On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Alan for his 31 years of unwavering commitment to Grindrod, and in particular for his role in steering the group. We are delighted that he will be able to continue to share his considerable skills with us in the Shipping division as a consultant.
Having been Chairman of the Board for 3 years, I am looking forward to my new and temporary role as Executive Chairman.
In the past two weeks I have met a number of you on the Durban campus and I look forward to doing the same in the other offices in the not too distant future. Our business is about people and in this time of economic uncertainty and leadership change it is important that we pull together as a team and support each other.
I am convinced that the key to greater success in the short term lies in much keener customer focus, and I ask each one of you to apply your minds and come up with innovative ideas so that we can better service our clients’ needs, both as individual companies and in working as a team with other companies in the Grindrod group. There are tremendous benefits to be gained from the synergies that the group, specifically Freight Services, is uniquely placed to offer – all we need to do is unlock them.
Much work has happened in the background over the last few weeks as we reflect on the group’s strategy at this time of change and I hope to share the way forward with you in the very near future. Be assured, changes will energise the business and be the foundation for focused and strategic growth into the future.