Pitcher Awards 2025: African Creativity Takes Center Stage with Historic Jury Lineup
The Pitcher Festival has unveiled the esteemed jury members for the 2025 Pitcher Awards, reinforcing its status as one of Africa’s most prestigious creative accolades. This year’s edition is set to break new ground with its first-ever Ethiopian juror, Zelalem Woldemariam, CEO and Chief Creative Director of Zeleman Communications Ethiopia. His inclusion is a testament to the festival’s growing influence across the continent and its commitment to pan-African creative collaboration.
Speaking on this year’s jury lineup, Dr. Nnamdi Ndu, Chairman of Pitcher Festival, emphasized the importance of diversity and expertise in shaping the awards, “We are incredibly excited about the talented and diverse group of jurors for this year’s Pitcher Awards. Their wealth of experience and unique perspectives will undoubtedly elevate the standard of creativity and innovation celebrated at the festival.”
With each passing year, the Pitcher Awards continue to set new benchmarks, recognizing and celebrating excellence in media, advertising, and communications across Africa. The 2025 edition promises to be the most competitive yet, with industry leaders from across the continent coming together to evaluate the most groundbreaking work in African creativity.
This year’s jury members hail from across Africa, bringing together a mix of marketing strategists, creative directors, digital experts, and entertainment leaders who will judge entries across seven distinct categories:
Channel Jury
Colette Amaeshi – Managing Director, Pulse Ghana
Chike Oputa – Cluster Managing Director, Dentsu Location Services and Dentsu X Nigeria
Abibatou Gendry – Managing Director, Havas Africa Senegal, Dakar, Senegal
Peter Maina – Data & Insights Specialist, GroupM SSA, Nairobi, Kenya
Nadine Helal – Head of Spark Foundry, Egypt
Brenda Nwagwu – CEO, QVT Media Limited, Lagos, Nigeria
Tale Oladapo – Head, Strategy & Planning, All Seasons Zenith, Lagos, Nigeria
Craft Jury
Eric Mwangi – Creative Director, 3Verse | 3VR, Nairobi, Kenya
Aymeric Austry – Creative Director & Cofounder, WALLACE Senegal & Benin
Olawale Olukoya – Creative Director, digitXplus, Lagos, Nigeria
Cedric Ekambi – Senior Copywriter, Caractère Sénégal, Dakar
Benjamin Anyan – Regional Creative & Strategy Director, Publicis West Africa
Nurveen Ratty – Executive Creative Director, Crayons Couleur Advertising, Mauritius & Rwanda
Culture Jury
Ayodeji Razaq – Group CEO, RED MEDIA Africa, Lagos, Nigeria
Zelalem Woldemariam – CEO & Chief Creative Director, Zeleman Communications Ethiopia
Elizabeth Akinyele – GM, Dentsu Performance Nigeria
Safo Mallet – Chief Operating Officer, Optimal OMD, Ghana
Christine Kariuki – Marketing Manager, Tusker (East African Breweries Ltd), Kenya
Ojie Ehianeta – Head of Portfolio, Pernod Ricard Nigeria
Samuel Sokale – Head of Strategy & Insights, UpInTheSky Limited, Lagos, Nigeria
Digital Jury
Ronald Magondo – Director of Awe-Inspiring Feats, Nerdware, South Africa
Christophe Courcelle – Creative Director, McCann Dakar, Senegal
Lynne Murrey – Digital Strategy Lead, Dentsu Kenya
Uduakabasi Akpan – Creative Director, Anakle Limited, Nigeria
Lord Adansi – Group Creative Director, EchoHouse Africa, Ghana
Toyin Osebeyo – Chief Operating Officer, digitXplus, Lagos, Nigeria
Entertainment Jury
Darey Art Alade – Chief Creative Director, Livespot360, Lagos, Nigeria
Luc Aboussou – Group Creative Director, Publicis Group Africa
Yaa Boateng – Managing Director & Chief Creative Officer, The Storytellers, Accra, Ghana
Selom Eric – Partner & Executive Creative Director, Baton Rouge Group, Côte D’Ivoire
Awo Somuah – Event Director, EchoHouse Africa, Accra, Ghana
Kennedy Thiong’O – Associate Creative Director, The Quollective, Nairobi, Kenya
Yusuf Adejumo – Creative Director, TBWA\Concept, Lagos, Nigeria
Good & Effectiveness Jury
Tracey Afuwape – Chief Strategy Director, PHD Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
Carolina Rodriguez – Director, Dilucidar, Singapore
Oge Maduagwu – Head of Marketing, Samsung Electronics West Africa
Hillary Baguma – Brand Manager, Mainstream Spirits, Uganda Breweries Limited, Kampala, Uganda
Edna Njau – Tandem Digital Company Limited, Nairobi, Kenya
Oriane Canfrin – Head of Marketing & Communications, Ecobank Côte d’Ivoire
Fiona Falconer – Associate Content Director, Publicis Groupe, Dubai
Heritage Jury
Pria Thacoor – Managing Director, P&P Link, Mauritius
Anthony Eigbe – Vice President: Creative & Comms, UACN, Lagos, Nigeria
Adebayo Arisilejoye – Deputy Creative Director, Insight Publicis, Lagos, Nigeria
Jean Taochy – Creative Director, McCann Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire & Douala, Cameroon
Gerald Ssali – Creative Director, TheQuollective, Uganda
Sharon Mills – Lead Consultant, SMC Consulting, Accra, Ghana
Tumisang Moyo – Director, Badisa Communications, Gaborone, Botswana
Leading the Jury Panels
Each category will be overseen by a respected Jury President to ensure fair and insightful evaluations.
Channel Jury President: Dozie Okafor, MD/CEO, PHD Nigeria & President MIPAN
Culture Jury President: Nthabiseng Lekoaletsoe, Advertising Consultant, Ogilvy South Africa
Craft Jury President: Mike Miller, Executive Creative Director, X3M Ideas, Lagos, Nigeria
Digital Jury President: Yash Deb, Co-Founder & Creative Partner, The Bar Africa, Kenya
Entertainment Jury President: Obi Asika, Director General/CEO, National Council for Arts & Culture, Nigeria
Good & Effectiveness Jury President: Dawn Rowlands, CEO, Dentsu Africa
Heritage Jury President: Karim Yermeche, Chief Executive Officer, Lotus Conseil, Hydra, Algeria
Additionally, the jury presidents for each category have been announced, with leading industry figures from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Algeria, and beyond overseeing the judging process.
With the jury set, the competition is now officially open. Entries will be accepted from November 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, and the shortlisted works will be announced on May 15, 2025. The winners will be revealed during the highly anticipated Pitcher Awards Show on May 17, 2025.
In a new and exciting development, this year’s winning entries will be showcased internationally. The Pitcher Showcase will make its debut at the Cannes Lions Festival from June 16–20, 2025, marking a major milestone in the festival’s efforts to put African creativity on the global stage.
As the Pitcher Awards continues to grow, it not only recognizes exceptional creativity but also drives innovation within Africa’s marketing and communications industry. With a jury featuring some of the continent’s best minds, the 2025 edition is expected to set new creative benchmarks.
For African creatives looking to make their mark, this is the opportunity to showcase their work to industry leaders and gain continental and global recognition.
The question now is: Which campaign will define African creativity in 2025? The stage is set, and the journey to discovering the continent’s best creative work has officially begun.
