Osazee Onaghinor Wins Dratech Digital Transformation Leadership Award 2024

By Chineye Okenwa

Mr. Osazee Onaghinor emerged as one of the top three awardees of the Dratech Digital Transformation Leadership Award 2024, following a selection process that reviewed ten shortlisted nominees.

The Digital Transformation Leadership Award is conferred on professionals whose work produces verifiable improvements in the way organisations plan, operate, and generate value through the disciplined use of technology. Assessment is based on demonstrable outcomes, with attention given to how leadership choices translate into stronger systems, clearer governance, and improved organisational effectiveness, rather than personal visibility.

For Onaghinor, the recognition reflects a professional trajectory centred on execution discipline, operational rigour, and the practical deployment of digital systems across engineering settings and enterprise-wide transformation efforts.

His professional foundation lies in engineering, where early roles involved project coordination, technical support, and infrastructure delivery. Operating within complex and demanding environments, he developed a structured approach to problem-solving informed by planning precision, safety standards, and accountability for delivery.

During this phase, he supported infrastructure and facility development efforts that required coordination across multiple technical disciplines. His role involved aligning execution plans, monitoring progress against schedules, and ensuring the availability of materials and equipment. These experiences reinforced his understanding that delivery setbacks often result from gaps in planning and coordination rather than technical shortcomings.

As his scope of responsibility increased, Onaghinor became involved in overseeing facility upgrades and coordinating turnaround activities within large operational sites. These environments required careful task sequencing, close coordination between contractors and internal teams, and continuous risk monitoring.

He contributed to execution frameworks that improved turnaround planning by aligning work packages, resource readiness, and time-based dependencies. Stronger coordination and accountability reduced disruption, supported more predictable outcomes, and limited cost overruns.

Recognising the constraints of traditional reporting approaches, Onaghinor participated in developing decision-support tools that improved visibility into materials availability, equipment readiness, and supply chain constraints. By consolidating operational data into clearer formats, these tools enabled earlier identification of risks and more timely responses.

The results were measurable. Improved planning accuracy contributed to cost reductions, lower downtime, and clearer accountability across teams. Leadership gained improved insight into operational risks, supporting more informed decisions on scheduling and resource allocation.

His move into programme leadership marked a transition from hands-on execution to broader enterprise oversight. In these roles, he contributed to long-range planning, financial governance, and executive decision support.

He worked on initiatives that improved budget clarity and approval efficiency by aligning financial forecasts with delivery milestones. This reduced uncertainty around funding decisions and strengthened confidence in programme commitments.

His contributions included the development of performance tracking mechanisms that connected cost management, forecasting, and delivery progress. By integrating financial and operational data, these systems supported data-driven decision-making at senior levels and improved compliance with governance standards. Reduced reliance on manual updates improved the accuracy and timeliness of information, benefiting both delivery teams and leadership.

The outcome extended beyond efficiency to improved confidence in data, a critical foundation for effective digital transformation.

As cloud platforms became more widely adopted, Onaghinor expanded his focus to include cloud operations, automation, and system reliability. His work emphasised standardisation to improve consistency across environments and reduce manual intervention.

Through support for automation frameworks and operational controls, he contributed to more resilient systems and clearer ownership structures. These changes reduced operational risk and improved service stability, supporting continuity across the organisation.

His approach to cloud transformation remained practical, prioritising reliability and governance over technology adoption for its own sake.

In his current enterprise leadership roles, Onaghinor has been involved in transformation initiatives spanning multiple teams and functions, with a particular focus on Agile adoption at scale.

Rather than concentrating solely on process models, his approach emphasised delivery predictability, execution discipline, and cross-functional alignment. He worked with technical teams, product leaders, and executives to align priorities, establish consistent planning cycles, and improve commitment reliability.

This work strengthened trust between delivery teams and stakeholders, an essential but often underestimated element of large-scale transformation.

Alongside his professional responsibilities, Onaghinor has contributed to academic and professional research in areas including supply chain systems, predictive analytics, procurement strategy, risk mitigation, and AI-driven business models.

He has served as an author, reviewer, and editor within academic journals, contributing to applied research at the intersection of technology and operations. This research activity complements his professional work and reinforces an evidence-based approach to transformation.

The Dratech Digital Transformation Leadership Award 2024 adds to his prior recognitions. In the preceding year, he was named a top recipient of the Techquest Digital Innovation Excellence Award.

Across his career, he has also received acknowledgements for leadership, collaboration, safety culture, and delivery performance. These recognitions reflect sustained professional consistency rather than isolated accomplishments.

Being selected among the top three recipients from ten nominees highlights the scope and durability of Onaghinor’s impact. The judging process assessed measurable outcomes, leadership capability, and sustained contribution to organisational effectiveness.

His recognition underscores the increasing importance of disciplined digital transformation leadership within Nigeria and Africa’s evolving technology environment, emphasising execution, governance, and long-term capability development over surface-level innovation.