#WeLeadComms: Motola Oyebanjo

Nigerian communication leader Motola Oyebanjo is today’s #WeLeadComms honoree.

Motola is an award winning Strategic Communications Executive with over two decades of experience spanning corporate communications, international development, strategic reputation management, stakeholder engagement and media.

She currently serves as Global Head of Communications at CIMMYT, a leading international agricultural research organisation working to advance food security, sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems across the Global South. In this role, she leads global communications, strengthening CIMMYT’s positioning, stakeholder engagement and visibility of its research and impact across more than 80 countries.

Prior to joining CIMMYT, Motola served as Senior Communications Director, Africa Region at Heifer International, where she led strategic communications, reputation management, stakeholder relations and brand initiatives. She previously held senior communications and corporate affairs leadership roles at Upfield, Lafarge Africa, Union Bank, the British Council and Unilever, building extensive experience across corporate, consumer, development and international organisations.

As a communications consultant, Motola has worked with leading organisations including the United Nations Global Compact, World Bank GEMS Project, Australian Trade Commission, United Kingdom Education Advisory Service and Lagos State Government, as well as multinational organisations and international universities.

She is also a Partner at AerialView Communications, an award winning communications firm, and the co founder of When Women Win, an initiative focused on amplifying women’s voices and advancing women’s development and leadership.

Motola is passionate about using communications as a strategic tool for influence, organisational growth and social impact. Her work has earned her several recognitions, including the 2026, 2022 PR Power List by The Guardian and GLG, 100 Leading Women by Nigerian Women Annual in 2021, Top 50 Female Leaders in Corporate Nigeria by Leading Ladies Africa in 2019, and the SHE Achievers Award in 2019.

She holds an MBA in Media Leadership from the University of Cumbria, UK, and a B.Sc. in Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. She also holds professional certifications in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School, Project Management from the Association for Project Management, UK, and Neuro Linguistic Programming from the Scottish Centre of NLP.

Through her career and leadership, Motola continues to demonstrate the strategic value of communications in shaping reputation, building trust, influencing stakeholders and advancing meaningful change across Africa and globally.

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