Emeka Oparah has 29 years of consistent communications practice spanning journalism, advertising, public relations, events, sponsorships and corporate social responsibility and public affairs.

He is one of Nigeria’s leading experts in crisis communication, leadership transition, change management and rebranding. He is reputed for managing the ownership and management crisis, seven leadership changes and six brand name changes in one of the leading telecommunications companies in Nigeria, now known as Airtel Nigeria.

Over the past two decades and half, Oparah has built up a broad and resourceful network of contacts in the media, government, politics, and society at large with significant capacity, therefore, to teach, lead and lobby productively. He’s also built a strong and inspirational personal brand worthy of emulation.

As Vice President Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility at Airtel Nigeria, he leads the team that develops the strategies and executes various activities in the management of media relations, social media communications, consumer affairs, internal communications, government affairs and social investments.

Born November 29, 1966, to Mr. & Mrs. Ethelbert Oparah in Mbaise, Imo State, he graduated BA (Hons.)top of his class in Mass Communications of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1990 and holds a post-graduate Diploma in International Public Relations.

Before joining what was then Econet Wireless Nigeria in 2002, where he established the Corporate Communications function, he had stints in Imo Newspapers Limited (publishers of The Statesman, Sunday Statesman and Statesman Extra); Patike Communications (a Public Relations Consulting firm) Candid Communications and Richland Communications (both Advertising Agencies) and Cadbury Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s foremost Food and Beverages Manufacturing Company, where he worked for 8 years as Media Relations Manager.

A member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA); International Association of Business Communicators (IABC); Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), he has attended numerous courses locally and internationally in Communications, Management and Leadership.

At various times, he has been Public Relations Manager, Head of PR, Events & Sponsorships; Head of Corporate Communications and, from 2011 till date, Director, Corporate Communications & CSR at Airtel Nigeria.

Oparah is a social commentator and contributes frequently to national discourse through the social media and major national newspapers. He spends quality time mentoring and coaching aspiring young leaders as well as in pursuit of humanitarian causes.

He is founder and Head Tailor at Ethelberts Clothing, an SME, which specializes in Nigerian menswear. In the past two years, he company has built a reputation for making clothes for a wide range of prominent individuals including politicians, business executives and celebrities. As a sustainable social impact policy, he commits, through Ethelberts Clothing, N1000 for every outfit sold by the company to supporting the less privileged in society.

He’s inspired by the desire to immortalize his late father, whom his clothing line is named after and, at the same time, create job opportunities for young Nigerians. In his spare time, he works on the establishment of The Ethelbert Foundation, which is dedicated to the memories and legacies of his late father, Mr. Ethelbert Oparah, creating awareness for Diabetes and Hypertension and supporting less privileged children in Nigeria.

He enjoys reading, traveling, photography, dancing, hunting, football, tailoring and cooking.