About Dr Marcus Ambe
An esteemed Professor and Scholar-Practitioner leading procurement and supply chain transformation in Africa and beyond!
Hello, I’m Dr. Marcus Ambe
Marcus Ambe
Meet Marcus Ambe
An esteemed professor, and scholar-practitioner with well-rounded leadership, academic, practical, and managerial skills comprising 21 years in directing sustainable procurement and supply chain management solutions. Dr. Marcus Ambe is a Certified Procurement Professional and an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at Jackson State University. Prior to relocating to the United States, Marcus advanced and developed his career as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and full tenured Professor (2015) at the University of South Africa. He has taught at various universities in South Africa, Africa, and the United States of America. Between 2010 and to date, Dr. Marcus Ambe has published over 100 research outputs (scientific research papers in reputable, conference papers, book chapters, and industry reports) including three (3) prescribed textbooks. He has been recognized with various awards and accolades for his contribution to procurement and supply chain research, capacity building, and awareness campaign.
He is a goal-focused and visionary individual who is proficient at defining and analyzing outcomes of applied strategies using different procurement and supply chain software solutions and data-driven insights. Marcus served as the Chair of the Department of Applied Management, managing 52 faculty. He is the Founding President & Chief Executive of the African Institute for Supply Chain Research (AISCR), where he has successfully streamlined numerous procurement & supply chain management projects, formulated successful inclusive procurement and sourcing strategies, and built long-term partnerships while leading procurement teams across diverse businesses.
Marcus Ambe enthusiastically is looking forward to utilizing his knowledge and experience to drive and enhance Inclusion, Sustainability and Diversity, transforming the landscape of supply chain management for corporate organizations and government agencies in the United States, Africa, and Globally. He is a member of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, Texas, the American Purchasing Association, the National Institute for Government Procurement (NIGP), the Institute of Supply Management (ISM), the African Institute for Supply Chain Research (AISCR), the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Management (CIPS), and the International Purchasing and Supply and Research Association (IPSERA).
Marcus Ambe
Professional Experience
Academic Experience
2023 – Associate Professor; Supply Chain Management, Jackson State University.
2015 – 2023 Full Professor; Procurement & Supply Chain Management, Department of Applied Management, University of South Africa.
2014 – 2015 – Associate Professor; Procurement & Supply Chain Management. Department of Business Management, University of South Africa.
2010-2013 – Senior Lecturer; Procurement & Supply Chain Management. Department of Business Management, University of South Africa.
2008-2009 – Lecturer; Procurement & Supply Chain Management. Department of Business Management, University of South Africa.
2007-2007 – Lecturer; Business Management. North West University-Mafikeng Campus.
2005-2006 – Graduate Assistant; North West University-Mafikeng Campus (Department of Business Management) South Africa.
2009-2011 Part-time lecturer; Tshwane University, Department of Entrepreneurship and Management, Pretoria.
2008-2009 Tutor in Strategic Management: Thutong Learning Centre (Strategic Planning & Implementation), University of South Africa.
2008-2009 Tutor on Community Outreach Project: UBUNTU Career Consulting; empowering learners on career choices.
2007 Supplementary Instructor and Research Assistant, Academic Development Centre (ADC), North West University-Mafikeng Campus
Managerial Experience
2022 – Managing Director; Marcus Ambe Consulting.
2020 – President & CEO; African Institute for Supply Chain Research, South Africa & United States.
2018 – 2023 Deputy Chairperson; Interim Supply Chain Management Council, in South Africa.
2016 – 2019: Chairperson; Tender Committee (Other Projects), Unisa.
2017 – 2019: Editorial Board Member; Smart Procurement Review.
2016 – Chairperson; Department of Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain, Transport, Tourism and Logistics Management, Unisa.
2015 – 2020 – Chairperson; Supply Chain Management Research Group (SCMRG), Unisa.
2016 – 2020 – Chairperson; Masters & Doctoral Research Colloquium Committee, Department of Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain, Transport, Tourism & Logistics Management, Unisa.
2015 – Managing Partner; Pan African Supply Chain Academy (PASCA), South Africa
2014 – 2015 – Deputy Chairperson; Higher Degrees Committee: Department of Business Management.
2003-2004 – Assistant Branch Manager; at ETS AMCO; Cameroon.
2001-2002 – Project Manager; at TANGWO Construction Firm Tiko; Cameroon.
Marcus Ambe
Selected Practical Experiences
- As President & Chief Executive Officer at AISCR, I have successfully streamlined numerous supply chain management projects, formulated procurement and sourcing strategies, and built long-term partnerships. Marcus manages global procurement and supply chain teams.
- While serving as the Chair of the University of South Africa Procurement (Tender) committee, Marcus Ambe transformed UNISA’s procurement with 2 billion Rand ($118 million) per annum spending. I led the transformation of the UNISA’s procurement policy to the Supply Chain Management Policy. Collaborating with the procurement team, I developed a diversity sourcing program for youth and women-owned minority suppliers to benefit from the procurement process and enhanced the capability of 250 minority suppliers annually over a period of three years.
- As Chairperson of the Unisa Enterprise & Supplier Development Program, I provided oversight on the implementation of the diversity sourcing program for youth and women-owned minority suppliers to benefit from the procurement process and enhanced the capability of 250 minority suppliers over a period of three years.
- As a principal researcher and consulting expert, I led the development of a contract management training guide for the rollout of contract management training in two provinces in South Africa supported by the National Treasury and GIZ awarded to UNISA and AISCR.
- During my tenure serving as Procurement & Supply Chain Independent Consultant for the National School of Government, South Africa, Marcus developed supply chain management suits of training and assessment guides (preferential procurement, supply chain for public sectors including state-owned agencies and municipalities, strategic sourcing, contract management, committee systems for government procurement), trained 3 tiers of government officials across the country; contribute to the reduction of inconsistencies and price escalations by eliminating the performance barriers in the procurement.
- As the Deputy Chair of the Interim Supply Chain Management Council in South Africa, Marcus Ambe contributed to the establishment of the council, hosted with the National Treasury (South Africa) the inception Roundtable with over 250 professionals, supported the development of the Benchmarking study and the development of supply chain management standards and competencies for practice.
- Dr Ambe served as Supply Chain Management Expert: Baseline assessment of the implementation of the Financial Management Capability Maturity Model (FMCMM) for all 45 municipalities and 23 municipal Entities in the Eastern Cape in 2015, ESCON & National Treasury, South Africa, Jan 2015-June 2015.
- Research Expert: Evaluation of Pharmacist Assistants Procurement in the Primary Health Care Setting. Africa Resource Centre NPC. Jan 2021-Dec 2021.
- AISCR SCM Expert & Research: Research project on Sustainable Supply Chain Management in Africa Post Covid-19. sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), June 2021 -Oct 2022.
- 2012 till date – Procurement & Supply Chain Independent Consultant/Advisory for the National School of Governance/Advisory for Intah Training and Consulting/Supply Chain Consultant/Advisory for Harvard Training Institute/Supply Chain Consultant/Advisory for ESCON Consulting/Supply Chain Consultant/Advisory for Business Centre, Graduate School of Business and Leadership, North West University, Mafikeng Campus/Supply Chain Consultant for AHAC, Pty, LTD, Pretoria.
Marcus Ambe
Academic Interest & Research Focus
Dr Marcus Ambe has conducted applied research with a focus on sustainable procurement and supply chain management in South Africa and the African continent where he partnered with strategic institutions supporting policy decisions, contributing to the organizational bottom line and advancement of the supply chain profession through teaching and learning as well as outreach projects. Currently, in the United States, his research interest focuses on Inclusion, Sustainability, and Diversity in procurement and supply chain management. He hopes to partner and establish strategic collaboration with researchers, Fortune 500 firms as well as Federal, State, and Local Governments on research projects and in data collection.
Sub-themes for the research project are:
- Strategic procurement and supply chain management, with a particular focus on procurement strategy, category management, strategic
sourcing, category management, buyer-supplier relationships, logistics, and transport infrastructure. - Inclusive procurement and supply chain management, how government/corporations strengthen their competitive position through supplier diversity, equity, and inclusion, leveraging their procurement spending and championing socio-economic empowerment objectives while creating opportunities for diverse/small businesses.
- Supply chain sustainability, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, ESG, digitalization, and crisis management.
Marcus Ambe
Recent Publications & Presentation
Ambe, IM., Setino, R & Jonathan, E. 2023. The impact of human capital on supply chain management performance in state-owned enterprises in Gauteng, South Africa. Journal of Contemporary Management, 20(1), 270–294. Read Article
Ambe, IM., Setino, R & Jonathan, E. C., 2022. Supply Chain Strategies and Policies as Predictors of Performance: The Case of Selected State-Owned Entities in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Journal of Public Administration, 57 (4). Read Article
Mugurusi, G; Glavee-Geo, R and Ambe, I.M. 2021. Editorial: Towards a discourse on strategic sourcing. Research perspectives shaping supply chain management practices in Africa. Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing; Vol. 14 No. 3, 2021, pp. 385-396. Read Article
Ambe, IM. 2019. The Role of Public Procurement in Socio-Economic Development. International Journal of Procurement Management; Vol. 12, No 6, pp. 652-668. Read Article
Marcus Ambe
Recent Presentations
Dallas, Texas, USA, December 15, 2022
Mbabane, Eswatini, November 2022
University of St Louise, Missouri, US, September 26, 2022