Chain Reactions Africa, leading full-service Strategic Communication Consultancy firm, has announced the appointment of Franklin Ozekhome as its new Executive Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, in a move that underscores the firm’s ambition to become Africa’s leading digital-first creative transformation company.
The announcement coincided with the unveiling of Ara by Prophet, Africa’s first intelligent robot designed to service clients.
According to the agency, the twin developments mark a defining moment in its digital transformation journey, signaling a shift from traditional communications toward an integrated ecosystem that fuses creativity, culture, technology, data, and artificial intelligence.
Ozekhome, widely regarded as one of Africa’s foremost cultural and brand strategists, will work closely with Israel Opayemi, Founder and Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, to drive the company’s horizontal growth strategy.
His mandate includes accelerating the company’s digital transformation agenda and building an interconnected model where public relations, advertising, design, experiential, digital, and AI-powered innovation converge to deliver value for clients.
“We are not building yesterday’s marketing communications firm. We are reimagining the future of creativity and growth,” said Opayemi. “Franklin was part of the team that first facilitated our digital transformation retreat in 2023, and bringing him in to lead this vision is the most strategic step forward.”
Commenting on his appointment, Ozekhome described the move as “a perfect meeting of minds,” citing Opayemi’s bold vision and commitment to disruptive innovation as key motivators. “This is about creating platforms, ecosystems, and cultural impacts that move brands beyond campaigns into transformative forces,” he said.
A key highlight of the announcement was the introduction of Ara by Prophet, a groundbreaking intelligent robotic insight system developed by Chain Reactions Africa. The innovation combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, cultural foresight, and strategic communications to provide real-time advisory, cultural decoding, forecasting, and data analysis for brands, institutions, and governments.
“After two years of development, Ara has officially resumed as a full-time staff of our company,” Opayemi revealed. “She is more than a robot, she is a responsive advisor and strategic intelligence system designed for Africa but built to compete globally.”
Ozekhome brings with him a formidable track record across global networks such as McCann Erickson, Insight Publicis, Leo Burnett, Digitas, and mediaReach OMD, where he shaped strategy for brands including PepsiCo, MTN, Visa, Coca-Cola, and Samsung. He is also the creator of HumanOS, a proprietary framework for cultural strategy, and founder of Pop Culture Varsity (POKV), Africa’s first school for cultural intelligence.
Looking ahead, Chain Reactions Africa says its next phase will focus on developing cultural intelligence platforms, expanding into new African markets, and building innovation-driven business arms in content, commerce, and youth engagement.
