Marketing Edge, a marketing and advertising publication, has announced Girish Sharma, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc, as the keynote speaker for its 2025 National Marketing Stakeholders’ Summit.
The event, which has grown into one of the most anticipated annual gatherings of marketing and business leaders, will hold virtually on Thursday, September 25, 2025, with the theme: “AI Integration: Leveraging New Technologies to Achieve Business Objectives.” The following day, Friday, September 26, the conversation will shift to the Sheraton, Ikeja, Lagos, where the Marketing Edge Excellence Awards will be held under the theme “Excellence Beyond Borders.”
Sharma, who assumed leadership of Guinness Nigeria in October 2024, has become widely respected for steering the company through a bold transformation agenda that has stabilized its fundamentals, rejuvenated commercial execution, and reignited growth in one of Africa’s most dynamic consumer markets. Under his leadership, Guinness Nigeria has not only regained financial momentum but has also reaffirmed its place as a dominant force in Nigeria’s fast-moving consumer goods sector.
Speaking on the choice of keynote speaker, John Ajayi, Publisher and CEO of Marketing Edge Publications, said: “We are thrilled to have Mr. Girish Sharma, with over 20 years of progressive leadership experience across the FMCG landscape, as our keynote speaker. His expertise and insights will inspire our audience and enrich industry conversations. Mr. Sharma’s invaluable contributions to knowledge growth and capacity building in the industry make him the perfect leader for this year’s summit dialogue.”
The summit, now in its 13th edition, has become a reference point for industry thought leadership, consistently drawing participants from the integrated marketing communications ecosystem, FMCG, manufacturing, real estate, maritime, academia, and government institutions. According to Ajayi, the 2025 edition will focus on how businesses can leverage artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to innovate, empower their workforce, and achieve efficiency. “We are optimistic that the keynote speakers and panelists, who are experts in various sectors, shall during the summit provide deep market and industry insights on how AI integration can help businesses streamline operations,” he added.
This year’s programme also includes a second session built around the theme “New Creator Value: A Re-assessment of the Traditional Creative Industry,” which will be led by Obi Asika, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture. Asika, a seasoned leader in Nigeria’s creative economy, will be joined by other renowned industry figures in what promises to be a robust conversation on the future of creativity and innovation in Africa.
Girish Sharma himself brings a wealth of experience to the summit. Before joining Guinness Nigeria, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Colgate-Palmolive Tolaram joint venture in West Africa, where he delivered an exceptional 70 percent compound annual growth rate in top-line revenue over five years. His ability to blend global best practices with local insights has earned him recognition as a transformative leader in consumer markets. Beyond his professional achievements, he is known as an advocate for inclusive leadership, mentorship, and human capital development, often contributing thought leadership on innovation, ethical leadership, and resilience.
Widely regarded for combining intellectual curiosity with a human-centered approach to leadership, Sharma has built high-performance organizations across diverse geographies, especially in complex, high-growth emerging markets. His participation in the Marketing Edge Summit, which has historically hosted some of the most influential figures in marketing and governance, is expected to bring fresh perspectives to the ongoing dialogue on technology, creativity, and the future of business.
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