Beryl Agyekum-Ayaaba

Beryl Agyekum-Ayaaba is a Ghanaian marketing entrepreneur and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EchoHouse Africa, a full-service marketing agency that has grown from a student magazine into one of West Africa's more recognisable advertising firms. Her path from civil engineering into brand communications reflects an unusual and enterprising career, and she has become a leading figure in Ghana's advertising industry.

Born in Accra, Agyekum-Ayaaba trained as a civil engineer, earning a BSc in Civil Engineering before her instincts pulled her toward creative and commercial work. In 2008, while a student, she collaborated with a friend to launch Echo Magazine, a campus publication that began at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. That venture became the seed of a larger ambition, and in 2013 it evolved into Echo House Ghana, a creative marketing agency built to serve brands seeking to connect with young African consumers.

Under her leadership the agency expanded steadily into a 360-degree marketing operation offering experiential, digital, influencer and content marketing solutions. What started as a boutique Ghanaian outfit developed a footprint across both Anglophone and Francophone West Africa, with operations reaching markets such as Nigeria, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone. She rebranded and grew the business into EchoHouse Africa, positioning it to compete regionally while remaining rooted in Ghanaian ownership and talent.

Agyekum-Ayaaba's work has earned her significant recognition within the industry. In 2019 she was named among the Top 50 Young CEOs in Ghana by the Young CEOs initiative and Avance Media, and in 2020 she received the female category of the Young Achievers Award at the fifth EMY Africa Awards. She has served on the executive council of the Advertising Association of Ghana and has sat on international juries, including at the Cannes Lions, a mark of her standing in global advertising circles.

Today she continues to lead EchoHouse Africa as it deepens its presence across the continent, championing African creativity and the professionalisation of marketing on the continent. Her journey, from engineering student to founder of a cross-border agency, is frequently cited as an example of entrepreneurial reinvention, and she remains an advocate for young African women seeking to build businesses in the creative economy.