By Linda Kwanjana
One of the country’s renowned marketers, Thokozani Unyolo, continues to break professional barriers with recognition from renowned global institutions. Just recently she was appointed member of the Chief Marketing Officer Council’s Advisory Board for the Sub Saharan Africa region and has also been placed among the list of top women achievers by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) Business School.
CMO Council, which is world’s most prominent and influential affinity network for chief marketing executives, says Unyolo was considered for the appointment due to her professional track record across several brands where she continues to excel. On the other hand, GIBS Business School has recognized Unyolo for being one of the women that are breaking barriers and creating a world where women’s achievements know no bounds.
The CMO Council is a renowned global knowledge transfer agent and prolific content producer within excess of 200,000 Google search listings, millions of media exposures globally and 25,000 monthly page views. It comprises more than 16,000 members spread across 110 countries controlling an estimated $1 trillion in combined annual marketing spend.
It consists of seven regional advisory boards that actively involve over 150 leading brand decision makers in North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and India. In addition to marketing practitioners, CMO Council has an Academic Liaison Committee of over 40 marketing professors drawn from top business schools and academic programs worldwide.
In acknowledgement of her recognition, Unyolo said the recognitions position her advantageously to advance the network’s strategic initiatives and build more capacity among local synergies.
“It is an honour to be recognized by fellow professionals from across the globe. As a Pan African digital marketing thought leader I am challenged to ensure that this consideration translates into meaningful synergies with both the local fraternity and the larger network across the borders,” said Unyolo.
The renowned marketer holds an impeccable footprint in the profession having been voted as Institute of Marketing in Malawi (IMM) Marketer of the Year in 2017 and 2020, the first Malawian to achieve that feat. Her track record comes at the back of working for some of the world’s renowned brands both locally and globally including The Coca-Cola company, Celtel, Zain, Airtel Malawi and Airtel Africa Group in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, DRC, Gabon, Rwanda and Zambia and the Standard Bank/ Standard Bank Groip brand in Malawi, Eswatini , Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia
Currently, Unyolo is Managing Director at BrandWorX, a newly-formed Boutique Marketing consulting and business advisory firm, BrandWorX
An avid girl-child campaigner, she says her recognition will also inspire girls in the country to aim for more in their career and unlock more opportunities to transform their respective communities and the country and Afrixa
“I urge school-going girls to be courageous and believe in their dream and pursue it diligently to impact the world positively. As for young professionals, your network is your networth so you must invest in it fully. Build strategic local and international relationships that will make your relevant to the profession and the nation,” she says.
Also commenting on Unyolo’s recent recognition, Institute of Marketing in Malawi says this is indicative that the country’s marketing fraternity is growing and responding to global tendencies of the profession.
“This is great news and progress for Malawi and women marketers in the country. It is a great milestone,” says Vidah Mmadi, Office Administrator at IMM.
Unyolo holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Pretoria in South Africa through its business school, the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Namibia and a Certificate in Digital Marketing from University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She is currently pursuing a Doctoral of Business Administration with UBIS Global in Switzerland
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