MediaReach OMD’s Stephen Onaivi to Ignite Conversation at Brand Handlers Summit 2025

Industry Thought Leader Stephen Onaivi to Deliver Keynote at Brand Handlers Summit 2025

Marketing Space, the organisers of the Brand Handlers Summit & Awards, has announced Mr. Stephen Oluwatoyin Onaivi, Managing Director of mediaReach OMD Nigeria, as the keynote speaker for the inaugural 2025 edition of the summit.

With over 15 years of leadership across Nigeria and West & Central Africa, Stephen Onaivi stands as a luminary in media strategy, planning, and innovation. Having led mediaReach OMD Ghana from 2018 before his appointment as MD of mediaReach OMD Nigeria in 2024, he has driven transformational growth for global brands like Vodafone, Airtel, Google, Uber, Diageo, and GlaxoSmithKline.

An alumnus of the University of Lagos (B.A. Philosophy; M.A. Public & International Affairs), Lagos Business School, and London Business School executive education, Mr. Onaivi is a respected Fellow of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) and a Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity jury member in 2023.

He also founded the “Play with Stephen” annual golf tournament, supporting autism awareness in Ghana.

Under his stewardship, mediaReach OMD introduced the “OMD Consumer Intelligence” platform to harness advanced analytics for real-time brand insights, celebrating 25 years of agency leadership.

His expertise and commitment to innovation positioned him as the ideal voice to open the maiden Brand Handlers Summit, a gathering dedicated to redefining marketing excellence in Africa.

Themed “Advancing Nigeria's Marketing Ecosystem To Drive Brand Growth,” the Brand Handlers Summit & Awards 2025 is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 29, 2025, at Regency Hall, Otunba Jobi-Fele Way, CBD, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos by 3:00pm. 

According to Lukman Ishau, Publisher of Marketing Space magazine and Convener of The Brand Handlers Summit & Awards 2025, “We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Stephen Onaivi as our keynote speaker. His visionary leadership marked by pioneering media intelligence tools and fostering regional growth embodies the standards we aim to set at our summit. His address will set the tone for a transformative dialogue.”


“Selecting Stephen as the first speaker in our maiden summit reflects his proven ability to bridge strategy, technology, and people. He represents the change-makers who will define the future of African branding,’’ he added.

The Brand Handlers Summit & Awards is designed to be one of Nigeria’s foremost gatherings of marketing minds and brand custodians, offering networking opportunities, knowledge exchange, and a platform for spotlighting excellence in the marketing and communications industry.

The 2025 summit will feature thought-provoking discussions, workshops, and recognition of outstanding contributions to marketing excellence.