News and Press

D&S Group Chairman Alec Davis awards Eastern Cluster Business unit of the Year, D&S Nyeri Manager Anthony Ndungu.

Unfortunately for the fourth Newsletter now COVID-19 disruptions continue but I'm pleased to report that though D&S's business is impacted we are managing and I am most grateful for the enormous support from all staff. We can only pray that the government's efforts and everyone's good sense will beat the virus!

September is traditionally the start of the D&S Groups 'operational year' that is driven by the annual planning exercise initiated at the recently held Group Management Conference, now a 30-year tradition. However, this year was very different as it was largely held virtually with the benefit that many more people could attend though of course the informal interactions were missed. We were fortunate to benefit from the participation of a number of external speakers from all over the world, of particular note being John Ngumi, Chairman of KPC and now ICDC who was most inspirational in sharing his professional experiences. His key message for me was stressing the importance of Trust between all stakeholders.

An established conference tradition is the Annual Business and Manager of the Year awards, details being given elsewhere and congratulations to all winners. Notable were D&S Karen under Manager Benson Kanyuru on being Branch of the Year and also D&S Nyeri under manager Anthony Ndung’u for the Eastern cluster award, which I was able to personally present during my recent tour of the region. It was good to meet the staff and I was impressed by the general standards. Commended Managers were Henry Davis for delivering the Tatu project and James Ngugi and Edward Mwakio for their determination in keeping the remote D&S branches in Juba and Lubumbashi contributing in spite of very difficult conditions. Manager of the Year was Jonathan Mainga, MD of D&S Zambia, a thoroughly deserved accolade given the success he has achieved over the years and the company's continued success in a very difficult economy.

Another important tradition of the conference is the launch of the updated 2021 Product Manual, a key tool in the Group's marketing activities. Preparation is always a major exercise and I'd like to pay particular tribute to Marketing Manager Jos Musima who is responsible for the excellent design and production and Product Manager Lilian Maigo who prepares all the product information. It is a team effort that unquestionably sets D&S apart in the market.

Finally, I must mention the award I received from Business Worldwide magazine. I am honoured to have been recognised though it is a reflection on the success of Davis and Shirtliff generally and of course this has been a communal effort, particularly with the long serving executive team making a huge contribution. D&S continues to succeed in spite of the difficult environment as we continue on our journey of becoming an Africa-wide institution.