Patience Salami

Transforming Africa's development through strategic innovation and social impact...

Patience is an accomplished business and marketing leader with over a decade of experience in driving strategic growth for international development organisations and private enterprises globally. A valuable leader, Patience held strategic roles at the British Council, Africa Initiative for Governance and Wunderman and co-founded Purpleflip Consulting, an indigenous business consulting services firm based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Throughout her professional journey, she has consistently demonstrated a dedication to innovation, the ability to solve complex problems and a relentless pursuit of excellence. As a sought-after consultant, she has led high-impact projects for global brands such as MTN, L'Oréal, Moneygram, KFC, Adidas, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Sand Technologies (ALX Africa) and many others. As Head of Marketing Communications at the Africa Initiative for Governance, she assumed the challenge of repositioning the organisation for growth and impact. Furthermore, she led the strategy which secured funding and strategic alliances for strengthening effective public-private partnerships.

During her tenure as Marketing and Communications Manager at the British Council Sub-Saharan Africa region, Patience identified growth opportunities, drafted proposals and presentations to secure high-impact partnerships and supported donor-funded (FCDO and EU-funded) projects that reached and impacted millions of lives and livelihoods. Her role extended to serving as a trusted advisor to the senior executives. As a mentor and facilitator, she has spoken at several high-stakeholder events and platforms, including the FATE Foundation, Google Business Resilient Programme in Africa, and Junior Chambers International (JCI), empowering entrepreneurs and professionals to achieve significant growth milestones.

She holds a postgraduate degree from the Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University and a professional diploma in marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, having earlier obtained a bachelor of science degree from the University of Ibadan. Salami advocates using technology and innovation to address development challenges and drive economic prosperity on the continent. Her publications have appeared on BBC, CNBC, ThisDay, The Guardian, Business Day, and The Africa Report, among others.