SPEAKER PROFILES

Connect with the Leaders of the West African Automotive Industry at the WAAS Conference 2023

Vassily Oye Barberopoulos, a Nigerian by birth, was born in Lagos in 1962. He has a BA in Economics/History from Rollins College in Florida, USA, and an MBA in International Management from Arizona State University.

A mechanical engineer with over 40 years’ experience in engineering, teaching, consultancy and management. He was the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development (NADDC) from May 2007 to April 2017. The main mandate of the NADDC is to ensure the development and growth of a competitive Nigerian automotive industry.

He holds a BSc. Economics, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria, a Masters Degree from Cardiff Business School, and is also an alumni of Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) of Government. He retired after 35 years of meritorious government service in 2017 as the Director of Policy and Planning Department and briefly Acting Director General of National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).

Bola Bolarin is a highly experienced mechanical engineer and conference speaker on the topic of composite material and 3D printing in Nigeria. A retired staff of Shell, with over 20

Etop Ikpe is the Group CEO and co-founder of Autochek, the automotive technology company making car ownership more accessible and affordable across Africa. He is a seasoned, serial entrepreneur who has been at the forefront of combining technology and data to improve access to essential products and services across Africa.

Chinedu Oguegbu, an esteemed stakeholder in the automotive industry, currently serves as the Managing Director of OMAA, a pioneering sustainable energy and mobility company.

Ahmed Ibrahim Kagara worked briefly in the public sector before beginning his banking career with NIDB. He rose through the ranks to become Deputy General Manager at BOI, contributing to significant growth in Risk Assets in the South-West and Lagos Regional Offices. He attended several training courses and is a member of professional bodies.

Aajamitics is a Canadian based electronic technologies and services enterprise with interest in informatics and software development. He is responsible for business development and client relationship management. He brings on board wealth of experience acquired over thirty years. He holds BSc and Master of Business Administration (MBA), specializing in business and institutional business development.