Focus on cracking Nigeria's booming e-commerce market as former PepsiCo exec Simisola Marinho joins L’Oréal Group

Simisola Marinho has stepped into the role of Head of E-commerce for L’Oréal Group in Africa’s fastest growing e-commerce market, Nigeria.

She joins from Uncover where she served as Head of Brand & Creative Strategy. Prior to that, she was E-commerce E-grocery Centre of Excellence Lead at PepsiCo.

In a LinkedIn post, Marinho said: "This multi-division role spans iconic brands across L’Oréal’s portfolio, including Garnier, Maybelline, L’Oréal Professionnel and more. The mission is clear: make the world’s leading beauty brands accessible and relevant to the Nigerian consumer."

"After years of honing my FMCG expertise at global giant PepsiCo - learning from and working alongside some of the most brilliant minds and expert teams in the world, building brand and go to market strategies for emerging beauty brands and retailers, and growing my own beauty community platform, this opportunity feels both full circle and like a bold new beginning."

She added: "Since starting, I’ve already had the chance to: Lead the launch of Garnier in Nigeria across the nation’s top e-retailers; Accelerate L’Oréal Professional’s e-retail rollout, debuting launches like it’s Absolut Repair Oil; Pilot Maybelline’s social commerce evolution, unlocking shoppable beauty experiences at scale and reshaping how Nigerian consumers discover and shop beauty online."

"It’s early days, but the ambition is bold: to crack Nigeria’s booming e-commerce space, and drive digital growth in one of the most dynamic beauty markets on the continent. Looking forward to the journey ahead - building, scaling, and reshaping the future of beauty in Nigeria."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

E-commerce will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which will open for entries in April, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next-generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.