Isaac
K. Fokuo Jr.
Mr. Fokuo is an international business development
and finance expert with over 12 years of experience
in change and project management, supply-chain management,
and business development. His areas of
expertise include corporate due diligence and governance,
socially responsible investing, process design and
implementation, political and economic risk analysis,
and Islamic finance.
As principal of the BOTHO Group of companies, Mr.
Fokuo provides clients with independent, impartial,
and comprehensive advice about investment opportunities
in emerging markets. He focuses in the
areas of sound and responsible investments, capital
attraction, business development, due diligence research,
and non-quantitative risk analysis. BOTHO
also is involved in the nonprofit sector and is proficient
at using private sector resources to develop micro-enterprise
and finance opportunities through sustainable economic
development programs in emerging economies. Current
projects are in Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle
East, and Africa.
Prior to founding BOTHO, Mr. Fokuo was selected to
participate in a prestigious management development
program at McMaster-Carr where he held several positions
of increasing responsibility in process management,
realignment and implementation of best business practices. As
part of the operations management team, he managed
daily operations of the order fulfillment department
(monthly sales of approximately $30M), supervised
over 80 employees, and served as assistant project
leader of a team that facilitated and developed set-up
and readiness in large-scale warehouse operations
including safety requirements, product placement,
density, and workforce management. His
accomplishments included redesigning and creating
new training modules, achieving a 20% increase in
employee productivity by restructuring order-picking
procedures, and devising and implementing innovative
packaging methods that led to significant savings
for the company.
As sales and customer service supervisor at McMaster-Carr,
Mr. Fokuo was part of a team that managed a call center
with more than 100 agents and an average daily call
volume of over 9500. By developing a single-layer
pricing model and negotiating a 15% decrease in premium
transportation costs, he reduced expedited delivery
time by 60%. As a procurement agent responsible
for purchasing, inventory management, and competitive
bidding, he implemented standard procedures that streamlined
procurement to fulfillment of non-stock material by
28%.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Fokuo worked in international
trade at Computrex Logistics and served as a graduate
assistant at the University of Chicago Center for
International Studies, an international trade specialist
at Kentucky International Trade Division, and a research
assistant at Hanover College Haq International Center.
Mr. Fokuo is a sought-after speaker on topics such
as emerging market opportunities, socially responsible
investing, corporate governance, strategic philanthropy,
and operations management. He has authored
articles on emerging markets, Islamic finance, and
corporate social responsibility that were published
in the Middle-East, South-East Asia, and Africa.
Education
MBA, DePaul University Kelsdadt School of Business,
Chicago, IL
MA in International Relations, University of Chicago,
Chicago, IL
BA in International Studies, Hanover College, Hanover,
IN
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