I write this message on the eve of D&S's 75th anniversary, a major achievement for any organisation and one that I am particularly proud of having essentially been involved for the entire period, firstly as a child witnessing my father's efforts to establish the company and for the past 45 years, initially as an engineer, then a director and now the Chairman.
It has been quite a journey and I was reminded of its context when browsing a Kenya Annual from 1952 which was widely supported by the major corporates of the time, not one surviving today! The reasons for this success are many, some circumstantial, particularly the importance of the industry and though there have been ups and downs, the generally enabling environment provided by the government is something we should all be grateful for. There have also been many things that have been done right including the continuity and consistency of the strategic direction that is made possible by the stable ownership, almost obsessive commitment to our values of Integrity, Quality and 'Altiora Peto' or the focus on continuous change, excellent supplier support, especially from Pedrollo and Grundfos over the years and many loyal and committed customers of whom I would make mention of three in particular, all plumbers - Allied, Pioneer and Capital, who have been with us through several generations since the beginning. We are not the only long-established family business in Kenya!
The key factor, though, has been an incredibly loyal, dedicated, committed and capable staff, especially the executive team that have 195 years service between them! The company has been exceptionally fortunate at all levels starting with the founding partners Eddie Davis and Dick Shirtliff who were supported by a long serving group of technicians, the roll now being 105 with 25 years' service. I particularly want to pay tribute to the two senior executives, CEO David Gatende, who has done an amazing job over his 35 years of service and D&S Kenya MD Dr MAS Waweru who is most deservedly retiring in May. His 29 years of service has been exemplary in every way and he has made an enormous contribution to the organisation we have today. He leaves with my very deepest gratitude and very best wishes and I'm sure that he will continue to benefit from his enormous experience in the new consultancy venture that he will be developing from June. I am also pleased to announce that Edward Davis will be succeeding Dr MAS as MD D&S Kenya so continuity is assured.
I conclude by emphasising the core principles that drive us of Purpose Before Profit and Improving Lives. We are all proud of the contribution that D&S has made and continues to make with a huge number of people encountering or benefiting from a D&S product at some time in their week. We have undoubtedly led and defined a vital industry throughout the many countries we operate in and look forward to making an even bigger contribution in the future.
