Global Marketer of the Year 2018 nominees: Ukonwa Ojo

Ukonwa is one of six global marketers who have been shortlisted for the Award with the winner being decided by a 50:50 split between public votes and the expert jury.

She talked about the rebrand of Covergirl, the I am What I Makeup campaign as well as the opening of the new “experiential beauty playground”, their flagship store in Times Square. All of this work, she said, has been underpinned, and aided, by a “spirit of empathy” from Coty colleagues and partners.

“We launched TruBlend Matte Made, which is the number one launch in face cosmetics this year. The reason why it was actually really successful is because the team that created that foundation was as diverse as the community that they were serving. They realised how important it is for us to provide certain benefits like the fact that it was transfer-resistant. That’s something that people of colour had struggled with for a long time. That’s just an example of when you have a team that is as diverse as the community that you are serving. The insights are easier and they are a lot richer and the team is really motivated to serve those consumers,” she said.

Watch highlights from the interviews with the six nominees: