nairobi, Kenya
Craft Jury
- Eric Mwangi — Creative director, 3Verse, Nairobi, Kenya
- Olalekan Akinyele — COO & ECD, The JT Agency, Abuja, Nigeria
- Nurveen Rattty — Executive creative director & chartered marketer, Crayons Couleur, Mauritius & Rwanda
- Lord Adansi — Creative director, Dentsu Creative Ghana
- Sow Hussein Dembel — Gen AI lead, L’AgenceX, Côte d’Ivoire
- Cedric Ekambi — Senior copywriter, Caractère Sénégal
- Benjamin Anyan —Regional creative & strategy director, Publicis West Africa
- Olawale Olukoya — Creative director, digitXplus, Lagos, Nigeria
Culture Jury
- Idiare Atimomo — Co-founder & COO, Up In The Sky Ltd (Lagos & London)
- Osato Evbuomwan — Marketing director, Moët Hennessy Nigeria
- Daniel Ifeanyichukwu (Hero Daniels) — MD, Ito Media
- Ayodeji Razaq — Group CEO, RED for Africa
- Myriam Amani — Clients relationship director, Efées, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
- Bineta Ndoye Niang — MD Bennett Africa, Senegal
- Lola Akinyele — GM, Dentsu Performance, Lagos, Nigeria
Digital Jury
- Buyi Mafoko — Managing director, Matte BLK, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Lynne Murrey — Business unit head, Digital Dentsu Kenya
- Mũtwĩri Njagī — Creative director, The Bar Africa, Nairobi
- Aimien Evbodaghe — Creative director, Pulse Africa
- Toyin Osebeyo — COO, digitXplus, Nigeria
- Oluwatosin Oyedeji — COO, BrandEye Media Group, Lagos
Entertainment Jury
- Serge Sohen — CEO & executive producer, Mirrors, Los Angeles
- Kennedy Thiong’o — Associate creative director, The Quollective, Nairobi
- Yusuf Adejumo — Creative director, TBWA\Concept, Lagos
- Selom Eric Dossou-Yovo — Partner & executive creative director, Baton Rouge Group, Côte d’Ivoire
Good & Effect Jury
- Oge Maduagwu — Head of Marketing & Comms, Samsung Electronics West Africa
- Whitney Thompson — Account director, Ogilvy Africa, Ghana
- Chima Amadi — COO Nigeria & French West Africa, PHD Media
- Oriane Canfrin — Marketing & Communication director, Ecobank, Cote d'Ivoire
- Edna Njeri — Program lead, SKY Girls Kenya
- Carolina Rodriguez — Founder & director, Dilucidar, Singapore
Heritage Jury
- Gerald Ssali — Creative director, TheQuollective, Uganda
- Segun Ayinla — Deputy creative director, Insight Publicis, Lagos
- Gabriel Olonisakin — Creative director, Noah’s Ark Communications, Lagos
- Olashile Sodiq Sheu — Multi-award-winning creative leader & multidisciplinary artist
- Nelly Wainaina — Group director, Marketing, Communication & Citizenship, NCBA Group PLC, Kenya
- Anthony Amuzuo — Creative director, SO&U Lagos, Nigeria
The festival also acknowledges the Jury Presidents previously announced for the 2026 edition, whose leadership will guide the evaluation process across the festival’s diverse categories.
2026 Jury Presidents
- Kerstin Trikalitis, CEO & co‑founder, Out There Media — Care Jury President
- Dozie Okafor, MD/CEO, PHD Nigeria & president, Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) — Channel Jury President
- Yash Deb, co‑founder & creative partner, The Bar Africa, Kenya — Craft Jury President
- Anand Badami, SVP & growth lead, Emerging Markets & Innovation, Publicis West Africa — Culture Jury President
- Karim Yermeche, CEO, Lotus Conseil, Hydra, Algeria — Digital Jury President
- Dawn Rowlands, CEO, Dentsu Africa — Good & Effectiveness Jury President
- Steve Babaeko, CEO/CCO, X3M Ideas & Vice President, Area Director for Africa, IAA — Entertainment Jury President
- Maxwell Ngari, executive creative director, Dentsu Creative Kenya — Heritage Jury President
