BIOGRAPHY OF ENGR. OBIAJULU GILBERT UZODIKE (OON), DSc.; CEO OF CUTIX CABLES AND WIRES PLC

Engr. Ajulu Uzodike was born in Onitsha, Anambra State on March 25th, 1949 to the family of Engr. G. M. Uzodike in Ndi-Ogbe, Otolo, Nnewi. For his secondary education, he attended College of the Immaculate Conception in Enugu, where he obtained his O-Levels in 1966. He graduated from the University of Lagos with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering in 1974 and obtained an MBA from the Harvard Business School, USA, in 1977.

Following the completion of his studies at Harvard and prior to the establishment of Cutix Plc in 1982, Dr Gilbert worked briefly with Raychem Corporation, an American military wire and accessories company. It was probably while working there that he garnered enough experience and inspiration to establish his first company.

He is the founder of Cutix Plc. as well as of defunct Adtec Limited and Adswitch Plc. He pioneered the affairs of Cutix Plc (as the CEO and the board chairman in different periods) till in 2011 when he retired from active service of the Company, and took up the role of elder statesman for the Company.

Cutix is known for manufacturing and marketing electrical, automobile, and telecommunication wires, cables, and related products, as well as the production of aluminum twist cables, armored cables, bare minimum conductor, flexible or auto cables and regular cables.

The company, which is one of the leading manufacturers of assorted cables for electricity, telecommunications and automobiles, was founded in 1982 by Dr Gilbert Obiajulu Uzodike with just N400,000. The accomplished businessman and serial entrepreneur have long relinquished full-time executive duties in the company. Yet, he remains one of the most relevant corporate executives in Nigeria.

Cutix is the first private company East of Niger to be quoted on The Nigerian Stock Exchange. The public issue was concluded on August 12, 1987. After the public issue, the company became Cutix Plc.

Chief Dr. Uzodike has established and headed so many organisations like Ugora Limited, a cosmetics company was liquidated in 1999. He is the founder and current Chairman of Conv-Aj Events Limited, a Nnewi-based modern and multi-purpose events centre. He is also the founder and principal consultant at Ajulu & Co. Management Consultants. He was the former Chairman of the Anambra/Enugu branch of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). He was a one-time Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Nnewi branch.

Unfortunately, Uzodike is also a failed politician, having once contested and lost the Anambra State gubernatorial election.

Dr. Uzodike is married to Barrister A.O. Uzodike, a supreme Court Lawyer, with whom he has six children.

He spends his spare time speaking at seminars, writing high-impact papers and raising funds for his many philanthropic projects.