Biography
March 10, 2021
MR OLUSEYI PESU TOGONU-BICKERSTETH
MY HUSBAND, OLUSEYI TOGONU-BICKERSTETH WAS BORN ON MONDAY 13 AUGUST 1951 IN LAGOS NIGERIA.
HE ATTENDED CMS GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN(‘72).
SEYI WENT ON TO OBTAIN AN MA FROM YORK UNIVERSITY IN TORONTO(‘76).
AFTER COMPLETING HIS ICAN QUALIFICATIONS (‘82) IN RECORD TIME, SEYI WAS ADMITTED TO THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS. IN DUE COURSE HE BECAME A FELLOW. AS TAX BECAME HIS SPECIALITY, SEYI ALSO BECAME A FELLOW OF THE INSTITUTE OF TAXATION OF NIGERIA.
SEYI ATTENDED NUMEROUS PROFESSIONAL COURSES IN HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, CHICAGO BOOTH ET AL.
IN 1978, HIS COMPETITIVE SPIRIT LED SEYI TO BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER (009) OF ARTHUR ANDERSEN. HE MADE PARTNER IN 1990 AND WAS MANAGING PARTNER 1999-2002. AS A RESULT OF THE ENRON SCANDAL IN 2002, ENIGMATIC SEYI CONTRIBUTED TO THE SMOOTH METAMORPHOSIS OF ARTHUR ANDERSEN TO KPMG NIGERIA. SEYI WAS THE MANAGING PARTNER OF KPMG NIGERIA 2002 -2016. DURING HIS TENURES AT BOTH ARTHUR ANDERSEN AND KPMG SEYI ENSURED THAT THE FIRMS CONSISTENTLY UPHELD THE HIGH MORAL VALUES WHICH HAD BEEN INSTILLED IN HIM. HE ALSO DELIBERATELY BRED OTHER PARTNERS AS HE RECOGNISED THAT PEOPLE WITH ASPIRATIONS ARE PRICELESS. HE SPURRED THEM ON WITH HIS MOTTOS:
‘THERE ARE TWO TYPE OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD: THE QUICK OR THE DEAD!’
‘ONLY THE PARANOID SURVIVE!’
‘SPEED KILLS THE ENEMY!’
IN 2015 SEYI WAS MADE THE CHAIRMAN OF KPMG AFRICA AND WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN TO BE APPOINTED TO THE GLOBAL KPMG BOARD. HE RETIRED AS MANAGING PARTNER OF KPMG NIGERIA IN 2016 AND FROM THE GLOBAL BOARD IN 2017.
SEYI ALWAYS SAID THAT HE WAS BLESSED TO GET PAID FOR A CAREER HE LOVED! HE LOVED THE INTELLECTUAL BRAINSTORMING AND SPARRING WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS BUT MOST OF ALL HE WAS PROUD TO LEAD A TRIBE OF THE BEST INTELLECTUALS IN THE MARKET PLACE!
POST CAREER, SEYI SERVED ON SEVERAL BOARDS INCLUDING LEADWAY, GOOD GOVERNANCE AFRICA, LEAP AFRICA AND NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY.
AWAY FROM HIS CAREER SEYI LED A SIMPLE LIFE. HE LOVED EXERCISE: WEIGHT TRAINING, CYCLING, WALKING AND SWIMMING. NATURE WAS HIS HAPPY PLACE. HE LOVED HIS GARDEN IN VGC AND HIS BACKYARD AT ILABERE. HE MADE TIME TO STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES!
SEYI AND I GOT MARRIED IN 1984 AND WERE BLESSED WITH MELODY OLUSEYI (‘90) AND AMY TOYIN (‘94). HE WAS A WONDERFUL HUSBAND AND FATHER WHO CARED FOR US DEEPLY.
SEYI LIVED A FULFILLED LIFE AND LEFT LARGE FOOTPRINTS WHERE EVER HE WENT.
HE ATTENDED CMS GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN(‘72).
SEYI WENT ON TO OBTAIN AN MA FROM YORK UNIVERSITY IN TORONTO(‘76).
AFTER COMPLETING HIS ICAN QUALIFICATIONS (‘82) IN RECORD TIME, SEYI WAS ADMITTED TO THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS. IN DUE COURSE HE BECAME A FELLOW. AS TAX BECAME HIS SPECIALITY, SEYI ALSO BECAME A FELLOW OF THE INSTITUTE OF TAXATION OF NIGERIA.
SEYI ATTENDED NUMEROUS PROFESSIONAL COURSES IN HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, CHICAGO BOOTH ET AL.
IN 1978, HIS COMPETITIVE SPIRIT LED SEYI TO BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER (009) OF ARTHUR ANDERSEN. HE MADE PARTNER IN 1990 AND WAS MANAGING PARTNER 1999-2002. AS A RESULT OF THE ENRON SCANDAL IN 2002, ENIGMATIC SEYI CONTRIBUTED TO THE SMOOTH METAMORPHOSIS OF ARTHUR ANDERSEN TO KPMG NIGERIA. SEYI WAS THE MANAGING PARTNER OF KPMG NIGERIA 2002 -2016. DURING HIS TENURES AT BOTH ARTHUR ANDERSEN AND KPMG SEYI ENSURED THAT THE FIRMS CONSISTENTLY UPHELD THE HIGH MORAL VALUES WHICH HAD BEEN INSTILLED IN HIM. HE ALSO DELIBERATELY BRED OTHER PARTNERS AS HE RECOGNISED THAT PEOPLE WITH ASPIRATIONS ARE PRICELESS. HE SPURRED THEM ON WITH HIS MOTTOS:
‘THERE ARE TWO TYPE OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD: THE QUICK OR THE DEAD!’
‘ONLY THE PARANOID SURVIVE!’
‘SPEED KILLS THE ENEMY!’
IN 2015 SEYI WAS MADE THE CHAIRMAN OF KPMG AFRICA AND WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN TO BE APPOINTED TO THE GLOBAL KPMG BOARD. HE RETIRED AS MANAGING PARTNER OF KPMG NIGERIA IN 2016 AND FROM THE GLOBAL BOARD IN 2017.
SEYI ALWAYS SAID THAT HE WAS BLESSED TO GET PAID FOR A CAREER HE LOVED! HE LOVED THE INTELLECTUAL BRAINSTORMING AND SPARRING WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS BUT MOST OF ALL HE WAS PROUD TO LEAD A TRIBE OF THE BEST INTELLECTUALS IN THE MARKET PLACE!
POST CAREER, SEYI SERVED ON SEVERAL BOARDS INCLUDING LEADWAY, GOOD GOVERNANCE AFRICA, LEAP AFRICA AND NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY.
AWAY FROM HIS CAREER SEYI LED A SIMPLE LIFE. HE LOVED EXERCISE: WEIGHT TRAINING, CYCLING, WALKING AND SWIMMING. NATURE WAS HIS HAPPY PLACE. HE LOVED HIS GARDEN IN VGC AND HIS BACKYARD AT ILABERE. HE MADE TIME TO STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES!
SEYI AND I GOT MARRIED IN 1984 AND WERE BLESSED WITH MELODY OLUSEYI (‘90) AND AMY TOYIN (‘94). HE WAS A WONDERFUL HUSBAND AND FATHER WHO CARED FOR US DEEPLY.
SEYI LIVED A FULFILLED LIFE AND LEFT LARGE FOOTPRINTS WHERE EVER HE WENT.
ONLY GOD CAN AND WILL FILL HIS VOID.