Mikaeel Tayob, regional CFO at Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE, is driven to transform not only businesses, but also the lives of individuals and communities.
Recently appointed as regional CFO at Bridgestone MEA , Mikaeel Tayob’s career is seemingly characterised by an aversion to the comfort zone and a purposeful pursuit of transformation and impact.
As the winner of the Young CFO of the Year Award in 2024, Mikaeel has spent his career within only three organisations – KPMG, Nike and Bridgestone – citing brand loyalty and simply not being the type of person to switch positions frequently in pursuit of wealth and status.
“I’m very loyal. Sometimes, to a fault. I was recently in Dubai for the Grand Prix and my wife asked me to buy her a pair of Adidas Sambas and I cringed. Even the fact that Pirelli were the Formula 1 tyre sponsors left a sour taste in my mouth,” he jokes, explaining that when he joins an organisation, he makes a lifetime commitment to that brand in the same way that most people would never change the football team they support.
Born into a family of accountants, Mikaeel could have easily taken his genetic penchant for numbers and carried on the family business, a successful accounting firm established by his grandfather almost 60 years ago. He is the first of three boys within his immediate family so, naturally, it was expected that he would join the family business after he completed his undergraduate and honours degrees at the University of Pretoria. But he never did, as he enjoyed the rebellion of corporate life, scale, purpose and impact.
“It has always been a sour topic at family gatherings. Imagine having your whole life and career mapped out from day one and then you choose to go in a different direction. Upon my graduation, I had offers from each of the big four – EY, PwC, KPMG and Deloitte. I entertained them all, but when I walked into KMPG’s offices in Parktown, it just felt like home,” says Mikaeel.
It was at KPMG that Mikaeel discovered and demonstrated his affinity for bold transformational finance ideas, becoming an integral part of the advisory and, later, the board advisory businesses. After just 18 months in this role, Mikaeel’s talent and drive led to new opportunities within KPMG, shifting towards international assignments. However, his initial foray into proactively selling governance work left a lasting impact, demonstrating his ability to identify market needs, overcome internal resistance and generate substantial value for the firm.
Landing the dream job
Despite a promising trajectory within KPMG, Mikaeel was headhunted by Nike. For an avid sports fan who had boyhood dreams of becoming a professional soccer player and, to this day, plays soccer twice a week in a competitive social league, it was a no-brainer.
The decision, however, did not come without familial disappointment and visible dismay as his father and grandfather still harboured expectations that he would eventually commit to the family business after what was only supposed to be a stint at KPMG.
The transition to Nike in South Africa was anything but smooth. Instead, he encountered a company grappling with significant internal control and governance challenges. Upon arrival, he was immediately presented with a problematic audit report and tasked with rectifying it.
“I was handed an internal audit report on South Africa and was asked, ‘Can you fix this’? It was the worst-rated report written within the emerging markets. I remember thinking, how can this be the state of one of the biggest brands in the world?” Mikaeel recalls of his first day at the athletic footwear and apparel corporation.
Despite the state of disarray, Mikaeel’s aptitude for identifying and resolving complex issues quickly became apparent. He addressed the critical audit findings within a tight three-month timeframe. This rapid turnaround and his ability to navigate a fragmented organisation drew the attention of global leadership. His initial role, which focused on financial governance, was expanded to cover the Africa and Middle East region.
Shapa Soweto
Mikaeel thought he would never leave Nike. Not only was he doing big-picture thinking as the EMEA lead for financial planning and analytics, but he would often engage with superstar Nike ambassadors and attend major sporting events as part and parcel of the job.
“Imagine being on a Zoom call and José Mourinho or Rafael Nadal suddenly hops on the call. I remember one time, I was invited to travel to the US for a three-day relay run. That was part of my job. It was awesome!”
Beyond all the fun he was having, the role at Nike also spoke to Mikaeel’s inherent need to make a tangible positive impact on society.
The Shapa Soweto project, for instance, was a legacy initiative aimed at revitalising a semi-built football facility in Soweto. Driven by Nike’s mission to make sport a daily habit, Mikaeel spearheaded the substantial investment as well as the engagement with the City of Johannesburg and the sports and recreation department.
Today, the innovative multi-sport facility and vibrant local community hub welcomes thousands of aspiring athletes daily. What began as a football-focused project now boasts the largest skate park in the southern hemisphere, a creative studio, basketball courts, five-a-side soccer fields, an athletics oval and a cross-country running track surrounding the centre. Access is free via an app, and is supported by free internet from Google. For Mikaeel, this project embodies his sense of purpose and commitment to making a difference.
Resuscitating Bridgestone
The trajectory seemed set for Mikaeel and he was offered another promising CFO role for Nike EMEA, the high-growth engine of the global sportswear giant, based in Amsterdam. This significant career advancement was abruptly overshadowed by a profound personal tragedy. His father, a pillar in his life, passed away unexpectedly. The timing was critical – the decision to relocate to Europe had been made, paperwork all but completed. But the sudden loss compelled Mikaeel to reconsider everything. Family responsibilities and a deep-seated need to remain in South Africa took precedence.
It was during this period of personal upheaval that an unexpected opportunity resurfaced. Several months before his father’s passing, Mikaeel had been contacted by Bridgestone. The initial approach was met with polite dismissal. Tyres were far removed from the dynamic world of sportswear, and Mikaeel saw no compelling reason to deviate from his path. There were follow-up calls, each met with the same firm but courteous refusal.
“I was like, ‘Tyres? No, thanks, I’m happy where I am’.”
Fate, however, had other plans. Bridgestone’s CEO and CFO, figures who would later become mentors, took a direct approach roughly three weeks after Mikaeel’s father passed away. The invitation was simple, yet intriguing.
Intrigued by the directness and the lack of conventional corporate fanfare, Mikaeel agreed. The meeting was far from the typical recruitment pitch. Instead of glossy presentations and optimistic projections, the CEO and CFO presented a stark reality.
The company, Mikaeel learnt, was facing significant challenges: a toxic culture, recent voluntary separation packages indicating widespread discontent, and the looming possibility of factory closure. This honesty, this unvarnished depiction of a company in distress, resonated deeply with Mikaeel.
“There was something about the honesty of his approach. Plus I tend to be attracted to broken things because I believe I can fix them,” says Mikaeel.
Unlike the well-oiled machine that Nike was, Bridgestone presented a different kind of challenge, one that appealed to Mikaeel’s inherent desire to build and transform. It wasn’t just an offer of a job; it was an invitation to be part of a significant turnaround, to shape the future of an organisation on the brink. Furthermore, the flexibility offered was compelling as Mikaeel was encouraged to define the role however he wanted.
His commitment to making an impact was evident from the outset. He didn’t shy away from the difficult decisions and focused on revitalising the remaining operations and, crucially, transforming the organisational culture, particularly in finance.
He understood that financial turnaround was only one piece of the puzzle. A sustainable recovery required a motivated and engaged workforce, which resulted from various initiatives around a renewed employee value proposition and a holistic approach to leadership that extended far beyond traditional financial responsibilities.
“In the first year, we already delivered black ink from losses. We then started developing a new strategy: the double-double whereby we wanted to double our profitability every year from 2022 to 2026, and in 2022, we delivered company record profits, which have continued,” he says proudly.
A father’s final lesson
The loss of his father marked a profound period of reflection and further solidified his commitment to living a life of purpose and service. At his father’s funeral, strangers approached Mikaeel, sharing stories of his father’s quiet acts of charity. One said he had paid for their child’s wedding, another said he had funded their education. The most significant revelation was his involvement and funding of orphanages around the country.
“I remembered a time when he had asked us to accompany him to an orphanage in Cape Town, while I happened to be there on business,” says Mikaeel. “We spent the afternoon there sharing gifts with the children and, at the time, we thought nothing of it because we had grown accustomed to giving back in that way as a family. But to only find out, now that he’s gone, the scale of the amazing and quiet work he had done for years in the spirit of giving back…it shows the extent to which he really made a lasting difference to the lives of so many without any desire for recognition.”
Mikaeel's father had always emphasised the importance of education and values.
“He would always say, ‘I will leave you with good education and good values. Make your way from it’ and I’ve taken this lesson to heart more so now that he is no longer with us. Reliving his Young CFO of the year award in 2024, Mikaeel was visibly reminiscent and thankful to his wife, parents and brothers who have been staunch supporters of his career and accomplishments.
