The investiture ceremony was conducted by Justice Rebecca N.S. Sittie, Justice of the High Court, in Accra last Friday.

The 17-member Governing Council has Dr Daniel Kasser Tee, a Senior Manager at Ecobank and Deputy Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Ecobank Ghana and Anglophone West Africa (AWA), as its National President, with Mrs Agnes Emefa Essah, a Marketing & Sales Director/Consultant at the Nyaho Medical Centre, as the National Vice President.

Also inducted into office were Mr Franklin Sowa, the Director of Marketing and Sales, Graphic Communications Group Ltd, as the National Secretary and Ms Shirley Acquah-Harrison, the CEO of Kwikbrand Ghana Limited, as National Treasurer.

Supporting members

Supporting the national officers as Governing Council members are Mr Theodore Osae, Managing Director, NCR Ghana; Mr Kwasi Kyere, Commercial Manager, Ghacem; Mrs Annie Babah-Alargi, Managing Consultant, Customer Matters Ltd; Mr Paul Yao Asafo, Head, Agency Training, Prudential Life Insurance; Mr Kojo Demanya, Head of Marketing, Rana Motors, and Mr Emmanuel Neequaye, Marketing Consultant and Marketing Lecturer, Simon Page College of Marketing.

The rest are Ms Doris Adabasu Kuwornu, Director Enigma Images Ltd; Mrs Mary Asaa Ackuaku, Marketing Analyst, Barclays Bank Ltd, and Mr Kojo Mattah, MD of ARB Apex Bank and immediate past President.

The remaining four institutional representatives drawn from selected ministries and relevant business associations are Mr Olivia Opoku Adomah (Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture), Mr Ebenezer Paul Adjirackor (Ministry of Trade and Industries), Mrs Grace Amey-Obeng (Association of Ghana Industries) and Mr Fredrick Adu Amoako (Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industries).

Seven-point agenda

In his acceptance speech, Dr Kasser Tee affirmed the commitment of the council to work conscientiously to carry “further our collective aim of building a viable, vibrant and reputable professional body with national and international recognition and acceptance.

He restated his vision for the institute, to be built around “a seven-point agenda, and that is to”: Strengthen the Advocacy role of CIMG to promote and influence government policy on Marketing-related matters, particularly those on consumerism and consumer rights;

Dr Kasser Tee said he would forge stronger partnerships and collaborations with the media and relevant public and private sector agencies, including international bodies, for cost-effective execution of agreed programmes, intensify education and whip up membership drive to improve retention and loyalty for members, while encouraging marketing students in all public and private institutions of learning to see the CIMG as an aspirational professional body, as part of his vision.”

He said he would also generate and sustain interest and excitement of the general public around the marketing profession through content marketing and thought leadership programmes; digitisation of marketing projects and encourage the older generation of marketers to adapt quickly to newer trends, particularly in today’s world of ICT.

Dr Kasser Tee said he would introduce reforms that will transform the CIMG secretariat to operate as a modern-day professional body, comparable to its peers elsewhere around the globe by leveraging technology and pursue relevant UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) to attract global attention to what we do here in Ghana.

Dr Kasser Tee further indicated that the desire of the CIMG to begin its own local marketing examinations was on course and remained a key focus area for the incoming team.

He added that it was for that reason that his team would passionately pursue the passage of the Marketing Bill, which is currently before in Parliament.

“When passed into law, we will then have the requisite legal and state backing to start our local marketing examinations and set standards for regulating the practice of marketing in Ghana.

Mr Tee said “they will do so without the need to pay huge sums in foreign currencies to other nations, who will turn around to give us aid in its various forms. We will acquire local knowledge, apply same to solve local marketing problems to promote industrial growth that will in turn contribute meaningfully to the GDP of Ghana”.