What’s this about?
- Adia Sowho has stepped down as Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria, having driven significant growth, including over 20% YoY in consumer business and 50% YoY in the data business, and overseeing the launch of 5G during her tenure.
- Ugonwa Nwoye, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Customer Relations Officer, will temporarily assume the role of acting Chief Marketing Officer following Sowho’s departure.
- Sowho emphasized the importance of partnerships and digital transformation in enhancing customer experience and achieving business growth, while expressing gratitude to the MTN Nigeria team and CEO Karl Toriola for their support.
Zoom in…
Adia Sowho, Chief Marketing Officer at MTN Nigeria, has left her position after approximately three years of service.
Following her departure from MTN Nigeria, Ugonwa Nwoye, the telco’s current Chief Customer Relations Officer, will serve as acting Chief Marketing Officer.
Sowho said that during her tenure, MTN Nigeria’s Consumer Business achieved “consistently” over 20% YoY growth, while the data business experienced record growth (50% YoY) and became the first Nigerian telco to launch 5G.
Before becoming the telco’s CMO in August 2021, she worked at Etisalat Nigeria, now 9mobile, as Head of Strategy and Business Development, Head of Digital Media, and Director of Digital Business.
She also led instant lending and provided 10,000 loans daily at Migo (formerly known as Mines), where she was Managing Director and Vice President of Growth. She also served as interim CEO of ThriveAgric, an agritech startup.
Announcing her departure in a LinkedIn post, Sowho highlighted that partnerships have been at the core of the company’s growth, citing the telco’s partnership with OTT providers and OEMs to enhance the digital economy with smartphones.
While marketing to nearly 80 million customers focused on customer behaviour, consumption patterns, and preferences, when customers were ready to buy, she said the telco transitioned from traditional analytics to prescriptive analytics, which proactively optimised strategy and anticipated customer demands.
What they’re saying…
“We also embraced digital transformation, particularly focused on creating data capture into our highest-traffic processes. This provided deeper insights into customer behaviour and preferences, allowing us to make informed decisions, tailor our offerings more precisely, and deliver better value to our customers.”
Sowho stated that, while partnerships at the seed/startup stage necessitate speed and flexibility, openness and trust are important additional requirements in larger companies.
“I was tasked with bringing ‘startup energy’ to MTN Nigeria, and I believe I’ve done just that,” Sowho said.
What’s more, she conveyed her appreciation to the board, ExCo members, her team, and particularly Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, who saw her potential before she did.
Source; techpoint.africa
