Marketing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Maureen Ifada, has won the 2026 EDGE Leadership Award in Marketing, adding another major recognition to her distinguished career in marketing and brand management.
Won at the 14th EDGE Awards, organised recently in Lagos by Marketing Edge, with the theme, “Celebrating Excellence Beyond Borders,” the event brought together leading professionals, brands, agencies and business leaders in Nigeria’s marketing communications industry.
The recognition came shortly after another significant milestone in her career in August, when she was unveiled in Lagos among the three African marketing and brand leaders selected for the Africa 2 Class of Black At’s 2027 DARE Awards, alongside Mabel Adeteye of Wema Bank and Amaechi Okobi of Access Bank.
This latest recognition comes after over two decades of contributions to the FMCG and marketing sector. She joined FrieslandCampina WAMCO in 2003 as a management trainee in the consumer marketing department and has risen through several strategic roles to become the marketing director.
Her influence also extended to the international marketing community. In 2026, she served on the judges’ panels for the SABRE Awards EMEA, Native Advertising Awards and International ECHO Awards.
The honour follows several other recognitions. In 2025, she was named the Marketing Director of the Year at the Brand Handlers Awards, and also received the Outstanding Marketing Amazon of the Year award at the EDGE Awards.
She was also recognised as Nigeria Marketing Amazon at the Nigeria Marketing Awards, and has twice featured among WIMCA’s Top 50 Most Influential Women in Marketing and Communications.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of Marketing Edge, Amos Oladele, said the awards recognise professionals and organisations that challenge convention, embrace new ideas and demonstrate exceptional performance.
For Ifada, the latest honour further underscored a career built around brand leadership, innovation and professional excellence.
