Evolve Group Africa has unveiled the panel of speakers that will address the inaugural State of Marketing Address, a first of its kind marketing masterclass that will precede the 5th edition of the Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards (UMEAS).
The State of Marketing Address is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 11th December 2025 from 2pm to 4:30pm, at the Kampala Serena Hotel. The initiative is a new feature being integrated into the UMEAs, as the awards outfit commemorates its 5th anniversary.
The State of Marketing address is a landmark celebration in Uganda’s marketing industry, and a natural extension of the UMEAS.
For five years, the awards have celebrated outstanding campaigns and individuals. Now, the address will provide a platform to reflect on the marketing industry as a whole—its challenges, opportunities, and the future.
According to Paul Businge, a co-founder of Evolve Africa, this year’s theme, Promoting Sustainable Marketing Excellence, reminds us that marketing is not just about campaigns, but about building resilient, ethical, and future-ready practices.
“This year, we decided to add the State of Marketing Address to the awards gala. It’s our way of celebrating five years of the UMEAs, but even more importantly, it’s critical that we start weighing the sector for everyone to understand and appreciate it. We believe that the address and the awards will go along way in shaping the future of marketing in Uganda,” Businge said.
The event is set to attract speakers from the upper echelons of the marketing fraternity, who will share with their wealth of knowledge encompassing the marketing profession with attendees.
The speakers will explore various concerns in marketing, tackling topics like modern day marketing themes, such as digital marketing, artificial intelligence, social media, internet penetration and disruptive media.
The masterclass is targeted at Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs), mar-tech entrepreneurs, brand managers, marketing/ creative agencies, publicists, and the wider business community. “Essentially, anyone who has a stake in marketing and communications will find value in this event. Additionally, attendees will also have the opportunity to engage with the industry experts so that they can find insight to inform their 2026 vision boards and strategies,” Businge said.
The State of Marketing Address will culminate into the launch of the State of Marketing Report Uganda 2025, that will provide industry players with actionable data to drive their strategies for the forthcoming year.
The panel that will address the first ever State of Marketing Address, this Thursday, includes distinguished individuals like- Robin Bairstow- CEO I&M Bank Uganda, Barbra Arimi Teddy- Head of Marketing & Corporate Affairs, also NSSF/ Dfcu Group Board Member, John Paul Okwi -Senior Manager Events and Sponsorships, MTN Uganda, Jeffrey Amani- CEO Zeus Group.
Other panelists include, Irene Byarugaba -Head of Business Development, Reel Analytics Uganda, and Emmanuel Otuko-Sustainability Manager, Centenary Bank.
The masterclass shall constitute two panels- one to demystify the Uganda state of marketing, trends and current statistics, while the second one will be a c-suite, to tackle issues of skillsets required for future leaders and crafting winning business strategies.
Robert Victor Nsibirwa, the Marketing Manager, Spirits at Diageo/ UBL, shall moderate the inaugural state of Marketing Address.
The masterclass will be proceeded by the 5th installation of the UMEAs, a black-tie affair that will kick off at 7pm, at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
A corporate table at the UMEAS 2025 is going for Shs 2.5M, while individual tickets are going for Shs 200,000. Tickets can be booked by calling 0703115242 / 0772358292.
The inaugural State of Marketing Address and UMEAS 2025 are sponsored by, I&M Bank, NSSF, NBS TV, Afromobile, Nexcom, Centenary Bank, Crown Beverages (Pepsi and Aquafina), Vision Group, Equity Bank, Radio City, Matooke Republic, Kadanke Brand House, Datamine Technical Business School, Marketer Media and Women in Marketing Uganda.
