Jerome I. Okolo was born on 19th October 1966 in Enugu , Enugu State Nigeria. He attended the University School, University of Nigeria; Federal Government College, Kano, (1978-1983); University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, (1983-1985); Tashkent Polypechnical Institute, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 1985; Makeyevka Building and Engineering Institute, Makeyevka, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, 1986; Moscow Institute of Architecture, Moscow, Russian Federation, (1986 – 1992). He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Architecture, and Post Graduate Diploma in Russian Language.
He began his working career in 1992 as a founding Director of TASK Enterprises Joint-Stock Company, Moscow and was responsible for establishing the Information Technology and commodities trading businesses of the Company. Also in 1992, he founded Access Investments Limited, London, also engaged in commodities trading and the production and distribution of fluoropolymers.
In 1995, Jerome Okolo sold Access Investments Limited to Convena Handelsgesellschaft, Hamburg, Germany for a 50% stake in the later company. He then proceeded to set up the Russian office of Convena Handelsgesellschaft and develop its fluoropolymer business. It was as a director of Convena Handelsgesellschaft that he developed strategic partnerships with ICI – Asahi Glass PLC (UK), 3P - Produits Plastiques Performants (France), Sumitomo Corporation (Japan), Heidelberg AG (Germany), Siemens AG Geschaftsbereich A&D AS (Germany), Kirovo-Chepetsky Khimichesky Kombinat (Russia), PermEnergo (Russia), Koch-Glitsch (Russia), Halogen Company (Russia) amongst others. During this period, he also set up Convena International Trade Finance, and with Mr. Burkhard Hedrich (formerly of Dresdner Bank AG), he was co-Managing Director.
In 1992, he left Convena Handelsgesellschaft Hamburg and set up FPT AG in Lucerne, Switzerland and opened subsidiaries in Germany, United Kingdom, Russia and the Crimea ( Ukraine). Under the aegis of this company, Jerome Okolo has continued to maintain interests in companies that build factories to produce and process fertilizers, petrochemicals, thermoplastics and fluoropolymers. He has built factories to produce Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers, polypropylene/acrylic yarns and other packaging materials from woven synthetic yarns.
He is presently Executive Vice Chairman, GeoQinetiq Limited and Chairman, Advanced Building Technologies Limited. He is also the General Secretary of the National Think Tank for Nigeria. Jerome Okolo is married with three daughters and two sons.
Source: Timbuktu Chronicles & TanConf2009
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