MarketingWorld’s CMO of the Week:Nelly Wangui Wainaina of NCBA Group

By MWorld Team Jun 11, 20250

Nelly Wangui Wainaina, a trailblazing marketing expert with more than 20 years of experience in shaping brand innovation throughout Africa, has been leading NCBA Group as Group Director of Marketing, Communication, and Citizenship since 2022.

Her extensive experience across FMCG, personal care, and financial services, combined with her ability to lead multicultural teams and deliver innovative campaigns, positions her as a transformative force in marketing and brand leadership at NCBA Group.

Before joining NCBA, Wainaina held senior roles at The Coca-Cola Company , where she served as Front-Line Marketing Senior Director for Africa, aligning marketing strategies across 54 markets and managing significant P&L budgets for five key brand categories.

As Head of Marketing for East Central Africa, Wainaina led innovative campaigns and fostered collaboration with bottling partners. Her role as Nutrition Portfolio Lead saw her develop a three-year business unit strategy, driving portfolio performance and innovation.

Wainaina excelled at Colgate-Palmolive, leading Nigeria’s market re-entry by establishing legal, operational, and marketing frameworks.

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As Group Brand Manager for the AfriEurasia Division, Wainaina launched personal care innovations across 100+ countries. Earlier, at Reckitt , she drove category growth in East and West Africa, launching Airwick’s automatic segment and leading Kenya’s largest CSR initiative, The Dettol Heart Run.

Starting her career at Mondelēz International as a Brand Assistant,Wainaina built a strong foundation in media and promotions.

Among other accolades, Wainaina is recipient of the “Marketing Woman of the Year” award at the 13th MarketingWorld Awards in Kenya

MarketingWorld Magazine’s CMO of the Week is a global recognition celebrating top-performing Chief Marketing Officers who demonstrate exceptional leadership, drive brand transformation, spearhead disruptive innovation, and contribute meaningfully to market growth and customer engagement.