Dr. Al Turovlin

Dr. Al Turovlin
DBA Alumnus Class of 2020
Operational and Information Technology Consultant, Al Turovlin Consulting

Background

Dr. Alan Turovlin is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the department of Business Information Systems and Operations Management of the Belk College of Business of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.  His research focuses on the business value of information technology and supply chain disruption.

Prior to academia, Dr. Turovlin worked in industry for 30 plus years. Of those years, the most recent six years he provided interim executive expertise to private equity portfolio companies engaged in reality TV production, healthcare management, trucking and transportation, national pharmaceutical drug distribution, and home furnishings. Five years previously, Dr. Turovlin worked as the Chief Transformation Officer for Canon Europe, a $15B company. From bases in Amsterdam and London, he led the program that re-engineered operations of Canon’s “consumer products,” “business products,” and “OEM” business lines across 22 countries, effectively transforming Canon from a product-focused company to a services and customer-driven company. Dr. Turovlin has also served as (a) Chief Information Officer for (Carl) Icahn Enterprises, responsible for IT and back-office operations across Icahn’s private and public company investments, (b) Partner/Managing Director for KPMG Consulting (Bearing Point), and (c) Director or Vice President for Oracle and multiple, venture capital-funded, technology entrepreneurs.

In 2020, Dr. Turovlin earned his Doctor of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He holds a Master of Accounting degree, a Master of Public Administration degree, both from the American University, and a Bachelor of Finance and Management degree from Virginia Tech. He is an active Certified Public Accountant, a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and a Board Governance Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Matheny Medical and Education Center, a residence, school, and hospital for individuals with severe developmental disabilities.

Research Interest

Mr. Turovlin’s research interest is in Business Information Systems, specifically how technology can affect change in the corporate organization and how to quantify and/or qualify the benefits. Every five to seven years, technology enters a new generation. The latest generational change is the move to the cloud. The cloud is as significant a change for the corporate enterprise as the internet was for the consumer. Corporate managers need tools to understand, derive, and develop plans for the future. These tools should be broader than just ROI. They should be a set of quantitative and qualitative measurements that can measure the potential impact of migrating to the cloud. They should take into account the impact on process improvements, quality of information, responsiveness to business change, and organizational change.

Dissertation

Does Increased Information Technology Capability Increase the Business Value of Information Technology?