Malawi’s marketers urged to put trust at the heart of the profession

Malawi’s marketers are being challenged to redefine their profession around trust, ethical use of AI, sustainability, customer understanding and measurable business impact. 

These were among the key discussion points to emerge from the recent Institute of Marketing in Malawi annual conference held at the Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi under the theme ‘Marketing Redefined: Sustainability, Ethics and Innovation’. 

Speaking during the official opening, Malawi’s Deputy Minister of Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism, Edgar Tembo, challenged marketers to market the country more aggressively, arguing that Malawi has substantial potential across different sectors.  

He linked marketing directly to Malawi’s ability to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): producing and exporting more is not enough; Malawi also needs marketers capable of building recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and the country’s brand, the Deputy Minister emphasised.

Keynote speaker Michel A. Hébert, CEO of Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM), addressed the conference theme from the perspective of business leadership and technology. 

He spoke about AI and the opportunities it presents, but also the ethical questions and governance needed as marketers adopt it. He also challenged marketers to think differently about innovation and the role of sustainability in building businesses that last. 

“Ethics asks not just what we should do, but why we are doing it,” Hébert told delegates who had come from across Malawi, other parts of Africa, and even further afield.  

Among those attending was a delegation from the African Marketing Confederation, of which the IMM Malawi is a member, and David Wheldon OBE, President of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). Describing IMM Malawi as the WFA’s newest association member, he praised the conference’s line-up, energy and exchange of ideas. 

Recognising excellence in local marketing 

The conference culminated in the 2026 IMM Marketing Excellence Awards, recognising the nation’s top marketers, campaigns, organisations and agencies. 

Taweni Gondwe Xaba, Group Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at NICO Group, was named 2026 Marketer of the Year. Marketing Team of the Year was won by NICO, Marketing Campaign of the Year by NBS Bank, Customer Experience Personality of the Year by Catherine Kaimila, Corporate Graphics received Advertising Agency of the Year, National Bank of Malawi received the Social Media Campaign of the Year award, and Akossa Mphepo-Hiwa was named PR Personality of the Year.

The conference also incorporated IMM Malawi‘s AGM and elections. George Damson received a fresh mandate as IMM President, with Twikale Chirwa continuing as Vice-President.