MTN Nigeria’s Senior Manager of External Relations, Funso Aina, has been honored with the “Innovator of the Year” award in the brands category at the SABRE IN2 awards. The accolade was presented to Aina, a seasoned media and public‑relations professional, during the PRovoke EMEA Summit at Gesellschaftshaus Palmengarten in Frankfurt, Germany, on 23 March 2023. The SABRE IN2 awards celebrate outstanding work that showcases the expanding scope of the PR profession—from content creation to data‑driven evaluation of campaign success worldwide.
In response to the award, Aina said the recognition would inspire both him and his colleagues at MTN. “I am grateful for the recognition from SABRE and its dedication to acknowledging exceptional content produced by modern PR professionals,” he remarked. “This award is inspiring for all of us at MTN; it emboldens our commitment to improving the media landscape and implementing our ‘Good Together’ initiative. I am convinced we still have feats to achieve in the industry, and with strategic thinking, we will cover even more ground.”
Aina is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and a corporate‑communication professional with over two decades of experience. He emerged as the top winner across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and was named “Most Influential Public Relations Professional in Nigeria” by the industry regulator NIPR in 2022. With close to three decades of experience in journalism, cultural diplomacy, and telecommunications, he possesses expertise in public relations, corporate communications, media relations, public affairs, and reputation and crisis management. He is a Fellow of the US State Department’s International Visitors Programme and the British Commonwealth Press Union.
Before joining MTN Nigeria in 2009, Aina served as Communications Manager for the British Council, Chief Correspondent at Punch newspapers, Assistant Editor with The Nation newspapers, and Senior Reporter with Independent Communications Network Limited, publishers of The News, Tempo magazines and PM newspapers. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Ilorin (1992) and a Master’s degree in International Relations from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile‑Ife (1998).
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