About BAM

Barbara Shaibu

Founder, BAM | Principal, Békwu Consults

Barbara Shaibu is a strategic media executive and sales innovator who has spent more than a decade bridging audience insights, cultural intelligence, and ad-tech performance to drive measurable growth. As the Founder of Black Audience Marketplace (BAM) and Principal at Békwu Consults, Barbara leads a new movement in programmatic equity—connecting advertisers to verified Black audiences through data-driven, transparent, and scalable media execution.

Before founding Békwu, Barbara spent over a decade at BET Networks and Nielsen, where she advised on $100MM+ portfolios, developed strategic research frameworks, and helped major networks and advertisers translate data into market growth. Known for her ability to turn complex analytics into compelling sales narratives, she has built a reputation for aligning culture and commerce—helping media brands and marketers better reach, value, and invest in the audiences that shape global influence. Barbara is driven by a simple belief: when cultural data meets commercial accountability, representation becomes measurable—and monetizable.