BECA on the Road, The Path to the C-Suite

Jerri is the Founder & CEO of the Black Executive CMO Alliance, BECA and a member of the prestigious Advertising Hall of Fame.

She is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of Office Depot, Inc., responsible for the P&L for e-commerce, customer service, all marketing functions, data & analytics, communications, community investment and events, having previously served as its Chief Marketing Officer.

Jerri has 40 years of extensive marketing and leadership experience at large global brands. Prior to Office Depot, she served as Chief Marketing Officer of The ADT Corporation, a leading provider of home and business security services. Prior to that, Jerri served as Executive Vice President, CMO for Nokia based in Helsinki and London. Additionally, she held senior marketing roles as SVP at Verizon Communications, CMO at Citibank, VP at Revlon, VP at Harrah’s Entertainment, at the NFL and at General Mills, formerly the Pillsbury Company. Jerri is an Economics graduate of Spelman College, and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees and received her MBA from Clark Atlanta University Graduate School of Business.

She currently serves as a director on the boards of Dow, one of the world’s largest materials science companies; Under Armour Inc., a global athletic performance and innovation brand; Cars Commerce, a leading digital marketplace that connects car shoppers with sellers; and Root Insurance, a disruptive digital company utilizing AI to provide auto insurance.

Tebogo is an accomplished strategist, advisor, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of international experience in strategy consulting and leadership. Known for her passion for empowering others, fostering leadership, and building high-performing teams, she is dedicated to bringing together diverse talents to solve complex challenges and drive sustainable growth.

Throughout her career, Tebogo has worked with clients across more than 30 countries, beginning her consulting journey at Bain & Company before taking on senior partner roles at Monitor Consulting and McKinsey & Company. She co-founded North Road Consulting, a renowned boutique management and operations consultancy, and has held key managerial positions at the IFC within the World Bank Group and Brown Brothers Harriman. A respected thought leader, Tebogo was selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2011 and has served as a fellow with the African Leadership Institute and Aspen Global Leadership Network. With extensive board experience, she currently serves as a Non-Executive Director at Sphere Holdings and African Parks Network. In her current roles, Tebogo is the Country Manager for WPP South Africa and Strategy Advisor at Smollan, where she continues to make a significant impact on business strategy and growth across the continent.

Clare Akamanzi is an accomplished business executive and international trade and investment lawyer who was named NBA Africa CEO in December 2023. 

In her new role, Akamanzi oversees the NBA’s business and basketball development efforts in Africa and is responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball, the NBA and the Basketball Africa League (BAL) across the continent, including through grassroots basketball development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, and social responsibility initiatives that improve the livelihoods of African youth and families. 

Prior to joining the NBA, Akamanzi spent six and a half years as CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), where she spearheaded Rwanda’s economic development by enabling private sector growth. Under Akamanzi’s leadership, RDB implemented several business policy reforms and initiatives that led to significant investment and development for the country, including through partnerships with the BAL, Arsenal FC, Paris Saint-Germain FC, FC Bayern Munich and TIME Magazine, among others. 

In her previous roles, Akamanzi served as Chief Operating Officer of RDB and Head of Strategy and Policy Unit, Office of the President of the Republic of Rwanda. She has extensive international trade, business and diplomatic experience, having previously worked for the Rwandan Government at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland and at the Rwandan Embassy in London, England. 

Akamanzi has worked or studied in seven different countries and holds an honorary LLD from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, in recognition of her work in Rwanda. She earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she was the recipient of three prestigious awards for academic excellence and distinguished contribution to the community: the Lucius N. Littauer Fellows Award, the Raymond & Josephine Vernon Award and the Robert Kennedy Public Service Award. 

In addition, Akamanzi holds a Master of Laws degree in international trade and investments from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. 

Akamanzi has served on several company boards, including the World Health Organization (WHO) Foundation, ECOBANK and Aviation, Travel and Logistics (ATL) company. She was recognized by Forbes as one of Africa’s Top 50 Powerful Women in 2020. 

Frank Starling is the Chief DEI Officer at LIONS. He is responsible for evolving and embedding its global DE&I strategy to create a more equitable business and put inclusive thinking at the heart of the organisation. He previously served as CEO of Variety Pack, a consultancy that works with global organisations across sectors to build equitable cultures of trust, psychological safety, and inclusion. 

Recognised in 2020 as one of the UK's prominent Black figures by Operation Black Vote, Oxford University, and the House of Commons' Pathways to Success programme. Frank is an alumnus of Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University, a certified Psychological Safety Consultant, and holds a DE&I certification from Cornell University. Starling previously served as an Enterprise Advisor to the Mayor of London.

Firoze Bhorat is the Chief Marketing Officer of one of South Africa’s most innovative brands, Discovery. Recognised internationally as a global innovator, Discovery is leading a global transformation in financial services through its shared-value insurance model. At the helm of marketing at Discovery, Firoze is responsible for marketing leadership, brand strategy, execution, and ensuring that this proudly South African brand firmly cements its place as one of the world’s leading and most loved brands. In 2022, Discovery was recognised as the Marketing Organisation of the Year in South Africa’s annual Marketing Achievement Awards in 2022 and 2023, with Firoze being recognised as the Marketer of the Year in 2022. Under Firoze’s leadership, Discovery has successfully launched various new brands, products, and marketing initiatives, including Discovery Bank, the world’s first shared-value bank. 

No stranger to growing new business ventures, Firoze’s earlier career highlights include successfully leading the Vodafone start up in the Middle East. He also held leadership positions at Exxon Mobil, Standard Bank, FNB and Vodacom. 

Firoze is a trained economist and holds an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business. 

Mpeo Rethabile Nkosi is a powerhouse in the marketing world, with over 18 years of experience in leading iconic brands across Africa. From MTN to M-Net and in agencies like VMLY&R and TBWA, she’s blazed trails as a woman of colour, reshaping the narrative and breaking ceilings in industries where diverse voices are essential. Mpeo is not only a strategic leader but also a mentor passionate about elevating others. She has also been a former YFM late night DJ in her youth and has been the voice of the Orlando Pirates TV show for almost 20 years. As a proud African woman, she is committed to elevating people of colour and fostering African excellence.  

A mentor. A voice for those without one. A ceiling shaker & breaker. True & real fire if you ever have the opportunity to work with her. 

Strategic Marketing management in Financial Services, Insurance, FMCG, B2C and B2B organizations in a diverse range of industries. These include: medical aid administration, short-term insurance, life, manufacturing, chemicals, petrochemicals, oil & gas and fast moving consumer goods. Experience and expertise is wide and deep encompassing C-Suit Executive in Strategy development, Marketing management, Marketing Execution, Sponsorship and Brand Management, Sales & Business Development, Brand Management, Digital Marketing, Business Management, Supplier Development and Black Economic Empowerment Management(BBBEE).

Highlights- Brand Ambassadorship Management, Digital Marketing with ROI tracking, PR and sponsorship management for brand reputation management. I was involved in launching a new market entrant into the petroleum sector Masana Petroleum Solutions; thereby ensuring to carve out a clear market presence and scale for the Masana brand; a company that is still flourishing in present day.

Educated in the United States and in South Africa, I hold a BA degree from Smith College and an MBA from Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).

Refilwe is a passionate and  experienced marketer and leader with over 18 years working across multiple brands, industries and geographies. Following her years at Unilever and South African Breweries she joined the world of consulting at Yellowwood, a part of the TBWA collective, as the Managing Director in 2017. In addition to her MD role, in 2021 she took on the role of Chief Strategy Officer of the TBWA group. In 2024 she joined Discovery as the Executive Head of Marketing for the Health business. She is a proud board member of Tiko, a non-profit organisation that provides Sexual Reproductive Health services to millions of adolescent girls and young women across multiple African countries.

Lindy-Lou Alexander is a seasoned media and marketing professional whose unparalleled dedication and innovative approach has set new standards across different industries. With over 23 years of experience in marketing and media across various industries she has continually demonstrated a keen ability to craft compelling narratives and drive impactful communication strategies across brands in Unilever, Tiger foods, National Brands, Diageo, Vodacom and the banking sector. Her expertise in branding, digital marketing, and customer experience has not only elevated the global and local brands that she has worked with but also significantly contributed to industry evolution, such as platform first partnerships and engagements that help deliver 1M new to bank clients in a fiscal, supported by painting a region in branded colours media buy outs with over 500 million engagements in contracted weeks with digital channels, when she managed the Standard Bank Group Retail business for 5 years. 

She pivoted from being a marketing CMO to now caretaking big brands in advertising. Her current role is within WPP, as the CEO for Open X, the Africa Operating Unit which is the bespoke advertising partner overseeing strategy, creative design, media and production for The Coca-Cola Company across 56 countries. 

Her deep passion for consumer behaviour, coupled with her ability to foster a culture of creativity and collaboration, has enabled her to lead high-performing teams across the continent to consistent success. Lindy-Lou is a passionate advocate for community involvement and dedicates her time to mentoring young professionals, helping them navigate the complexities of the media and marketing world.

Ayoba - Digital Media Professional , is a seasoned Senior Manager who has built her career by finding innovative problem-solving solutions for Media & Telecommunications corporates across Africa and Globally.

I have managed and lead successful sales and promotions teams for globally recognized media platforms including: Conde Nast House & Garden, GQ & GLAMOUR Magazines as well as Television and streaming networks including: Multichoice, BBC Africa, NBC Universal and The Walt Disney Company.

I have had the privilege of delivering top performing campaigns on these various media platforms with partners across the FMCG, Alcohol and Retail sectors to name a few.

I am currently at the MTN Super App - Ayoba which has revolutionised the communications platform across Africa.