The Africa CMO 100 list is the first ranking of its kind recognising the marketing leaders behind Africa's most powerful and admired brands, says the partnership.

Produced by Brand Africa with African Business magazine, MIPAD and the African Media Agency, the Africa CMO 100 honours one hundred of the continent's and diaspora's most influential marketing leaders, spanning twenty-one countries, six African regions and the diaspora.

South Africa leads the list with thirty-one honourees, more than any other country. Southern Africa accounts for thirty-nine honourees in total, with Johannesburg described in Brand Africa's research as the marketing capital of the continent, says the partnership.

The evening was about the growing influence of CMOs as Co-Authors of a new African narrative, adds the partnership.

The evening brought together senior marketing, media and business leaders with the aim to reflect on the role of African brands in shaping self-belief, national identity and continental possibility. Speakers returned to a consistent idea: marketers do not simply respond to culture; they help create it, says the partnership.

That responsibility is especially important given Brand Africa's long-running research, which has consistently found that while 80% of Africans believe in Africa, only a small proportion of the brands they most admire are African. In 2025, that admiration gap reached a historic low of 11%, down from 34% in 2011, adds the partnership.

For Brand Africa Founder and Chairman Thebe Ikalafeng, the Africa CMO 100 is a direct response to that gap.

"Africa does not have a talent problem," Ikalafeng said. "It has world-class marketing leadership capable of building globally competitive brands. The Africa CMO 100 is about naming, recognising and celebrating the people who can help close that gap."

The one hundred honourees collectively lead brands worth an estimated USD$750-billion to USD$800-billion in global revenue. Sixty-two percent of the honourees are women, with women forming a majority in every region. Financial services are the most represented sector, with thirty-one entries, says the partnership.

Selection for the list was independent, unpaid, unsponsored and not self-nominated, with honourees vetted by a committee spanning more than twenty countries, adds the partnership.

Kaya 959 and United Stations hosted the live, on-air celebration, presented by Absa and held in association with MASA and Opportunity Africa. The programme included remarks from Dr Tumelo Chaka CMO of United Stations, Tumi Rabanye, CEO of  Kaya 959, Grace Njeri of Africa No Filter, Brand Africa's Ikalafeng, Sydney Mbhele, CMO of Absa Group and Brian Yuyi, CEO of MASA.

Mbhele, himself one of the 31 South African honourees, says African CMOs are now central to how the continent is understood.

"CMOs are the architects of storytelling for their brands and countries," Mbhele says. "African brands have historically had their story told by outsiders, and African CMOs are now the ones authoring it."

Tumi Rabanye, CMO of Kaya 959, says brand leadership has become a cultural responsibility, not only a commercial function.

"Brand pride is essential to the way society sees itself," says Rabanye. "The stories we tell through brands help shape confidence, identity and ambition. That is why this gathering matters. It reminds us that Africa does not lack talent. It has world-class marketing minds who are already shifting the narrative, not only for their organisations, but for the continent."

The evening closed with a live on-air conversation between Mbhele and Ikalafeng, hosted by Kaya 959's Phemelo Motene, concludes the partnership.

For more information, visit www.brandafrica.org. You can also follow Brand Africa on Facebook, X, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of contributor