Lake Elsinore, California, United States
I am a social entrepreneur, committed to nurturing our planet and its people. With a career anchored in advancing hydrogen technology at Shell USA, I now independently advise companies looking to integrate hydrogen into their energy mix, aiming for a future where energy sustains rather than depletes our world. My focus is on the Operational Excellence of Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure, emphasizing safety, reliability, customer delight, and positive cash flow. Given the novelty of this technology, advocacy plays a critical role in my work. I challenge teams at the forefront of the Energy Transition to innovate and thrive. With each day presenting new challenges ("transition," by definition, implies constant change), we rely on humility, curiosity, and an entrepreneurial mindset, drawing from diverse disciplines to chart the course forward. This approach encourages us to "fail fast," retaining effective solutions while discarding the ineffective, as we pioneer Operations Management in the emerging Hydrogen economy. It's an exhilarating calling to lay the groundwork for an entire industry, making a tangible difference every day. Beyond my professional endeavors, I am deeply committed to unlocking the potential within individuals, especially those from Africa. I assist scholars and professionals in crafting successful achievement-based immigrant petitions, such as the EB1-A “Einstein” or “Genius” visa and the EB2-NIW “Exceptional Ability” visa, facilitating their lawful permanent residence in the United States. I believe in the U.S. as a place that rewards extraordinary talent, and I strive to bring these exceptional individuals here for mutual benefit. I also run a coaching program designed for ambitious young professionals, particularly Africans in the West, leveraging my own career journey to offer a blend of one-on-one and group coaching. This program aims to identify and remove performance-blocking blind spots, accelerating career growth for Africans navigating their careers in non-native environments. The cornerstone of my commitment to societal upliftment remains the Michael Taiwo Scholarships, because education levels the playing field. With over 50,000 applicants, from over 67 countries and 300 scholarships awarded, this initiative has become a lifeline for high-achieving, low-income students across Africa and Southeast Asia. In essence, my professional and personal life are unified by a singular purpose: to foster prosperity in people while ensuring this prosperity is sustainable for our planet. This is my life-long goal. Will you join me?
Building a world class Hydrogen Mobility operations one groundbreaking project at a time.
Dreams Bridge LLC houses the various business initiatives Dr. Taiwo is involved with, which are: - Consulting for companies around the world who are interested in building and/or operating Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure. Current focus is on the Middle East, in part, catalyzed by COP 28. - Coach young professionals, particularly Africans in the West, for high performance and accelerated career growth. He has created a blend of one-on-one and group coaching program for this. - Craft achievement-based petitions such as the EB1-A “Einstein” visa and the EB2-NIW “Exceptional Ability” visa for scholars and professionals wanting a lawful permanent residence in the U.S. He has a 100% success rate.
I founded the Michael Taiwo Scholarships Inc. in 2019 to level the playing field for poor students from Nigeria who want to pursue graduate education in the US. I remember almost not being able to pursue my dream of obtaining a PhD in Chemical Engineering because I could not afford the cost of application, despite knowing that if I applied, I was sure to secure a full scholarship because of my stellar academic record. In 2019, we thought we would reach only one country and a few hundred students. Our goal was to select a few students from this group to award financial assistance and personal coaching. The plan worked: we had 7 winners, all from Nigeria. And the story of our existence quickly spread. In 2024, we had our largest year so far – 13,384 applications from 64 different countries. We selected 59 winners, representing an acceptance rate of 0.4%. Since 2019, we have had over 43,000 applications from 64 countries, awarding over 230 scholarships to students who then use that to secure fully funded graduate admissions at top schools around the world. You can find our MT Scholars at Stanford, Princeton, Cornell, Texas A&M, Oxford, Imperial College and so on. They have also won prestigious scholarships e.g. the Rhodes. I believe that investment in people yield the best profit. There are already enough discouraging forces – both from without and within – that individuals face; and I just take it on myself to counter those negative voices that want people to achieve less than they are capable of. There’s nothing more beautiful than a fully alive human; I like to see people live fully. The Michael Taiwo Scholarships is one expression of this. The Michael Taiwo Scholarships connect bright but indigent students from developing countries with their dream of having an advanced degree from a world-class institution. The students pay it forward by tutoring and mentoring US minorities in middle school and high school to get into college and take up STEM courses.
- Created a new Operating model called the “Orchestration Model” which breaks down complex processes into actionable tasks and classifies work by skill level resulting in the creation of standardized processes and optimized operating costs. - Utilized the “Orchestration Model” to create 75+ standard procedures, boost availability by 10% and reduce OPEX by 30%. - As a key asset was nearing its end of life and facing significant reliability challenges, I created an EPST (Enhanced Problem Solving Team) of external and internal experts to provide novel solutions resulting in the asset becoming an industry benchmark as the best performing asset in the US and setting world records for fuel dispensed MOM and YOY. - Introduced a Learning Framework at a time when our team was struggling with implementing new technologies and was able to commission and operate first-of-its-kind assets, leading to the creation of America’s first ever Hydrogen Heavy Duty fueling network. - Took ownership to set up and deploy a Manila offshore customer service team resulting in a 40% improvement in FCR (First Call Resolution) and 20% YOY improvements to CSAT. This model was copied and deployed by Shell Recharge Solutions yielding similar results. - Utilized effective stakeholder communication and data storytelling to craft a winning O&M strategy for a critical grant yielding a $4MM reward which enabled the commencement of building the biggest ever Heavy Duty Hydrogen Station in the world. - Compared Hydrogen hazards with other Petrochemical industry benchmarks resulting in the upgrading of the hazard ranking of Hydrogen to trigger additional safety controls. Due to this work, won the VP HSSE Award acknowledging the substantial coordinated efforts. - Improved Employee Engagement SPS score from 72 to 80 (TQB), by recruiting top talent internally and hiring the best externally in a tight labor market and creating a “pod structure” utilizing RASCI to clarify responsibilities.
- Led a cultural transformation of the business with standardized processes as the bedrock of repeatable high performance - Established new processes and ways of working in newly acquired operating facilities by implementing the Asset Management System, HSSE & SP Control Framework, CMMS (GSAP, S/4 HANA), predictive maintenance and monitoring to deliver Goal Zero and top-quartile financial performance. - Effectively managed risks and operating costs to save $100k per Atmospheric Storage Tank by creating and implementing a semi-quantitative, predictive model to consistently predict key asset repair requirements.
- As a Technical Authority for Technical Safety Engineering, introduced a new technology platform to manage physical, personnel or process changes. This new tool helped to mitigate risks associated with the unintended consequences that may arise due to inadequately thought-out changes. - Chaired cross-functional ad hoc teams of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), contractors and operations to deliver Goal Zero and record safety performance during facility turnarounds. - Used Engineering, Education and Enforcement to drive Performance by managing difficult stakeholders, influencing interested governmental and regulatory bodies, and aligning 3rd parties and Shell internal stakeholders to ensure no impact to People, Asset, Community or Environment.