Arinze Valentine Agwu

Doctoral Candidate

Nationality: British / Nigerian

Highest Academic Degree: MBA (2009)

Institution / University: University of Leicester, UK

Professional Career

With a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Mathematics, Val started his career as a Systems Administrator in a Bank before joining the Oil & Gas Industry as an Executive Trainee in Shell’s Procurement & Logistics function. Since then, he has grown to be an Expert and Leader in the field of Procurement and Supply Chain Management with experience across multiple industries which includes Oil & Gas, Manufacturing & Engineering and Management Consulting.

In his career so far, Val has held Procurement transformation and Leadership roles and worked for various blue chips including Shell, Capgemini Consulting, British Petroleum (BP) and General Electric. In his last role, he was a General Manager and Head of Procurement & Supply Chain Management with Addax Petroleum (a SINOPEC company). He is currently a Director for Procurement Services with Devtage Consulting and is also on the board of Harley Reed, a multidisciplinary professional services organization that provides advisory, assurance & knowledge services to various organizations.

Val is particularly adept at initiating and implementing people, process and systems transformation initiatives which have delivered improvements in the capability and performance of Procurement organizations.

Research Interest

Having led systems transformation programs for different companies, Val retains a permanent interest in the subject area of digitalization in Procurement and Supply Chain Management which he views as the marriage of his two worlds i.e. background in computer science and years of experience in Procurement.

Research Specialty

The level of digitalization required in the Procurement function to deliver & sustain best in class performance.

Statement of Motivation for a DBA

My main motivation to pursue a DBA is to gain further recognition and academic credibility as an expert and a leader in the field of Procurement. I believe that getting a DBA in addition to the breadth of experience that I have across multiple organizations and industries will make me a stand-out Procurement Leader, sought after by organizations for thought leadership and advisory on people, process and digital transformation in Procurement. It will also enable me to contribute and share opinions in the field of digitalization in Procurement and its place in Industry 4.0.

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