By Dipo Olowookere
To drive its next growth phase and help to achieve its business objectives, a leading full-service public relations and integrated brand communications consultancy firm, Mediacraft Associates Limited, has hired the services of Ms Laura Oloyede.
Ms Oloyede is joining the organisation as the new General Manager/Chief Operating Officer effective Monday, September 19, 2022.
As GM/COO, she will oversee the brand and corporate communications, business development, and client relations activities of Mediacraft.
She had functioned in a similar role at Prima Garnet Ogilvy Group, where she was GM/COO of Cutler Ogilvy PR and Lampost Experiential with oversight for operational excellence and sustainable profitability.
“We are quite excited that Laura has accepted this new challenge and will join us as we recalibrate our business to make it more nimble for our next growth phase,” the Group CEO of Mediacraft, Mr John Ehiguese, said.
He further said, “Laura has extensive communications, marketing and leadership experience in the industry and has demonstrated her ability to drive business growth. We are confident that the new energy and thinking she would be bringing will help drive Mediacraft forward.”
While reacting to her appointment, which followed an extensive selection process that considered both internal and external candidates, Ms Oloyede said, “I am very pleased to be joining Mediacraft Associates, certainly a leader in the PR industry. The prospect of working alongside the CEO, an industry giant, and his competent team truly excites me.”
“Mediacraft Associates has successfully transformed into a full-fledged integrated marketing communications company over the last few years, managing communications for some of the biggest brands in the country, including the Stanbic IBTC Group, Interswitch Group, and Olam Group.
“I am certainly looking forward to helping the business further strengthen its industry leadership in line with its growth objectives,” she added.
Ms Oloyede has a broad, integrated marketing communications experience spanning over two decades in the industry and has held various job roles on both client and agency sides.
Her strengths include corporate communications, brand positioning, reputation management, stakeholder management, brand and marketing PR, and crisis communications management.
She holds a first degree In Estate Management from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, and a post-graduate diploma in Marketing from the University of Liverpool, UK.
Ms Oloyede has worked for and managed some leading multinational companies across different economic sectors, including financial services, FMCG, oil & gas, automobile, aviation, telecoms, and entertainment.
She has led the strategic communications drive for Coca-Cola, Ford Motors, Old Mutual, Nigerian Breweries, MultiChoice, Peugeot, and StarTimes, among others. Over the last decade, before this appointment, Oloyede had functioned as the spokesperson for Ford Motors in sub-Sahara Africa.
Ms Oloyede had also served as the Vice President for Marketing and Communications for Nigeria’s first concessioned 50km Lekki-Epe Expressway. She has led agencies’ strategic and operational direction, including business development, financial management and organizational growth.
