On Your Bike, Gerry! |
Gerry Gleeson, Regional Procurement Manager for Kentz South Africa, participated in the Cape Argus Pick 'n' Pay Cycle Tour on Sunday 15th March. This race is the world's largest individually-timed cycle race and the first event outside Europe to be included in the International Cycling Union's Golden Bike Series.
The event sees over 35,000 cyclists tackling 109km around Cape Town and it is as spectacular as it is gruelling. Traditionally staged on the second Sunday of March, the country's biggest one-day sporting event is fast becoming a big international draw-card with foreign entries topping
over 2,000.
Gerry finished in a time of six hours and one minute (6:01). Well done, Gerry! |
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Gerry Gleeson |
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| Upskilling for the Future |
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| Back row (L-R): Donal O'Neill (Group Talent Manager), Ronan O'Brien (Business Development Manager, Ireland), James Noone (Junior Quantity Surveyor, Ireland), Robert Mullins (Junior Electrical Supervisor, Abu Dhabi), James O'Connor (Quantity Surveyor, Saudi Arabia), Tony O'Mahony (Junior Quantity Surveyor, Saudi Arabia), David Amos (Junior Project Engineer, Qatar), Eric Sandelands (Tutor) and Ian O'Driscoll (Junior Mechanical Engineer, Qatar). Front row (L-R): Tom Kennedy (Junior Quantity Surveyor, Qatar), Colm Coyle (Business Development Executive, Qatar), Michael O'Donnell (Junior Civil Engineer, Russia), Gregory Deane (Junior Civil Electrical Engineer, Russia), Robbie Gaule (Business Development Executive, Saudi Arabia), Katie Plummer (HSSE Deputy Manager, Qatar) and Claire Barry (Trainee Mechanical Engineer, Qatar) |
Another successful Frontline Management Skills Workshop was held by Kentz in Bahrain recently. This workshop is part of the overall Supervisory Management Development Programme (SMDP), which is an 18-24 month programme for young graduates and hi-pots.
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The workshop is run over three days and covers the following areas in detail: |
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1. Introduction to management
2. Becoming a manager
3. Effective supervision
4. Developing work priorities |
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5. Creating working relationships
6. Managing conflict at work
7. Effective communication
8. Understanding Kentz management information. |
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Modules are augmented with sessions on the SMDP, as well as process, learning infrastructure and assessment. The main objectives are to develop an understanding of the relationship between the frontline manager and Kentz stakeholders, to develop effective supervisory practices, and to be able to identify and overcome barriers to effective communication.
This workshop will be followed by a Functional Workshop for the non-engineering graduates and qualified tradespeople, and a Frontline Leadership Skills Workshop for engineering disciplines, both of which will be held in October 2009. |
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Above: Big winner Eimear Kelly
Below: Dog night attendees |
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Clonmel Gone to the Dogs! |
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The Kentz staff based in the Clonmel office in Ireland enjoyed a night out at the dogs in Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium, Waterford on Friday 15th May. It was a good turnout with nearly 30 employees and partners attending.
The night comprised of a 3-course meal and 11 greyhound races, with everyone betting on their favourites. There were a lot of winners on the night, the biggest being Eimear Kelly, Accountant, who won over €80 on one race!
After the races finished there was entertainment provided by the stadium. For some of the attendees the night did not end there and they continued into the wee hours of the morning.
All-in-all it was a great night and everyone in attendance is looking forward to the next outing. |
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| Andrey Soars to New Heights |
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Kentz Russia recently sponsored Andrey Eliseev when he competed in the 11th World Paragliding Championship in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, from 23rd January to 6th February. There were 150 competitors from all over the world. |
Kentz will be sponsoring Andrey to compete in paragliding competitions in France, Turkey, Croatia, Italy and Russia in the near future. Andrey's dream is to win the World Cup and he has been working hard towards this.
The management and staff of Kentz in Russia look forward to continuing to support Andrey in his future endeavours! Good luck, Andrey!
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| Andrey making a safe landing |
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| Miles for Money in Paris Marathon |
Congratulations to Colm Coyle (BD Executive), Shane Kelly (Mechanical Engineer), Andy Daykin (Structural Engineer) and Killian Coleman (Project Engineer), based in the Kentz office in Qatar, who all successfully ran and completed the Paris Marathon on 5th April 2009.
Starting on the Avenue de Champs Élysées they made their way past the Louvre Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris Hippodrome and other major Parisian landmarks. With 22 miles under their belt, they meandered through the Seine tunnels and past the Eiffel Tower where they eventually finished, having been on their feet for 4-5 hours. |
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Andy during the race |
Their mission was accomplished as in total they raised €5,867 for the Irish Heart Foundation and just over £1,250 for the Guide Dogs for the Blind in Britain. Kentz matched both totals raising the overall amount that will be donated to the charities to just over €14,500.
Congratulations to the boys on a run well done and they would like to express their thanks to Kentz for supporting them!
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| Shane, Killian and Colm before the race |
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| Anything is Possible |
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| Paul Ebbeling silently soaring in a glider |
When at university Paul Ebbeling, Area Engineer for the Maintenance and Shutdown Division of Kentz South Africa, recorded his first solo flight on a paraglider by jumping off a local hill. He subsequently had a few hard landings but luckily he sustained no serious injuries and he qualified as a glider pilot a year later.
Whilst continuing to fly regularly, in 2004 Paul attained his ratings to carry passengers and obtained his distance, time and height badges for GPL certification. Today Paul has his aerobatic and instructors ratings and continues to enjoy the challenges and joys of silent flight.
In 2006 Paul was involved in a devastating head-on collision on his way home from work on his superbike. He sustained substantial injuries and was hospitalised for a long period of time. For 16 months Paul was unable to fly and was only cleared recently.
As a self-confessed “need for speed” addict, Paul was also very involved in skiing. Paul's skiing specialty was the giant slalom, an event combining downhill racing with slalom. The highlight for Paul was winning an important race in Switzerland – competing in an open event with the likes of the British Olympic team.
Everyone in Kentz in South Africa wishes Paul well with his ongoing recovery – he truly is
an inspiration.
“If you ever crash keep your head out the way, it's best for your looks and your well-being.”
- Paul Ebbeling |
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Diandra
Management and staff from the Abu Dhabi office would like to congratulate Sumiha and Denil Wellington on the birth of their daughter Diandra on Sunday 5th April. Sumiha works as an Accountant for Kentz in Abu Dhabi. Diandra weighed 3.54kg at birth.
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We need you!
If you have a story, announcement or experience to share with your
fellow Kentz people, please send an email along with any relevant picture to
NEWSLETTER@KENTZ.COM | | |
