The Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) has announced its 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Election of a New Executive Council, scheduled to hold on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the Radisson Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
The event will gather industry leaders for high-level conversations on governance, leadership, growth, and brand trust in a rapidly evolving business environment.
As one of the association’s most important annual statutory gatherings, the AGM will provide members the opportunity to review the state of the Association, deliberate on key governance matters, and elect a new Executive Council that will help shape ADVAN’s next phase of leadership, advocacy, and industry impact.
Immediately following the AGM, ADVAN will host its Executive Leadership Session at 12:00 noon, bringing together senior business leaders, chief marketing officers, brand custodians, and marketing professionals for strategic conversations on the forces reshaping brands, business growth, and consumer trust.
Headlining the Executive Leadership Session as the main speaker is Dr. Doyin Salami, Managing Director/CEO of KAINOS Edge Consulting Ltd and former Economic Adviser to the President of Nigeria. Dr. Salami will speak on the topic, “The New Rules of Growth: Navigating Nigeria’s Evolving Economy and Consumer Landscape.”
His session is expected to provide a timely and strategic perspective on the economic realities shaping business performance, consumer behaviour, and growth opportunities in Nigeria. As brands and businesses contend with inflationary pressures, shifting consumption patterns, policy changes, digital disruption, and increased pressure on consumer spending, Dr. Salami will offer insight into how business leaders and marketers can adapt their strategies to remain resilient, relevant, and competitive. With decades of experience spanning economic policy, academia, strategy, and public sector advisory, he is widely respected for his depth of knowledge on Nigeria’s macroeconomic environment and the intersection between economic trends, business growth, and consumer confidence.
The Executive Leadership Session will also feature a special conversation themed “The Future of Brand Trust: Thriving in an AI-Powered World,” reflecting the growing importance of trust, transparency, and credibility in an increasingly technology-driven marketplace. As artificial intelligence continues to transform business operations, marketing, communications, and consumer engagement, the session will explore how brands can build, protect, and sustain trust in a rapidly changing environment.
Featured in this conversation is Crystal I. Berger, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EBO and Vettify™, a technology entrepreneur at the forefront of building trust infrastructure for the artificial intelligence era. Berger is a former Senior Booking Producer and National Feature Host at FOX News, where she spent more than a decade helping shape who audiences heard from and trusted across a network of over 1,300 television and radio affiliates. During that period, she facilitated more than 140,000 media bookings, gaining first-hand insight into the growing challenge of trust and credibility within the digital information ecosystem.
Recognising the absence of an objective system for measuring and verifying trust in the modern media and technology landscape, Berger went on to found EBO and Vettify™, platforms pioneering new approaches to trust verification and credibility in the age of AI. Her work has earned broad recognition, including a US$200,000 TEDCO Pre-Seed Builder Fund investment for EBO, the NAACP Freedom Fighter Award, and features in Forbes. She has also been recognised by JPMorgan Chase, T. Rowe Price, and Wells Fargo for innovation and social impact. In addition, she has spoken at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, serves as Co-Chair of the AI & Technology Council of the Central Maryland Chamber of Commerce, and mentors startups through the Techstars Equitech Accelerator.
Commenting on the event, Osamede Uwubanmwen, President of ADVAN, said: “The 2026 AGM and Executive Leadership Session come at a defining moment for our industry. As business leaders navigate a rapidly changing economy and an increasingly AI-driven marketplace, the need for insight, agility, and trust has never been more critical. By bringing together respected voices such as Dr. Doyin Salami and Crystal Berger, we are creating a platform for meaningful conversations that will help our members lead confidently, grow sustainably, and build brands that can thrive in a changing world.”
He added that the AGM and leadership session reflect ADVAN’s commitment to equipping members with the strategic foresight, leadership insight, and industry knowledge required to navigate transformation and drive sustainable brand growth in a rapidly changing marketplace.
According to the association, the 2026 AGM and Executive Leadership Session underscore ADVAN’s continued role as a leading platform for industry advancement, executive engagement, and knowledge sharing within Nigeria’s marketing and advertising ecosystem.
Members are therefore encouraged to attend the AGM and remain for the Executive Leadership Session, which promises to be a timely, relevant, and high-impact engagement on some of the most consequential issues shaping the future of brands and businesses today.
