Valentine Ozigbo
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Valentine Chineto "Val" Ozigbo (born July 20, 1970) is a Nigerian business executive. He is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria plc (or Transcorp), a diversified conglomerate with strategic investments and core interests in the hospitality, agribusiness and energy sectors[1] He was appointed to the position in 2019.
Previously, Ozigbo worked as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria-based hospitality company, Transcorp Hotels Plc. Transcorp Hotels is the hospitality subsidiary of Nigerian conglomerate Transcorp. He also worked in the banking sector, gaining over 17 years of experience with NAL Merchant Bank, Diamond Bank, Continental Trust Bank, FSB International Bank, Standard Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa and Bank PHB.[2]
Early life and education
Ozigbo hails from Anambra State in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria. He attended Christ the Redeemer College, a secondary school in Amesi, Anambra State, where he was an outstanding student, having represented the college in various quiz competitions. He later taught Physics and Mathematics at this institution while awaiting University admission.
He studied Accounting at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka graduating with the class of 1994 with the best result in both Accounting and Business Administration.
He obtained his MBA in Banking and Finance from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2000 and an MSc in finance with distinction from the Lancaster University, United Kingdom in 2004.
Ozigbo has professional qualifications in accounting (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria) which he obtained in 1998, Taxation (The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria) gotten in 2000 and Credit Administration (Institute of Credit Administration) which he bagged in 2015.[3] He is a fellow of all these three institutions.
Career
Previously, Ozigbo worked in the banking sector, raking up over 17 years in experience with NAL Merchant Bank, Diamond Bank, Continental Trust Bank, FSB International Bank, Standard Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa and Bank PHB.[2]
As CEO of Transcorp Hotels, he oversaw the hotel's expansion to other cities across Nigeria and a consolidation of its status as the leading hotel in the country.[4] Under him, the company announced an N8 billion initial public offering (IPO) in 2014, which was oversubscribed.[5]
Transcorp Hotels Plc
Ozigbo served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp Hotels Plc. from October 2011 - December 2018. In this role, he provided strategic direction and drove the execution of key strategic goals of the company and its projects under management which included business expansion, merger and acquisition opportunities, business improvements, upgrade and renovations.
He was also responsible for developing five new projects worth over $500 million including two hotels in Lagos and Port Harcourt, a 5000-capacity conference facility, luxury apartments and the upgrade of existing hotels with additional retail facilities.
Honours
Ozigbo was a British Chevening Scholar in 2003–04.
He has also participated in many international conferences including: the World Economic Forum at Davos (WEF) and the World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA) in Nigeria; the African Development Bank annual meetings in China; the World Bank/ International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings in Washington DC; Euromoney and Economist Conferences in London; Euromoney debates on Capital Flows to Africa in London; and SIBOS 2009.
In September 2018, he conferred the award of a Distinguished Alumni of the Lancaster University. The award was conferred on him at a special convocation ceremony of the university held at its Ghana Campus.
In recognition of his accomplishments as a Nigerian business executive, Nairametrics published an article declaring him the village boy turned world-class CEO. [6],
Awards
| YEAR | AWARD | AWARDING INSTITUTION / ORGANISATION |
| 1992/1993 | Faculty Prize for Best Final Year Student, Faculty of Business Administration 1992/93 | University of Nigeria |
| 1992/93 | Departmental Prize for Best Final Year Student in the Department of Accountancy, 1992/93 session | University of Nigeria |
| 1992/93 | Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) Prize to the Best Graduating Student in Accountancy | University of Nigeria |
| 1992/93 | Peter Ajose Alli-Idowu Prize to the Best All-Round Student in Accountancy, 1992/93 Session | Peter Ajose Alli-Idowu |
| 2015 | State Patron-Ship | Hatman Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria |
| 2016 | Service Excellence (Hospitality and Tourism Sector Excellence) | Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance -Confers |
| 2016 | Seven Stars CEO of the Year | Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards[7] |
| 2018 | Outstanding Leadership in Hospitality Operations and Management Awards | National Tourism Transport Summit and Expo Awards |
| 2018 | Tourism Personality of the year 2018 | Miss Tourism Nigeria |
| 2018 | Excellence in Hospitality Awards | Nigeria Bar Association |
| 2019 | Seven Stars Personality of the year | Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards[8] |
Personal life
Ozigbo is the last child of Mr. Andrew Ozigbo (a retired school headmaster) and Christiana Ozigbo (a small businesswoman). He is married to Mary-Callista Ojiugo Ozigbo with whom he has three sons (Mario Obioma Ugochukwu, Chimdi Angello and Mitchel Chima) and one daughter (Valerie Chioma).
References
- ^ "Ozigbo Resumes as Transcorp President/CEO, Articles - THISDAY LIVE". thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ a b "List of Public Companies Worldwide, Letter - Businessweek - Businessweek". Businessweek.com. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Officer Profile - Quotes - Reuters.co.in". reuters.com. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Transcorp Hilton is official hotel for WEFA". The Nation Nigeria. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ Africa-ontherise (6 October 2014). "Transcorp Sees Profit Exceeding Turnover By 2017 As IPO Over-Subscribed". AFRICA ON THE RISE. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Valentine Ozigbo: The village boy who became a world-class CEO". Nairametrics.
- ^ "Hospitality award: Transcorp wins seal of excellence". blueprint.ng. 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
- ^ "Nigerian Man wins Hospitality Awards at the 2019 Seven Stars Hospitality Awards". naijabrain. 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2019-11-13.