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What are your main tasks at work?Let’s be clear, I don’t “manage finance”, I shape decisions. As CFO for Africa and the Middle East at Bridgestone, my role is to challenge where we’re playing, how we’re winning, and whether we’re moving fast enough. I drive capital allocation, reset cost structures, and push the business to make sharper, braver calls.What makes you good at what you do?I’m not afraid to say what others are thinking. And I don’t wait for permission to challenge the status quo. What makes me effective is the ability to connect the numbers to the story and then influence the outcome. I bring financial discipline, but I also bring commercial aggression. I’ve learnt that being right isn’t enough, you have to get people to move with you. Most people hesitate. I don’t. And in leadership, speed and conviction matter. How did you end up doing the work you do?I come from a family who are in the business of finance, so it has always been in my DNA, but I started at KPMG, which teaches you how companies operate, but, more importantly, where they fail. It gives you a lens for risk, discipline and detail. Then I moved to Nike, and that changed everything. At Nike, I saw what a high-performance culture actually looked like: decisive, fast, consumer-obsessed. Meetings weren’t about reporting; they were about winning. When I joined Bridgestone, I saw the opportunity, and the gap. A strong industrial business, but with untapped potential in culture, speed and mindset. I asked: “How do we use the best of all of those places and create a legacy?” My answer was simple: “You don’t copy it, you build it.” And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.What do you look for when recruiting for your team?I don’t hire for experience; I hire for mindset. Some of the youngest people I have hired show incredible wisdom, and some of the oldest show passion and entrepreneurial spirit. I look for people who challenge, who think commercially, and who don’t hide behind spreadsheets. The best people I’ve worked with don’t just report numbers, they change outcomes. If someone is waiting to be told what to do, they won’t last long in my team. I want people who create momentum, who take ownership, and who are comfortable operating without a playbook. Because the reality is that there isn’t one anymore.Business Times
