Kirby MEA held its annual sales conference on 9 February 2017 at Amwaj Island – ART Rotana Hotel in Bahrain. The conference, in addition to the traditional annual meeting, commemorated Kirby MEA’s 40th anniversary with the theme “40 Years …And Growing Stronger”. It was attended by Executives and Senior Management members in addition to Kirby MEA Sales, Operations, General and Administration staff.
Samir Kasem, COO, started by applauding Kirby’s 2016 performance, and gave an overview of Alghanim Industries’ recent expansions into F&B, Automotive and retail businesses. He also cited the challenging business environment throughout the past year, and projected an upward swing in 2017. Samir left the audience motivated and inspired with one takeaway, which stressed on the importance of change and the use of technology, which are becoming key elements for our business’ future success.
D Raju, Vice President – Kirby International, updated the audience on Kirby International’s performance in 2016, and showcased several landmark projects executed across the globe that demonstrated Kirby’s capabilities and its position as one of the world’s largest PEB companies. In his closing comments, Raju stressed that in order to retain our market leadership position, we must focus on continuous improvement in our customer service across all functions and continue to innovate by going to new applications such as high-rise buildings.
James Minato, Senior General Manager – Kirby MEA, covered Kirby’s business life cycle over its 40 years of existence, starting in Kuwait in 1976, then growing into the GCC region and expanding in the Indian sub-continent and South East Asia. James demonstrated the current maturity stage the business is in, and stressed that the future will focus on “Innovation” and “Renovation” to expand the product portfolio and penetrate new market segments. He also presented Kirby’s business plan for 2017, which is comprised of performance, strategy, and innovation.
K.S. Shyam, Senior HR Director, presented a Work-Life Balance session which demonstrated the benefits that can be derived from a healthy and balanced work and life style. Sherif Hegazy, Director – GCC Sales, pointed out the growth opportunities in various markets, especially the private investment, and the need to diversify our market sectors. Additionally, he stressed the importance and need of market intelligence and continuous analysis to ensure we stay positioned ahead of the competition.
The conference included a workshop session for the various teams with the objective of brainstorming initiatives and action steps to efficiently execute the 2017 business plan and realize set targets. The sales conference was concluded with a gala dinner and awards ceremony, which highlighted outstanding performances in 2016 across various categories, with 13 employees receiving a shield of merit.
Overall, the annual sales conference was a great success, leaving the entire Kirby MEA team motivated, inspired, and eager to get back and deliver a successful 2017.
