By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Mr Ejike Okoli has been appointed as a non-executive director of Trans-Nationwide Express Plc. This followed the approval of his appointment by the Board of Directors of the company.
Mr Okoli is the Vice President Special Projects and Administration for the Hudson Consulting Group, a business strategic management consulting firm.
He is responsible for strategy development and implementation of client solutions. During his tenure, the Hudson Group expanded its global operations revenue by 50 percent.
He was head of Corporate Services and Administration at Transnational Corporation of Nigeria.
Prior to coming to Nigeria, Mr Okoli was the Country Finance Offset Manager for the Turkey F-16 Fighter Jet Program for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Turkey and later in Greece.
He was responsible for developing financial investment offset programs to enable the sale of the military aircraft and weaponry to these countries. He led negotiations with both the public and private sectors to achieve the company to offset investment obligations.
Before this assignment, Mr Okoli was the Industrial Participation Manager for the F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter Program – $350 Billion U.S. Government Military Program).
He led the outsourcing of component manufacturing and technology work streams trough International Industrial Cooperation initiatives with European countries. He participated in the overall development and implementation of Industrial Participation projects on the F-35 program which led to an award of the AERO Star (highest Lockheed Martin award to employees with exceptional accomplishments).
At Lockheed Martin, the largest Defense Contractor in the world, Mr Okoli was instrumental in developing and implementing Industrial Joint Ventures and Co-Production strategies that resulted in cost savings for the company.
During his tenure, the $400 Billon program was completely sold to eight partner countries that were satisfied with the industrial cooperation progress.
Mr Okoli also held various positions of increasing responsibilities at Lockheed Martin Material Management where he led an inventory and logistics cost reduction that resulted in over $150 million cost savings.
He was selected to participate in the EDGE and Finance Executive Management Level Leadership Development program at Lockheed Martin. These programs are used to develop and retain high potential Executives of the company.
Before joining Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Mr Okoli was the Chief Operating Officer for Exponent Exports, a division of Emerging Capital Group where he directly oversaw operations. His vision and leadership led to a 100% increase in revenue and a 45% reduction in non-recurring costs.
Prior to working for Exponent Exports, Mr Okoli held various levels of increasing responsibilities at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. He held positions in Supply Chain Management, Operations and Business Strategy. He received an award and recognition for implementing innovative value-chain cost saving solutions.
Before working for Ford Motor Company, Mr Okoli had worked with First USA Bank (now JP Morgan Chase) in credit analysis and marketing. He rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Manager before leaving to obtain an MBA.
Mr Okoli’s professional background spans over 21 years and includes positions in the Financial Services, Automotive, Consumer Products and Defence/Aeronautic industries. He attended the University of Texas (Austin) and the University of Pittsburgh. He has an MBA in Finance.
