Surajdeen Afolabi

With over three decades of experience working in both upstream & downstream oil & gas, Surajdeen Afolabi is a highly accomplished oil & gas professional. Known as a distinguished contracting and procurement strategist and arrowhead of oil & gas supply chain practice in Nigeria, he is energetic, commercially oriented and has a wealth of experience. 

He retired as the NNPC Group General Manager Research and Development (R&D), where he headed the NNPC's science and technology research center. Formerly, he was the Group General Manager LNG Investment, responsible for managing Nigeria's investment in all LNG ventures (NLNG, Brass, OKLNG, etc.) and held senior positions in IT and transformation. Dr. Afolabi is an excellent motivator and reformer. NNPC appointed him as Senior Adviser - Supply Chain after he spent over two decades with Shell Petroleum Development Company.

He earned his undergraduate degree in Transportation Planning from the Centre for Business Studies, U.K., his Master of Science Degree in Marine Transportation from the State University of New York, Maritime College, USA, and his Ph.D. at the University of Port Harcourt in Regional Development & Environmental Science. A number of his change initiatives have resulted in multimillion-dollar savings and process improvements. He joined the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS), U.K. and was elected to its governing council as pioneer Councilor representing Africa, he later became a Council and Board member and was appointed Vice President in 2008 and Global President in 2009, thus became the first non-European to be appointed President of the world body on supply chain management. 

Harvard, Columbia and Harvard Wharton are just a few of the prestigious institutions where he studied senior management development programs. He contributed significantly to the emergence of Public Procurement Act. Bola was appointed Adjunct Professor of Strategic Supply Chain by the University of Fort Hare, South Africa, in 2007. 

A consultant per excellence, he currently teaches MBA Strategic Supply Chain at the Malaysian University of Science & Technology, Lagos and Abuja Campuses, in addition to his numerous consultancy roles in oil & gas, strategic supply chain management, commercial leadership, arbitration, business planning & development and a host of other cutting hedge consultancy services including investment advisory, forex Ai intelligentsia and capital market trading.