Endeavour Magazine February 2020 by Littlegate Publishing

FEBRUARY 2020

www.littlegatepublishing.com

Raising Awareness

UP FOR LIFE

TIKVES WINERY LIBATIONS IN

MACEDONIA SIX BROTHERS FOODSTUFF CO Anchoring The Seafood Industry

AMRUT DISTILLERY Bottling Ambrosia

UK CAN USA EUR SA ZAR

£4.95 $7.95 $7.95 €5.95 69.00

INSPIRED BY YOUR SUCCESS

Thinking about suicide? Worried about someone?

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Crisis Support

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A mini-safety plan that can be filled out by anyone thinking about suicide

Staying Safe From Suicide

Steps to take when you are feeling suicidal, or you are concerned about someone else

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HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS Managing Editor Alice Instone-Brewer editor@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Manager Emlyn Freeman emlynfreeman@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher James Lapping james@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher Alex Hayes alexhayes@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher Dennis Morales dennismorales@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher David Kimberley david@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher Eve Wright eve@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher James Martin jamesmartin@littlegatepublishing.com Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com CEO Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com For enquiries or subscriptions contact info@littlegatepublishing.com +44 1603 296 100 ENDEAVOUR MAGAZINE is published by Littlegate Publishing LTD which is a Registered Company in the United Kingdom. Company Registration: 07657236 VAT registration number: 116 776007 343 City Road Suite 10, Thorpe House London 79 Thorpe Road EC1 V1LR Norwich, NR1 1UA Littlegate Publishing Ltd does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. Copyright © Littlegate Publishing Ltd 2020

EDITOR’S NOTE

ith Valentine’s Day on the horizon, we were lucky enough this month to speak with several companies who are all about creating a luxurious, rich, romantic product or experience. We reconnected with Fond Doux Resorts, the St Lucian plantation-turned-hotel that seeks to preserve lush St Lucian plant life as well as historic architecture in its picturesque vacation setting. Then, we spoke with not only one, but two high-tier alcohol producers: Amrut Distillery in India and Tikveš Winery in North Macedonia. Both companies are putting their countries on the map in their industries: for Tikveš Winery, their mission is to show off the high quality of grape and wine that North Macedonia produces, which is currently under-celebrated on the global stage. Amrut Distillery has gone even further, pushing past preconceptions that an Indian company cannot produce premium single malt whisky and going on to produce what has been voted the third best whisky in the world! We spoke with both companies about how their companies reflect their culture, about the amazing flavours they’re producing, and how people need to watch these spaces and try their products if they haven’t already. We’ve had a brilliant time speaking with these companies, but unfortunately, we couldn’t launch this month without mentioning two of the many crises currently affecting our world. Firstly, the bushfires in Australia are still burning, with around 80 fires still live. February is dubbed ‘fire season’ in the country, so as we enter this month, concerns are high that the situation will get worse before it gets better. Meanwhile, Australia is also one of the countries affected by the new coronavirus that is spreading through Australasia, with many Asian countries currently the most affected. We spoke with LotusHall in Thailand this month, and they mentioned these fears to us during our interview, telling us how locals are choosing to leave their homes as little as possible. This very wise caution is slowing to the economy, and an avoidance of travel means that business meetings are currently on hold, though companies are aware that ultimately, the work must go on. Australia still needs support as its attempts to quell and recover from these devastating bushfires, and as concern over this virus spreads, there may soon be other calls for aid from those affected. As we celebrate our success, it is also an important time to think about those in need and to consider giving support where we’re able. Let’s share the love this Valentine’s by supporting an area that needs relief, if we can. Alice Instone-Brewer

Endeavour Magazine | 3

CONTENTS

FEATURES 17

Bottling Ambrosia Amrut Distillery

Libations In Macedonia Tikves Winery

One With The Land Fond Doux Plantation & Resort

Pioneers Of Aerospace 43 AIAC A Beam Of Light 49 SAPVIA 55

Anchoring The Seafood Industry Six Brothers Foodstuff Co

Expert Support For Hong Kong Hongkong Shipowners

A New Year Perseus Mining

Heavy Lifting Lotus Hall

Solid Steel LHL Engineering

Rebuilding Together Exodus & Company

Serving Local Communities Edan K Properties

A Shining Example Adriatic Metals

Jack Of Many Trades 107 Indiabulls Group 113 Amrut Distillery 4 | Endeavour Magazine

The Six-Legged Dog Eni Africa

SAPVIA

ARTICLES

Business Headlines

6 Asia 7 Africa 8 Americas 10 Middle East 11 Europe 12

Please Read

Raising Awareness

Amazing World

38 Cold Beauty 64 Tanbo Art 104 The Siwa Oasis: A Hidden Haven Automotives 90

The New Seat Leon ‘Speaks To Traffic Lights’ Hongkong Shipowners Endeavour Magazine | 5

BUSINESS HEADLINES ASIA Australian scientists first to recreate virus outside China Scientists in Australia have become the first to recreate the new coronavirus outside of China in what they have called a “significant breakthrough”. The discovery will be shared with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the hope it may help efforts to diagnose and treat the virus. Scientists in China have also recreated the virus and shared its genome sequence, but not the virus itself. The coronavirus outbreak has killed 132 people in China and infected close to 6,000. There are at least 47 cases confirmed in 16 other countries, including in Thailand, France, the US and Australia. No deaths have been reported outside China. Researchers at a specialist lab in Melbourne, Australia, said they were able to grow a copy of the virus from an infected patient. Doctors said the copy could be used as “control material” for testing and “will be a game changer for diagnosis”. Chinese authorities have said the virus like a normal flu - is able to spread during its incubation period, but the WHO has said it remains unclear whether it is contagious before symptoms appear. In recent days, the number of virus cases in China has jumped rapidly, despite authorities scrambling to contain its spread. According to the WHO, the incubation period can range from two to 10 days. Quarantines as foreigners leave Wuhan Hundreds of foreign nationals are being evacuated from Wuhan, the centre of China’s coronavirus outbreak, as more deaths and cases were confirmed. Australia plans to quarantine its evacuees on Christmas island 2,000km (1,200 miles) from the mainland. Japan, the US and the EU are also repatriating their citizens. British Airways has suspended all flights to and from mainland China, as the UK’s Foreign Office warned against “all but essential travel” there. 6 | Endeavour Magazine

Several other airlines have taken similar measures, including America’s United, which restricted flights citing a fall in demand. Australia’s 600 evacuees will be held on Christmas Island for two weeks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. The announcement sparked controversy as the island is best known for a recentlyreopened immigration detention centre, which was criticised for its conditions. Currently only housing one Sri Lankan family of four, the facility was built to accommodate more than 1,000 people. Australia fears further bushfires Australia is bracing for a heatwave as February ‘fire season’ approaches, with bushfires already having ravaged much of the country. Authorities say the searing heat, accompanied by dry winds, would bring severe bushfire conditions to parts of New South Wales and Victoria. More than 80 fires are still burning across the two states. Storms are forecast to follow the heatwave, bringing rain that could help dampen fires but also the potential for wild weather, including flash flooding. Extreme weather has battered parts of Australia in recent weeks, bringing giant hail, floods and landslides. The months-long crisis has sparked renewed calls for Australia’s conservative government to take immediate action on climate change, with street protests urging Morrison to reduce the country’s reliance on coal. Scientists say the bushfire disaster was exacerbated by climate change, coming on the back of a crippling drought that turned forests into a tinderbox and allowed blazes to spread out of control quickly. While the prime minister belatedly acknowledged the link between the bushfire disaster and a warming planet, he has said his government would focus on climate adaption and building resilience to the new climate instead of measures to cut emissions.

AFRICA Akon to create ‘Akon City’ in Senegal Rapper and entrepreneur Akon recently announced via Twitter that agreements for his new city, ‘Akon City’, have been finalised. The celebrity, who is of Senegalese descent, was gifted a 2000 acre area of land by the President and Seneral, Macky Sall, and began work on planning a ‘crypto city’ for the area. These plans began in 2018. It has been proposed that the new city will trade exclusively in Akon’s own digital cash currency, AKoin. The city is planned to be a five-minute drive from the West African state’s new international airport. This development is not Akon’s first industrial venture in the continent. He also set up Akon Lighting Africa, a solar power company.

World Bank considers giving Tanzania $500 million education loan despite ban on pregnant schoolgirls A multi-million dollar World Bank education loan to Tanzania is back on the table for possible approval after it was pulled a year ago amid concerns about the country’s policy of banning pregnant girls and young mothers from attending state school. The new $500 million loan pledges to provide pregnant girls and new mothers with “Alternative Education Pathways” but falls short of calling for a reversal of the ban. Tanzanian activists have written a letter to the executive board urging them to stop the loan until the country passes a law that guarantees the rights of pregnant girls to attend regular secondary schools and ends mandatory

pregnancy tests. Currently girls from grades and upwards are given these compulsory tests. Tanzania uses a morality clause in a 2002 education law to give schools the legal framework needed to expel pregnant students -- the practice originally dates back to the 1960s. The law has been more widely applied since President John Pombe Magufuli took office in 2015. Thousands of Nigerians left homeless after mass eviction On January 28th, authorities in Nigeria evicted thousands of impoverished residents from a Lagos slum, leaving many homeless. Residents described scenes of panic and confusion as hundreds of navy personnel pushed into Tarkwa Bay and neighboring island communities on the Lagos Lagoon, ordering them to leave within an hour. Navy Cmdr. Thomas Otuji, a spokesman for the operation launched in December, said the planned demolition of buildings aims to tackle oil theft along pipelines that run through the coastal city. Forces reportedly shot sporadically in the air as residents as they attempted to find their families and pack their belongings. The residents said they had no prior notice Many residents queued at the harbor till nightfall, trying to secure boats to transport their families from the island to the city. A consortium of advocacy groups, including JEI and the Nigeria Slum/Informal Settlement Federation, put the number of displaced persons in the thousands.

Endeavour Magazine | 7

AMERICAS Mystery drones ‘searching’ rural Colorado and Nebraska Multiple sightings of mysterious drones have been reported over night skies in rural Colorado and Nebraska, leaving local residents and authorities searching for answers. The sightings began mid-December. Authorities from local sheriffs up to the FBI have held investigations into their source. The drones, which are flying at night, are far larger than those available to the general public, spanning six feet across and flying in squares of about 25 miles. The formation of the drones implies that they are monitoring or searching the land below is a systematic way. They fly approximately 150 to 200 feet or more away from buildings or people. Some of the areas the drones are monitoring are known as areas where the United States stores nuclear warheads. (Certain conspiracy theorists also believe ‘reptilians’ live in these areas in networks of underground caves.) Sheriffs in multiple counties have urged residents not to shoot down the drones, as that could violate federal laws that protect aircrafts.

Jeff Bezos’ phone ‘hacked by Saudi crown prince’ The Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos had his mobile phone “hacked” in 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message that had apparently been sent from the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. 8 | Endeavour Magazine

The encrypted message from the number used by Mohammed bin Salman is believed to have included a malicious file that infiltrated the phone of the world’s richest man, according to the results of a digital forensic analysis. This analysis found it “highly probable” that the intrusion into the phone was triggered by an infected video file sent from the account of the Saudi heir to Bezos. Large amounts of data were taken from Bezos’s phone within hours. The event has renewed questions over what the crown prince and his inner circle were doing in the months prior to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post journalist who was killed in October 2018 – five months after the alleged “hack” of the newspaper’s owner. Epstein accusers outraged by Prince Andrew’s ‘lack of co-operation’ Lawyers representing alleged victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have urged Prince Andrew to co-operate with an inquiry into the financier. Lisa Bloom said Epstein’s accusers were “outraged” by the Duke of York not assisting the US authorities. It comes after the prosecutor in charge of the US investigation said the duke had provided “zero co-operation”. The duke has said he did not witness or suspect any suspicious behaviour during visits to Epstein’s homes. He has come under fire for his friendship with the US financier - a convicted sex offender who supposedly took his own life in a jail cell in August, aged 66, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. The duke told the BBC last November that he was willing to help the authorities into the investigation of Epstein. However, US attorney Geoffrey Berman said prosecutors and the FBI have received no reply after contacting the duke’s lawyers.

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MIDDLE EAST US renews waivers on Iran nuclear work Trump’s administration has announced it will allow Russian, Chinese and European companies to continue work at Iranian nuclear sites, arguing their presences would make it harder for the Islamic Republic to develop a nuclear weapon. The administration also imposed sanctions on Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) and its chief, who said Tehran’s civilian nuclear work would continue full force. In 2018, the Trump administration pulled out of a 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. It is now willing to let the work go forward by waiving sanctions that banned non-US firms from dealing with the AEOI. The waivers’ renewal for 60 days will allow nonproliferation work to continue at the Arak heavy-water research reactor, the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Tehran Research Reactor and other nuclear cooperation initiatives. There had been a great deal of lobbying in Washington to stop the latest waivers as Trump sought to exert more pressure on Iran.

consideration by the IMF Executive Board, which is expected in March. It said the program was aimed at bolstering economic growth and stimulating job creation. The program will focus on efforts to spur growth that has hovered at around 2% in the last decade. IMF said there would be no tax increases or increase in water prices under the new program, while electricity prices would be reduced for the business sector to increase competitiveness. Jordan is now focusing on spurring growth through more public spending. However, economists warn that an expansive policy could derail fiscal stability and push higher debt, which now stands at around 95%.

Trump calls for creation of Palestinian state US president Donald Trump has unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, calling for the creation of a State of Palestine with its capital in portions of east Jerusalem. He declared it a “win-win” opportunity for both Israel and the Palestinians, and said it was a “historic opportunity” for Palestinians to achieve an independent state of their own. The plan more than doubles the territory currently under Palestinian control, although it also recognises Israeli sovereignty over major settlement blocs in the West Bank. The Palestinians have already rejected the proposal, accusing Trump of being biased in favour of Israel as he has adopted policies that bolster Israel at their expense. The 50-page political outline has more concessions to the Palestinians than many analysts predicted,but it would also require them to accept conditions they have been previously Jordan agrees $1.3bn IMF program unwilling to consider, such as accepting West Jordan has agreed a new $1.3bn program Bank settlements. The Palestinians see the West with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Bank as the heartland of a future independent and will receive a first instalment of $140m by state and east Jerusalem as their capital. the end of March. Both Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Jordan will receive nine instalments of his main political challenger, Benny Gantz, $140m to $150m over the four-year program. signed off on the plan. Netanyahu was beside In Washington, the IMF said it reached a staff- Trump as he unveiled the plan at the White level agreement for the $1.3bn program that House. is subject to IMF management approval and 10 | Endeavour Magazine

EUROPE European Parliament backs terms of UK’s exit Members of the European Parliament have backed the terms of the UK’s departure from the EU 621 votes to 49. After the vote, MEPs marked the UK’s exit by singing Auld Lang Syne. Several British MEPs said they hoped the UK would return one day, although Brexit Party’s Nigel Farage used his final speech to criticize the EU. The Brexit Party also rose to their feet waving Union Flags and wearing Union Flag ties, which has been criticized as tasteless by members of Britain who voted to Remain. Signing the letter confirming the EU’s consent, the Parliament’s president, David Sassoli, said the two sides must heed the words of the late Labour MP Jo Cox when approaching their future relationship and recognise “there is more that unites us than divides us.” “You are leaving the EU but you will always be part of Europe…It is very hard to say goodbye. That is why, like my colleagues, I will say arrivederci.”

and is scheduled to open in autumn. It is expected to provide a gateway for cooperation in innovation, investment and industrial partnerships between China and Europe.

Greece plans to block migrants with floating barriers Greece is planning to install a floating barrier in the Aegean Sea to prevent migrant boats reaching its islands from Turkey. The barrier, possibly made of netting and equipped with flashing lights, will cover 1.7 miles and rise above water near the Greek Europe’s cooperative Huawei decision island of Lesbos. On January 29th, the EU issued a set of Greece’s defense ministry said the project guidelines for 5G security, which stress the would be an emergency measure. importance of diversified vendors and rule out Migrants trying to reach Europe often travel bans on any specific company or country. through Turkey to Greece. Many are fleeing Brussels’ decision came just one day after violence and persecution in their countries. the British government approved a limited role The majority of arrivals are from Afghanistan for Chinese telecom company Huawei in the and Syria, according to the United Nations. country’s 5G network construction. Last week, strikes and protests took place on These decisions by Britain and the EU to the Greek islands of Lesbos, Samos and Chios allow Huawei to participate in the building of over the government’s handling of migrant their 5G networks, albeit with some restrictions. arrivals. 5G technologies promise an ultrafast data The ministry said the budget for the project transmission speed, and could also open up was €500,000, including at least four years of new possibilities such as autonomous vehicles maintenance costs. and remote surgeries. The government has called on vendors to In late 2017, Beijing and London launched submit designs for the installation. a joint strategy for cooperation in science, Amnesty International described the technology and innovation, the first of its kind announcement as “alarming” and said the move China has developed with another country. raised “serious issues” about Greece’s plans for At the heart of Europe, the China-Belgium dealing with those “desperately seeking safety”. Technology Center project situated near Brussels has been making steady progress Endeavour Magazine | 11

PLEASE READ: RAISING AWARENESS Riding 5,307 Miles, across 10 countries for Grassroots Suicide Prevention because they need support to keep saving lives

uicide is the most common cause of death for men aged 20 to 50 in the UK. Take a moment to read that sentence again and then let yourself absorb that truly disturbing statistic. Simon Stephen is an ordinary guy and one of those of us who contemplated suicide in 2017. He was moments away from killing himself when he felt a glimmer of hope and grabbed it with both hands. With the help of an amazing charity called ‘Grassroots’ he was given help, advice and therapy. In Simon’s own words, he isn’t fixed but he is getting there. I had the pleasure of meeting Simon socially a few years ago on the stag night for his uncle/my best friend. Simon is a larger than life character, and what I would call a ‘man’s man’. When I found out about Simon’s story, I was shocked to the core that this man had contemplated suicide. We spoke about his challenge and his motivation and I found his openness and honesty toward the subject refreshing. He made me realise that suicide is not something that happens to ‘other people’ – it can affect any one of us. Simon’s story is not too different from a lot of us. He worked too hard and didn’t value 12 | Endeavour Magazine

what he should have. Years later, he woke up to find he didn’t really like what he had done or who he had become. He had a hard school life, left home at 16 and had a few jobs before spending eight years in the MoD and the UK Defence Sector. He then spent two decades in the stress of the city working in the Financial Services chasing money. He is married and

has two kids. From the outside he had the perfect life, but inside his nerves were frayed and his spirit crushed. Simonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suicide attempt was in late 2017. He was drinking heavily and self-medicating with painkillers. He saw himself as a poor husband, father and friend, felt he has made terrible life decisions, and suddenly realised that he was hurting people who cared about him. He forced open a window in his ten-storey hotel bedroom, stepped out and sat on the windowsill. He was alone and ready to jump when he heard a siren in the distance. The noise made him think how much of a nuisance he would be to an ambulance crew who would have to pick up the pieces on the street below. That moment of lucidity gave Simon a chance to reach out for help and found Grassroots. Since then he has been on a journey to better understand himself, make more of the world around him and, above all, to live a simpler, gentler, kinder and more balanced life.

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The Charity Grassroots is an award-winning charity and UK leader in suicide prevention. They believe that suicide can be prevented through open and direct conversations. Grassroots provide people with the skills and confidence needed to save lives through their training, innovation and thought-provoking campaigns, and surviving on donations alone, they need all the help they can get.

‘advised’ by his family to get a car. He decided to hang up his leathers and didn’t ride again for over 25 years. He hasn’t even done a weekend trip on a motorbike, but now he is challenging himself by riding through ten countries. The journey will be undoubtedly both beautiful and difficult, with changing climates, conditions, roads and tracks. This is a once in a lifetime ride and not one for the faint hearted! Simon will be riding his Benelli TRK-X HIS CHALLENGE motorbike, which is a fantastically simple, Simon sets out on the 1st June 2020 to effective adventure bike. It’s not the biggest or ride his motorbike for 30 days, covering some fastest but she is strong, comfortable and has a 5,307 miles (8,540km) across ten countries. little Italian edginess. The Benelli should have His journey will set out from Punta de Tarifa in everything needed to make a journey of this Spain and travel to Nordkapp, Norway in the distance and magnitude. Arctic Circle – aka, the southernmost point of Simon is hoping to raise £1 GBP per mile mainland Europe to the northernmost. Simon’s ridden, which totals at least £5,307 GBP goal is simple: to raise money and awareness It is a genuine honour to help Simon get his for the charity that literally saved his life and story out there and to increase awareness for continues to save others every day. Grassroots. I am delighted that I will join him for Simon started riding motorbikes in his late in France to ride alongside him and share some teens and, having crashed a few times and stories (and definitely a few beers). scared himself silly, had two children and was

14 | Endeavour Magazine

You can follow Simon on his journey, which starts now as he prepares, plans, and practices, as well as all the promotion needed, on Instagram @up._for._life When you speak to Simon, you get drawn into the man, his honesty and his challenge. The world needs people like him who are prepared to go above and beyond. Also, huge credit must be given to Grassroots: without them, we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have our very own Simon at all. So please, get involved, support, donate and spread the word - itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a heck of a ride! If you can donate anything to support Simon and Grassroots, just click below and give what you can, and together we can save lives: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/upforlife You can offer Simon support directly by emailing him on ridethewrongwayup@gmail.com Simon has asked me to let you know that he is always available to help or advise anyone who needs an ear, whether they donate or not.

Thinking about suicide? Worried about someone?

STAYALIVE

The Stay Alive app is a free self-help and educational resource, packed full of useful information and tools to help you and others stay safe from suicide. Staying Safe From Suicide

Steps to take when you are feeling suicidal, or you are concerned about someone else

LifeBox

A place to store life-affirming photos

Crisis Support

Quick access to UK national and local crisis support

Safety Plan

A mini-safety plan that can be filled out by anyone thinking about suicide

Endeavour Magazine | 15

16 | Endeavour Magazine

BOTTLING AMBROSIA Amrut Distillery chevron-square-right www.amrutdistilleries.com phone-square +91-80-22236311, 334, 341

Amrut, Hindi for ‘nectar’, ‘ambrosia’ or ‘honeydew’, is an apt name for this Southern Indian distillery, which for the past 70 years has distilled what have come to be globally acclaimed premium spirits. It is particularly well known for its premium and single malt whiskies, which have achieved worldwide recognition and success. We spoke with Rakshit Jagdale, Executive Director of Amrut Distilleries and grandson of its founder, Shri J.N. Radhakrishna Jagdale.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

mrut Distilleries’ history goes back to the start of India’s independence. It was founded in 1948, a year after India obtained its freedom from the UK. It was a period of great celebration and possibility for India, but also a time of difficulty and upheaval. During such a time, founding a business was challenging, but state governments were keen to encourage investment in industries that could grow with the new India. In the state of Karnataka, in South India, one industry that was encouraged was the liquor business. Within this climate, Shri J.N. Radhakrishna founded what was then known as Amrut Laboratories, and 72 years later, this company is a globally respected name in single malt whiskies, and many other beverages besides. “Amrut’s single malt whisky is 100% Indian,” explained Rakshit, Executive Director of Amrut and the third generation of the Jagdale family to be involved in the company. “We’re very proud of that. From barley until it’s bottled, it’s in India.” There are certain countries that are commonly associated with good whisky. For example, Scotland and Ireland might come to mind, or perhaps the southern states of the USA. India and whisky don’t seem like a goEndeavour Magazine | 17

AMRUT DISTILLERY

to combination; we asked Rakshit whether the company has ever run into this sort of assumption whilst taking its product to the global market: “To begin with, in certain countries that we’ve entered, there was a pre-conceived notion that our whisky would not be as good as a Scottish or Irish single malt. It’s been nearly 15 years since we began marketing this product, and we have been able to overcome that.” Once people began to try Amrut’s single malts, their quality spoke for themselves. “At times, it has been difficult, but over time, people have tasted the product and realised that it is exceptionally good quality whisky.” Amrut spread awareness of its products through participation in numerous trade fairs and tastings, and the word quickly spread. So, what sets Amrut’s single malts apart? On top of a carefully executed and high-quality production process, the company produces whiskies with a distinctively Indian flavour:

18 | Endeavour Magazine

“From a taste perspective, I would say our single malt whisky is more on the butterscotch, nutty, chocolatey side. It’s got more of an oak, vanilla, and the flavourable tannins that come through during maturation. It is not floral: it’s mainly on the creamy, chocolatey side.” This pallet sets Amrut’s offerings apart from many other premium-level whiskies, and whilst it might not sound as traditional as a heavily peaty Laphroaig, it’s delicious, and has gained the reputation and prestige of the top tier of single malts. In fact, in 2010, one of the company’s whiskies – Amrut Fusion – received a 97/100 rating from renowned whisky writer Jim Murray. After trying 4000 different whiskies in this process, Murray named Amrut Fusion the third best single malt in the world. This is just one of many accolades that the company has received. According to Rakshit, the spirits market in India has shifted in recent years, with a clear increase in favour for premium products. “What we have witnessed over the past two years is that people are aspiring to drink more quality than quantity. What we’ve seen is the premiumisation of the spirits business in India, where most of our premium products, including our single malts, are acquiring double digit growths. The overall growth of the spirits business in India, however, was only about 1.5% - 2% this year.” We asked Rakshit what he thought was motivating this shift that’s seeing premium products take such a rise in comparison to spirits at large: “I think the affordable incomes have increased. Health and responsible drinking is another reason. It also has to do with prestige and image; if I have a couple of friends over, I should have at least a bottle of single malt whisky on my bar for me to serve.” Younger consumers, Rakshit also shared, are aspiring to drink these premium whiskies, presumably all part of the focus on prestige that more affordable incomes have produced. With this shift taking place, Amrut is of course faring better than ever. That said, the company doesn’t just

AMRUT DISTILLERY

deal in premium beverages. It produces a full spectrum, from economy range right through to its most high-end drinks, representing a total business of around 3,000 million rupees. In Indian alone, the company sells around 5 million cases of spirits per annum, and on top of this main market, it also exports to 44 countries around the world, accounting for around 10% of its total business. A true mark of Amrut’s popularity is the AmrutFever fan club – a group set up by Amrut mega-fan Dennis Steckel of Sweden. “He started the club independently from us. It was his concept and idea. He’s such a huge Amruts fan: he’s an even bigger fan than we are!” Having partnered up with their fan club, Amruts now occasionally produces limited edition whisky just for its members, as well as sharing priority information with them about the availability and release of its different products. “We are very pleased to have such dedicated fans of Amrut globally,” Rakshit told us, and we aren’t

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surprised. To run a successful liquor or spirits business, the aim is to sell the idea of a lifestyle as well as a drink, and this level of enthusiasm and community certainly implies that Amrut has succeeded in doing this. Whilst the focus of Amrut’s reputation is currently strongly on its whiskies, this is by no means the only beverage the distillery company produces. In the 1960s, the company branched into rums, in the ‘70s, brandy, and in the ‘80s, its journey with whisky began. This is set to expand: “Soon, we will be launching an Indian national gin. This will be a premium gin that will hit the market in Europe from June/ July. We’re looking at premium vodka as well moving forwards.” Amrut plans for its gin to utilise the many spices and floral notes unique to India, with a hint of a few ingredients that are being imported from the UK, such as juniper, liquorice root and angelica root. The overall flavour will be a fruity, citrusy and distinctly Indian. According

BOTTLING AMBROSIA

to Rakshit: “It tastes different compared to a traditionally distilled gin.” However, this development doesn’t mean that Amrut has slowed its growth of its whiskies. In 2018, the company’s 70th anniversary, it commissioned a new malt distillery, representing a total investment of around 700 million rupees from construction to details such as the purchase of casks for maturation. New whiskies are constantly being developed and produced, which can sometimes be a lengthy process due to the ageing. For example, in 2016, the company launched India’s oldest single malt to date – the ‘Greedy Angels 12 Years Old - Chairman’s Reserve’. This single malt was prepared in limited quantities and has received popular demand, so the company is looking to use its new distillery to facilitate more longmaturation whiskies in the future. Amrut’s long history has seen it grow alongside an independent India and achieve a global renown that some doubted It could.

Moving forwards, we wouldn’t be surprised if its new spirits are just as well received as the ones that have come before it, and if the premium spirits market continues to explode in India, we can’t wait to see what further developments that could mean for this inventive and dedicated company.

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LIBATIONS IN MACEDONIA Tikves Winery chevron-square-right https://tikves.com.mk phone-square +389 2 3181 700

Tikveš Winery has a history to be proud of and a diverse portfolio of wines to match. Celebrating its 135th anniversary this year, it seemed like high time we spoke with the iconic company, which is the largest in its region and an industry leader in Macedonian vinification.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

he ancient kingdom of Macedonia arose far back in 808 BC, its kings ruling over their dynasty until it became a Roman province in 146 BC. Its rich culture lived on through many evolutions, and even today, certain aspects remain. For example, the modern Republic of North Macedonia still features a full, bursting sun shining on both its flag and emblem, much like the Vergina Sun of the ancient kingdom. It also still enjoys wine. We spoke with Elena Mladenovska-Jelenkovic, Communications Director for Tikveš Winery. Founded in 1885, Tikveš is not only highly accomplished and established in its industry – it is the oldest winery in the country. 2020 marks its 135th anniversary, so we spoke with Elena to learn its story. Elena is just as in love with the romantic, classical origins of Macedonia as we are, as is Tikveš as a whole: “We feel that Tikveš has a unique set of values upon which it builds its position vis-à-vis our competitors. We find these values in many things, starting with the long tradition of Tikveš, rooted in the centuries-old history of wine production in North Macedonia’s largest wine region of the same name, which dates back to the time of the Roman Empire.” Endeavour Magazine | 23

TIKVES WINERY

North Macedonia’s long-standing involvement with wine is thanks in part to its warm climate. “A major advantage of Tikveš comes from the unique combination of climate and soil, suitable for growing quality grapes that produce highly aromatic authentic varieties, such as ‘vranec’ or ‘temjanika’,” Elena explained. “It is also suitable for international varieties of grapes that, when grown in this region receive unique features and make unique blends.” Happily, North Macedonia is also renowned for a diverse range of dairy products, which when combined with wines could make for a blissful sunny afternoon. Cuisine in the country represents a collection of influences – primarily Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, but also including elements of Italian, German and Hungarian palettes. As well as wine, it also has a local beverage, rakija: a native variety of fruit brandy. All in all, this sounds idyllic, and yet when it comes to wine tourism, North Macedonia is not

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the well-trodden soil of California or the South of France. Elena sees this as a positive: “We find it advantageous, in comparison to producers from already known world wine regions, that our country is still a mystical wine country that is yet to be discovered by wine enthusiasts, and the next big surprises are yet to come.” Within this wine culture, Tikveš Winery holds no small place – it is a central cog in the country’s vinification machine. As Elena told us, “As the largest and most innovative winery in the region, Tikveš is the driving force of the Macedonian winemaking industry.” The company’s portfolio includes over 50 varieties of wine, ranging from everyday to premium. Most of the company’s wines are sold under the ‘Tikveš’ brand, including its traditional wines and heritage beverages, but its premium terroir wines are sold under a different brand: ‘Tikveš Châteaux & Domaines’. Between these two brands, the company processes up to 25 million kilograms of grapes, which leads to the production of around 18 million litres of wine a year. To create this huge output, Tikveš owns over 1000 high-quality barrique and oak casks, and has a total fermentation and storage capacity of 416,000 hectolitres. Producing wine in these volumes, it is no surprise that Tikveš is a major contributor to local agriculture: “Tikveš has a substantial footprint on the local grape production. The winery has more than 1,000 hectares of its own vineyards and cooperates with over 2,000 individual grape growers.” There is a close relationship between Tikveš and the growers it works with: for example, in support of these suppliers, the company has developed a training program to ensure that the grapes they produce are always at a high standard. “This implies constant communication and collaboration with them throughout the year, with our field oenologists giving tips on growing grapes and providing continuous education, resulting in better quality yields.” Naturally, 135 years has seen Tikveš go through innumerable changes, but the most significant change in its modern history occurred in 2003 when the winery was acquired by the major Macedonian company, the M6

REDEFINING PACKAGING FOR A CHANGING WORLD DS Smith is a global leading packaging company of customer-specific packaging with emphasis on state-of-the art packaging design and local close to customer facilities. With a product portfolio that includes transit packaging, consumer packaging, displays and promotional packaging, customised protective packaging and industrial packaging, DS Smith answers to each market requirement. Every 7th packaging on the store shelf has been produced by DS Smith. The company employs 29 thousands people across the globe and selling its products across more than 100 countries. In Macedonia DS Smith has the plant in Skopje and employs around 125 people. Our company locally existing more than 72 years in the same industry as a market leader with the market share over 55%. In our portfolio of 250 customers are the biggest companies from FMCG and automotive industry. We have successful cooperation with Tikves winery more than 30 years delivering solutions and innovations as a support in their growth. On top of the local market DS Smith Macedonia serves successfully also customers in Kosovo and Albania” Our customers want broader reaching solutions to their packaging needs; innovation and processes that will help them reduce waste, cost and complexity from their supply chains. By using our expertise from design to production and supply to recycling, we can offer high quality, environmentally friendly, innovative solutions and great service that looks at the whole of our customers’ packaging needs, not just one part. We call this ‘Supply Cycle Thinking’. It is a unified approach to remove complexity from, and simplify, our customers’ supply chains. DS Smith’s Packaging Strategists work in partnership with customers to deliver value through exceptional packaging performance at every stage of the supply cycle. Whatever your packaging needs, we will help you increase sales, lower costs and manage risks.

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TIKVES WINERY

investment Group. Under M6, Tikveš received over €40 million in investments, including new facilities and state-of-the-art technology for the best viticulture practices. Tikveš sells 40% of its wines locally and is one of the market leaders in the Balkan countries, but overall, it exports to 30 markets worldwide. Much of this international interest spiked after M6’s investment: importers from the EU, USA, UK and China began approaching the winery, and today, an amazing 40% of North Macedonia’s wine exports are accounted for by Tikveš. These exports are receiving positive critical acclaim. Tikveš’ wines win an average of 60 medals a year, including a platinum medal at Decanter – the largest wine contest in the world. Tikveš is constantly at work to make sure it maintains and improves upon its reputation. To do so means a keen focus on two areas: predicting the market, and the knowledge of its staff. Between these two areas, Tikveš can attempt to pursue that all-important balance

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between sales and quality. Tikveš’ oenologists develop their experience and knowledge by visiting wine regions in Europe, the United States, and by working in wineries in South Africa and New Zealand. “We have an excellent team of winemakers and we are also assisted by the fact that one of the world’s most famous wine consultants - Philippe Cambie works with us. His tips and direction have a profound impact on all of our production, from the way we grow grapes to the creation of our wines. The unique blends of traditional and international varieties, which are trademarks of Cambie, are also some of our most rewarded and demanded wines, which clearly shows that knowledge, experience and creativity are highly valued in the wine world.” Tikveš is serious in its commitment to the training of its staff. You cannot produce top-tier wines without an educated and informed team, and the winery has made some serious investments to this effect. In

LIBATIONS IN MACEDONIA

“You say Diam, I say Yes!” Romain Jouannais, Wine Merchant, La Cave Spirituelle.

CAVI_VTR_92x138_EN.indd 1

2019, it established a Wine Educator training school that provides WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) courses to its staff, and also to wine enthusiasts and external audiences that work in the related industries. In November 2018, the company even purchased a winery in France - the Château de Gourdon, found in France’s Rhone Valley - with a view to learning from its award-winning processes: “Tikveš has never hidden the desire to learn, compare and compete with the best, which are, of course, French wines,” Elena told us. The acquisition was also a strategic move to position Tikveš in the European wine industry, as well as a development opportunity. The company hopes to further boost the recognition that it feels this winery deserves: “We are convinced that wine enthusiasts around the world have yet to discover the qualities and enjoyment in the Château de Gourdon wines. We have serious plans for the development of the property.”

www.diam-cork.com

15.01.2020 12:08:06

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TIKVES WINERY

Of course, all of this knowledge is meaningless without the other half of the puzzle – awareness of the market’s movements. “The key challenge in the wine business is to determine the vision, i.e. the strategy to be followed for long-term development. This is a very complex task because the decisions you make today regarding grape production will determine the direction of wine production in the next 30 or even 50 years. Due to this, it is important to keep up with the current trends, but also network with the ‘players’ who determine what wine will be preferred in the next 10 or 20 years.” Wine consumption is predicted to increase in Asia, America and Europe over the next decade, which is fantastic news for Tikveš. There are shifts in preferences, though: for example, lighter, smoother wines with a lower alcohol content seem to be on the rise. In responding to this trend, but doing so to a high standard, Tikveš can keep chasing that

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perfect balance of acclaim and sales. However, the country as a whole is not doing this to the extent it could, and this has Elena concerned for the industry: “As a country, only about one third of Macedonian wine exported belongs to the higher price segment, while the rest is sold as bulk and at extremely low prices. This irretrievably brings our wine and viticulture industry to a standstill. Everyone that is familiar with this industry is decisive that North Macedonia can produce top quality wines. However, for this potential to be realised, it is necessary for the country to set a new strategy for development of the industry, following the positive experiences of countries such as Chile, Argentina, New Zealand. Investments in further modernising of the grape production must be seriously increased so that production costs can be reduced.” Moving forwards, Tikveš aims to keep investing funds in its processes, and well as pushing to double its international export reach.

LIBATIONS IN MACEDONIA

It feels optimistic about the future, despite challenges – particularly as North Macedonia stands on the cusp of membership with the EU. “The integration of our country into the European Union will certainly bring a number of benefits and will encourage economic development, including the domestic wine industry. More specifically, we expect that it will have a positive impact on the export of Macedonian wine, especially in EU countries, but also beyond.” “Of course, this is not the only benefit. The integration of the country into the EU brings additional guarantees in terms of respecting the highest standards of production and practically unlimited possibilities for sale on the vast common market of the Union.” Membership in a supportive network is extremely desirable for any country looking to grow in strength on the global stage, and membership with the EU should hopefully, as Elena predicts, be a great boon to North Macedonia. A country with a

rich history and generous natural resources, North Macedonia has much to offer, and can finally offer this to the full if it receives the investment and support it requires. Companies such as Tikveš Winery show what could be possible, and as the EU further allows this entrepreneurial hard work and ingenuity to thrive, we look forward to seeing what both Tikveš and North Macedonia’s wine industry as a whole are able to produce. After all, no matter our local strengths and talents, we are always stronger together than apart.

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ONE WITH THE LAND Fond Doux Plantation & Resort chevron-square-right www.fonddouxresort.com phone-square +1-758-459-7545

Saint Lucia is an island renowned for its natural beauty, even amongst its Caribbean sisters. The crisp beaches and ranging Piton mountains are famous features that attract visitors from the world over, but tucked away within the rainforests of the lush island, there is another striking spot of beauty: the restored, historic authenticity of Fond Doux Resorts.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

e find it hard to stop talking about Fond Doux Resorts: the striking French colonial estate and the working planation that surrounds it are like a scene from another century. 250-years old, the central building has been restored with love and situated amongst a blend of naturally occurring and carefully tended vegetation, its gardens and crops working hand in hand with the surrounding trees to create an oasis of ‘eco-luxury’. ‘Eco-luxury’ is an experience that balances the immersive relaxation and enjoyment of the resort’s guests with a genuine love and care for the land around them, and for the team behind the resort, it is a source of pride. This striking location was a labour of love for owners and founders Lynton and Eroline Lamontagne: the last time we spoke with Eroline, the resort had just weathered a series of hiccups to its construction plans due to the latest storm season. The world has been no stranger to natural disasters the past couple of years, and as well as structural damage and the tragic loss of life, this can impact a country through its tourism trade. As Eroline explained to us then: “The Caribbean islands were heavily impacted by the hurricanes, and so visitors Endeavour Magazine | 31

FOND DOUX PLANTATION & RESORT

were skeptical of traveling to the Caribbean, which greatly affected occupancies across the Caribbean in the summer and autumn months. However, Fond Doux hadn’t let that stop them, and now, their construction efforts have gone ahead as planned. There have been several improvements to both the resort and the planation, such as an extension to its main kitchen, a new entrance to the main office and reception, and additional plants and fruit trees in the resort’s gardens. Most ambitiously, though, the resort has been developing a number of upscale, solar heated cottages, as well expanding the gardens and planation to enhance the natural luxury that attracts visitors. In this expansion of the planation, the team has restored to its original functioning, fruitful state, and with the gardens, the team has concentrated on planting a range of endangered fruit trees on the grounds, in order to protect them and the area’s ecosystem.

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The history of the Fond Doux estate follows a similar path to much of Saint Lucia’s industry: the estate started out as an agricultural plantation, growing a range of crops including coffee, sugarcane, cocoa, cotton, nutmeg and bananas. These crops are all highly desirable, especially bananas, dubbed ‘green gold’ at the time and were a cash crop exported to Britain. However, when Britain became part of the European Union, the Windward Islands lost their preferential treatment in exporting to the UK, and had to instead compete with Latin America. The islands couldn’t keep up with the competition, due largely to acreage and terrain, and Saint Lucian banana farms were forced to adapt. Many diversified into other crops, and some branched out into the tourism trade. Fond Doux took the latter option. In 1999, the estate became a Heritage Tourism site, “offering tours and lunches to cruise ship passengers and tour operators.” At first, the estate only offered tours and food, but since then, it has expanded. In 2006 the plantation erected its first cottage, The Angelina Villa (named after Eroline’s eldest sister Irene Angelina Charlemagne), in the gardens at Fond Doux. “The Angelina Villa originally stood on Waterworks Road in Castries, where it had been neglected for many years, a mere shadow of its former self and due for demolition.” The 160-year old colonial villa was purchased, dismantled and transported to Fond Doux, where it was rebuilt and restored by artisans who specialize in old building techniques. The African Tulip and the Bamboo cottage were also purchased from Monier in Castries and transported to the plantation. Restoring the estate was no simple task, as Eroline explained: “The estate had been abandoned and deserted by the previous owners, so there was a need to bring in water and electricity. The existing infrastructure of the cocoa production and old estate houses had to be treated by pest exterminators and then refurbished back to their former glory. A variety of fruit trees, flowers and plants had to be replanted, and the grounds had to be developed organically.” Once the site was restored, a restaurant and gift shop were added,

ONE WITH THE LAND

and people from the local communities were employed and trained to serve as tour guides to the estate. Today, the resort has gone far beyond a plantation offering tours: it now features a triple-tier swimming pool, a gym and organic spa, gift shops, two on-site restaurants and a wedding gazebo. One of its on-site shops, Plas Cacao, is dedicated to organic chocolate that the resort produces from its plantationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own cacao. Eroline began her career in tourism as an accountant for a neighbouring hotel. After four years in that position, learning the ins and outs of the tourism business via its costs and takings, she opened a small restaurant and boutique along with Lord Glenconner Colin Tennant at the former Jalousie Plantation. It was some time before she came back to tourism: after the plantation was sold, Eroline and her husband Lynton opened a frozen food outlet called Eroline Foods, which expanded into a

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FOND DOUX PLANTATION & RESORT

supermarket that went on to great success. This supermarket is still in operation, and in fact receives produce from the Fond Doux plantation. However, her heart lay in St Lucian culture and heritage. The resort’s spokespersons describe Eroline and her husband’s journey and their shared relationship with the island in these fond terms: “Sharing a deep-rooted passion for the national heritage of their native country, they undertook to carve out a slice of their patrimony that would reflect the love they felt for their roots and Saint Lucian culture.” The couple’s plans were met with doubt by many. For one, the tourism sector at that time was dominated by expatriates, and people questioned whether native Saint Lucians could compete. Additionally, the site, far from the beach and lacking a view of the Pitons, had neither of the key sources of appeal for staying in Soufriere. However, these doubts didn’t account for the Lamontagnes’ passion, nor for the beauty that would be created by their

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vision and love of the land they were working with. Between their respectful preservation of the plantation and the nature around them, their development of the gardens and their painstaking restoration of the main building, the couple created a pocket of paradise. As the resort describes, they “began to transform the land into a place that would not only preserve the integrity of the natural environment that they held so dear, but would also make it a Mecca for those who appreciate the wonders of nature as they were meant to be seen and protected.” The resort is Green Globe certified, meaning it is audited by the organization every year. This ensures that the resort maintains its high standard of green practices year after year, making the Green Globe certification one that you can trust. In keeping with their love of nature and their aim to provide an eco-luxury experience, the resort makes careful efforts to conserve energy and water, as well as to reduce,

ONE WITH THE LAND

reuse and recycle waste. These efforts range from policies such as solar heating and a ban on chemical fertilizers to finer details such as motion sensors, energy-saving light bulbs, and water dispensers to give guests’ plastic bottles reuse value. The resort has also banned the use of single-use plastics, replacing the plastic bags in their gift shop with paper, their disposable plastic cups and cutlery with biodegradable options, and getting rid of plastic straws. These are but some of a multitude of interventions throughout the resort, big and small, and staff are regularly trained to keep them up to speed with the latest standards. As well as looking out for Saint Lucia’s land, Fond Doux also cares about Saint Lucia’s people: the locally-owned company looks after its own, employing a native staff and working with local suppliers, including artists, entertainers and craftspeople. The resort also supports its community through charitable

donations to organisations such as the Piton Lions Club and neighbouring schools. However, one of the resort’s biggest expressions of dedication to Saint Lucia continues to be its mission to purchase and preserve pieces of the island’s architectural heritage. Development of the resort has continued as it began, with the purchase of colonial buildings which are moved, rebuilt and restored in Fond Doux’s gardens, saving them from disrepair and turning them into beloved holiday accommodation. Whilst they are positioned and restored, care is taken to make sure that the buildings and nature work in harmony. Considerations, including lining windows and balconies up with the rising and setting of the sun, and the direction of the wind, not only optimize guest enjoyment but also reduce their need for lighting and air conditioning. Due to this care and dedication, and in recognition of its restoration work and

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FOND DOUX PLANTATION & RESORT

remarkable commitment to the environment, Fond Doux was visited by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. This prestigious acknowledgement was but one of many such moments of well-earned recognition for Fond Doux Resorts: in 2017, the company received the World Luxury Award as a Luxury Hideaway Resort, and in 2018 it received the World Luxury Award for the North America Luxury Hideaway Resort. However, by far the most prestigious recognition has been Eroline’s receipt of an MBE from Prince William of Wales for her outstanding achievement and service to the business community. Moving forwards, the resort aims to increase its sustainability efforts even further, including working closely with suppliers for the complete ban of plastic bottles. However, Lamontagne’s biggest plans lie in the resort’s continuing expansion. Whatever they go on to achieve, they will do so with the same values, attention to detail and love of the land that has defined

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the resort thus far. As their team lovingly described: “Fond Doux has remained remarkably in step with the economic development of Saint Lucia, including making the harrowing leap from the agricultural pillar to the agri-tourism post. Fond Doux has come a long way, but it has always been true to its humble beginnings, and stands as a fine example of the resilience, creativity and resolve.”

AMAZING WORLD

COLD BEAUTY

The Mendenhall Valley is located only 12 miles from Juneau, the capital city of Alaska, so it is somewhat alarming to realise that it is home to a very special glacier that is, in itself, some 13 miles long. Originally called Sitaantaagu (“glacier behind the town”) and Aak’wtaaksit (“glacier behind the little lake”), Mendenhall Glacier is protected as a unit of the Tongass National Forest and hides a stunning secret below the frozen surface. The Mendenhall Ice Caves are accessible only by taking a kayak to the edge of the ice before clambering over part of the glacier, but they are worth the effort. Formed from awe-inspiring blue ice, which gives them an otherworldly look, it will not just be the chill that has a lasting impression on you. The beauty of the ice’s varying shades is a treat for the eyes and, as it melts, certain areas within the caves are beset by glacial rain that falls into sometimes fast-moving streams. These magnificent caves are in danger, however, due to the warming climate in 38 | Endeavour Magazine

by David Kimberley Southeast Alaska causing the glacier to retreat; yet another casualty of climate change. It is possible that there may be a period of stabilisation or reduced retreat: when the warmer, moist air is carried up to the head of the icefield, colder ambient temperatures would then cause it to turn to snow, which in turn would feed the icefield and cancel out the amount melting at the terminus. However, this could happen only if temperatures do not continue to climb drastically year-on-year. The Juneau Icefield is the fifth largest in North America, extending through an area of 1,500 square miles, and many people living near the glacial regions rely on them for fresh drinking water. When this source dries up, it will never return, so new sources are already being discussed in light of the melting icefield. Anchorage relies on the Eklutna glacier for their freshwater, so the idea of losing their main source is understandably causing concern. Surprisingly, there are benefits to the recession of the Mendenhall Glacier – namely,

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the forming of the Mendenhall Lake, which is a result of the run-off from the glacier and is increasing in size as the melt continues. First forming in 1929, the lake is now of such a size that it has its own unique ecosystem and is a nursery for several types of fish, including salmon, char and trout. In 2012, tree stumps and logs with roots still attached began to appear beneath the melting ice, preserved in their original position by a protective layer of gravel. Uncovering this find excited scientists, who have been quick to study them to learn more about the ecosystem from a time before the glacier formed. One scientist by the name of Cathy Connor reported finding that the oldest stumps to emerge from beneath the ice dated back as far as 2,350 years ago. This emergence of the ancient forest gives rise to conflicting feelings: on the one hand, scientists do not wish the ice to dwindle any further, both for the sake of the local people and for the survival of the caves; on the other hand, there are many more exciting discoveries just waiting to be unearthed beneath the ice.

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The United States Forest Service operates the popular Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center as part of the Tongass National Forest, offering informative and diverse programs throughout the year for both adults and children. This center offers fantastic views of a calving glacier and receives up to 500,000 visitors each year. Programs include the history of the glacier and facts regarding climate change, including how this affects the ecosystem. There are also extensive talks and exhibits on the wildlife that can be found in the region, from mountain goats and black bears through to the fish of the Mendenhall Lake. While many believe the icefields, glaciers and stunning caves will be around for years to come, it is becoming clear that the increased temperatures will ensure that generations of the future will never see such natural phenomena in Alaska and indeed across the world. It is another stark reminder that such cold beauty could one day only be seen in the history books.

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PIONEERS OF AEROSPACE AIAC chevron-square-right https://aiac.ca phone-square +(613) 232-4297

Striving to maintain Canada as a global aerospace champion, the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada balances beneficial professional relationships with innovation to generate the ideal circumstances for growth and success.

Written by Amy Buxton

or over fifty years, the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada has worked with its members to develop what is today the fifth-largest national aerospace sector in the world. By collaborating with industry and government to develop products, services, programs and policies that enhance Canadian aerospace companies, AIAC helps the industry to invest, innovate and develop best-in-class capabilities in the civil, defence and space sectors. Jim Quick was appointed President & CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada in 2011. Under his leadership, AIAC has worked closely with federal and provincial governments to strengthen the Canadian aerospace industry’s competitiveness both at home and abroad. “Aerospace stands as one of our country’s proudest achievements, providing nearly 215,000 jobs and $25.5 billion annually to the Canadian economy. By building the fifth-largest aerospace industry on the planet, the Canadian aerospace sector is a true source of pride for Canadians. But it’s also a sector facing increasingly fierce global competition,” said Mr. Quick. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that there are a number of exciting initiatives Endeavour Magazine | 43

AIAC

already being put into practice to benefit the Canada’s aerospace industry in coming years. Most recently, Mr. Quick led AIAC’s launch of Vision 2025, a plan that charts a course for industry and government to ensure Canada’s continued leadership in the global aerospace sector, setting new growth targets for aerospace employment, GDP contribution and exports. This Vision 2025 was launched just over a year ago in an effort to highlight the ever-growing importance of this industry to Canada’s government and members of the House of Commons generally. This panCanadian initiative has started a new dialogue to protect Canadian jobs and secure Canada’s future as an international aerospace champion. AIAC has been travelling across the country for more than a year engaging members, federal and provincial governments and the more than 200,000 employees that depend on aerospace. This endeavour led to the creation of a comprehensive report that

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outlined a number of recommendations for the continued growth and stability of the industry, which has been used to plan future strategies. Securing Canada’s future as a global aerospace champion is the highest priority for AIAC and one that has long been on the cards, as the Hon. Jean Charest, Chair of Vision 2025, reminded us: “80 years ago, Canada’s decision makers committed to making the country a global leader in aerospace. They were visionaries. The time has come for us to renew that commitment,” said Mr. Charest. What happened all those years ago, you might be wondering? Canada had an energised contingent of political and industrial leaders, both of which pooled their resources and enthusiasm to leap on an opportunity to maximise the country’s technological and monetary advantages. The global aerospace industry was still relatively small and those in powerful positions recognised that Canada had more than just the requisite technologies to get involved. Being in such close proximity to the United States also afforded a number of extra advantages and so, Canada joined the space race. What followed was a period of industry change and development that moved exponentially faster and more competitively than anybody could have predicted, bringing us to now and a need for Canada to stay at the forefront. Times have changed, rapidly. Powerful new and competing economies have entered the market; disruptive technologies are reshaping the industry at an accelerating pace. What hasn’t changed is the need for vision, investment and partnership. Canada is at a critical turning point – if it is to remain a global aerospace champion, it needs a bold new vision for the industry, fully aware of the new realities and building on its strengths to keep it at the forefront of discovery and innovation. AIAC feels that Vision 2015 is that plan: it is charting a new course. Despite enjoying impressive rankings in terms of global manufacturing of flight simulators and business aircraft production, there is no room for complacency. Every member of the AIAC, from small through to large and experienced

PIONEERS OF AEROSPACE

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AIAC

companies, understands that nothing can be taken for granted and that a historically successful operation cannot survive in legacy alone. As if to reinforce this stark warning, employment rates within Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aerospace sector has decreased by 5% and the sector itself contributes 4% less to the GDP, since 2012. So, what can be done? A vital element is increasing spending and investment by appealing not only on a domestic level, but also globally, to the right companies and backers. This is a cornerstone of the Vision 2025 initiative and calls for every stakeholder to come together and commit to thrusting Canada forward into the marketplace. Vision 2025 will be the catalyst for this new approach to Canadian aerospace growth and leadership, if government and industry work together and make this an urgent priority. The priorities and areas for increased collaboration identified in AIACâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report represent steps that must be taken if Canada is to seize the

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opportunities that lie ahead. With the rising global middle class, the demand for aircraft is predicted to double in the next 15 years. There is also an expected increase in military spending and a greater worldwide commitment to space. By making the right decisions today, AIAC feels that Canada will have a major share of this growth. With the right collaborative partners on board, AIAC is confident Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aerospace sector can generate an extra $7 billion in GDP contributions, offer 55,000 extra jobs and create $4.5 billion in exports, but the going will still be tough, as success hinges on the meeting of six identified priorities. Covering the allimportant issues of providing proper support for the workforce, backing for a number of small and medium enterprises, grasping chances to innovate new technologies, investing in Transport Canada, maximising leadership opportunities and securing government partnerships, these priorities are critical. The

PIONEERS OF AEROSPACE

AIAC shows no signs of backing away from this self-appointed challenge – if anything it is more determined than ever. AIAC’s goal is to define a common vision and priorities for the industry and then identify opportunities for greater industry–government collaboration to achieve our targets. Those opportunities require the redoubling of its efforts to pursue success not only for the industry, but for Canada as a whole. In the coming months, AIAC’s technical committees will engage with government partners to ensure the collaborative ideas set out are acted upon. The association feels that the possibilities are endless with this new collaboration: with industry and government working together to realise a shared vision, it believes that Canada’s leadership in the global aerospace industry will be secured. Aims without vision are futile, just as actions without commitment are fruitless, but the AIAC suffers neither of these common business

maladies. Seemingly, the only thing standing between it and celebrated success for the Canadian aerospace industry is time, but with a clear roadmap as to how every minute will be put to good use, there is little doubt that 2025 will see the realisation of an ambitious, pridefuelled vision.

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A BEAM OF LIGHT SAPVIA chevron-square-right www.sapvia.co.za phone-square +27(0)11 553 7264

Now more than ever, we need green initiatives to take some of the load from non-renewable energy production, if we are to have any hope in helping our planet deal with climate change. Thankfully, groups such as the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association exist to encourage authorities at every level to commit to the cause. Endeavour Magazine took a closer look at this dedicated group of industry experts to find out exactly how they plan to drive South Africa forward, now and in the future.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer and Amy Buxton

se the word ‘photovoltaics’ and you might find that many people take on a perplexed look, but for the sake of simplicity, they can be explained as any technology that collects the sun’s energy and converts it into usable electricity. It sounds fairly straightforward when you put it like that, but to become an expert in this field takes time, experience and passion; things that every member of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has in abundance. SAPVIA was initiated with a strict mandate in mind. When you learn what the covenant is, it comes as no surprise that everyone is committed to upholding it: “The association aims to represent the PV industry before provincial and national authorities, as well as government, to promote a higher penetration of the technology, and to advise key decision makers on the most adequate policies to develop a sustainable PV market.” The key word there is ‘sustainable’. With each passing year, the price tag attached to sustainable energy lowers, thanks to the technology developing and becoming cheaper to produce, and thanks to more areas already Endeavour Magazine | 49

SAPVIA

having laid down the initial infrastructure. However, it is still not without its cost, and whilst some countries may have begun this journey a decade or two ago, South Africa is still relatively near the beginning of its journey. Therefore, it still needs funding and support. So, why is this technology considered to be so vital? “Photovoltaic energy is clean, cost effective and distributed. Photovoltaics have a wide range of applications and are extremely versatile and modular. The same technology can be used as an individual panel for supplementing consumption in a residential home or as a vast collection of panels, making up a utility scale power generation facility, mega-watts in size.” Clean, sustainable energy for all, reduced household running costs for all, and even more impressive, the commercial potential ready to be exploited, if the industry can be properly regulated, funded and promoted. Enter SAPVIA, as well as the team of longstanding industry

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savants that are ready to take on the legislative, administrative and promotional duties required in the name of progress: “SAPVIA is governed by a board of seven commissioners and a Chairperson elected democratically on an annual basis by its members at the Annual General Meeting. From within its ranks the management board elects the Vice-Chairperson, Treasurer and Spokesperson. SAPVIA also has a secretariat, which is the Executive Manager and an office administrator. The secretariat has two main departments: communication and policy work. The communications department deals with all matters relating to the collection and transfer of information between members and target audiences, such as public or government institutions. The policy department is responsible for organising and collaborating technical information to be used in supporting the objectives and messages of the association.”

A BEAM OF LIGHT

As with any new initiative, the key to garnering much needed support is through education, and that’s exactly what SAPVIA is all about. Ready and willing to preach about the virtues of photovoltaics and what they represent in terms of green potential, the Association is helping South Africa to take great strides forward, into the future. So how does it describe its ultimate end goal? “SAPVIA is a not-for-profit body that consists of active players in South Africa’s photovoltaic market who have a genuine, invested presence in the country. The association is devoted to promoting the growth of the country’s solar photovoltaic electricity market and aims to contribute to the country’s renewable energy roll-out.” In addition to the eco-credentials of South Africa looking set to be improved, there is also a ground-up benefit to be felt - something that everyday citizens will be affected and excited by right from the start. While it might take some

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SAPVIA

time for energy costs to be reduced, there is huge potential for the green energy sector to create thousands of economy-supporting jobs: “SAPVIA was a signatory to The Green Economy Accord, which was launched at COP17 2015. The Green Economy Accord is an agreement between government, business and labour, committing each to tangible targets in achieving low carbon-based economic development growth through renewable energy. SAPVIA gave input specifically relating to the job creation potential of the Renewable Energy Industry.” The Association truly is vital. Left to fend for itself in a sea of other new directives and ideas, photovoltaics would simply drown. The team at SAPVIA are the all-important lifebelt, helping the industry to rise above and be seen as the potential saviour of the South African energy sector. The importance of providing this advocate and clear voice is especially true when we take into account the other

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associations that exist, with long-established connections and vested interest in promoting non-renewable energy options. With this sort of competition at play. SAPVIA’s mission is not a task that can be taken lightly. Constantly challenging the Government to get on board, asking for commercial support and seeking to facilitate connections between influential potential partners all takes time, but every member of the Association is glad to donate their expertise. The power of the sun might look set to change the face of the South African energy market forever, but it’s the powerhouse of passionate industry experts that constitute SAPVIA that are the real shining grace here, and their future looks bright.

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ANCHORING THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY Six Brothers Foodstuff Co chevron-square-right www.six-bros.com phone-square +971 6 533 9644

A significant name in the seafood industry for 25 years, Six Brothers Foodstuff Co has an impressive roster of clients that appreciate the quality, commitment and expertise that only a worldclass operation can offer.

Written by Amy Buxton

ounded back in 1982, by Mr. Shereen Zaman, Six Brothers Foodstuff Co (“Six Brothers”) was brought into being with a specific goal in mind – to improve the processing, import, export and wholesale elements of the fresh seafood industry, within a HORECA context. To immediately focus on the GCC hotel/ restaurant/café sector showed ambition, but as Ayaz Zaman, Procurement & Marketing Manager revealed, without risk, there can be no reward: “Immense amount of risk should be involved in every action that you take - playing safe wouldn’t take you anywhere near success.” According to Ayaz, this daring approach, when used in conjunction with proven and effective leadership is the key to success, along with careful financial control and a rather unique take on premises use. Within one production property there are three separate divisions, each of which has been specifically built and is owned in full by Six Brothers, including the land. By doing this, financial liabilities have been removed from the business premises and further investigation revealed that there are zero liabilities in all other areas too. Ayaz explained the positive impact of such a business model, which has directly Endeavour Magazine | 55

SIX BROTHERS FOODSTUFF CO contributed to Six Brothers setting itself apart from competitors: “Our vast amount of experience and goods keeps us apart from our competitors and our company operates with in-house funding. We don’t have any liabilities, with no bank services being used to run our operation. Everything is owned by the company, nothing is leased. This gives us an edge in terms of our product pricing to our customers.” Naturally seeking to keep everything as ‘inhouse’ as possible, the breakdown of divisions starts to make perfect sense. Alongside a staff accommodation area, the first division is dedicated to all office interests and helps to remove distracting administration concerns from the everyday production scene, which is housed in division two. With a daily processing and freezing capacity of 20 tonnes and 800 tonnes of cold storage, this is no small facility, thus it is supported by a suitably large fleet of 12 transportation lorries. Naturally, these are an in-house addition, with trained drivers being

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just as much a part of the Six Brothers family as those on the processing line. Full HACCP and ISO accredited, the Six Brothers production facility is state of the art and it needs to be. Handling a large variety of seafood, each demanding different processing stages, the facility has been designed to allow for optimum productivity and a natural flow between each station and process: “Our company currently purchases fresh seafood and we process the fish. A whole fish is processed into either steaks/whole gutted/ fillets deboned, while prawns are processed as headless skin-on/headless skinless/peeled and deveined. Lobsters are processed as headless tail with skin/headless skinless meat. After the cleaning process, the seafood is blast frozen at -40° until the core of the seafood achieves -28°. The product is then vacuum packed and stored in our cold stores, with a shelf life of 1 year. We currently carry 38 varieties of seafood products.” This might sound like a complicated and all-inclusive list of daily tasks, but when you consider the competitive nature of the clients being served, the need to offer as many varieties and preparations of seafood as possible comes into clear view. From 5* restaurants and hotels to international airports, hospitals and even armed forces, the end users are discerning, to say the least, so there is no room for error or complacency. Moreover, the food industry is always growing, evolving and embracing new competitive elements, so those at the top of their game, like Six Brothers, need to take appropriate steps to stay there. In terms of adapting to new standards and customer demands, Six Brothers is facing concerns surrounding environmental and sustainability issues. Ayaz confirmed that this is an area being given a lot of consideration, with close monitoring of potentially industrydamaging practices that are prevalent: “First and foremost, the main threat to our industry is pollution. We are dependent on seafood in the sea. The amount of waste that is being dumped in the seas globally is affecting the nature of the habitat and year-on-year, numbers of fish are decreasing.”

ANCHORING THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY Ayaz notes that irresponsible illegal fishing is a major contributing cause to the issues and while this isn’t something that Six Brothers can eradicate, the company can seek to instil pride and integrity into its own team. Standing at 55-strong, the entire staffing contingent of Six Brothers are classified as food handlers, meaning that mandatory Good Hygiene Practice training has to be completed annually. In addition to this, all processing staff are given QC refresher training, every six months. Supporting the staff with regular training allows each person to work with authority and confidence and also improves their chances at promotion, as Ayaz confirmed; “Our company emphasises promoting from within and our approach is for every person to go through each and every activity on the operation line and have first-hand experience of everything.” With responsible operating practices in place, an envy-inducing client book and a small team of professionals that increase their skill and knowledge levels every year, through in-

house training, Six Brothers could be in a perfect position for expansion, but Ayaz explained that growth is not a top priority right now. “Due to the global economic repercussions of 2017, we have been very conservative in terms of our expansion plans and activities. Instead, we are taking precautions which will help us sail through the current economic slowdown safely and thus, for now, there are no growth plans. Definitely when normalcy resumes, we will be developing our operation.” Measured risk is one thing in the pursuit of success, but having already accomplished so much, now is not the time for Six Brothers to put it all on the line. Instead, the company is taking a more cautious approach, as opposed to rocking the boat, which is exactly what you would expect from an anchor of the seafood industry.

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EXPERT SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG Hongkong Shipowners chevron-square-right http://hksoa.org phone-square (852) 2520 0206

Supporting Hong Kong’s shipping industry through multiple strategic approaches and specialist partnerships, the Hong Kong Shipowners Association has enjoyed fast growth and global recognition since its formation in 1957.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

aving identified a need for dialogue and mutual support, 11 shipowners came together to create a forum for their interests. That was in 1957, when the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (“HKSOA”) was first incorporated and since then, what was an intimate forum has grown into one of the world’s largest shipowners groups. Today, the HKSOA represents members that own and/or manage a total deadweight carrying capacity in excess of 182 million tonnes and offers two distinct tiers of membership, allowing more than just shipowners to benefit from the collective’s experience, as Sandy Chan, Managing Director, revealed: “There are two categories of membership: ‘Ordinary’ membership for Hong Kong domiciled shipowners, managers and operators; and ‘Associate’ membership for other professions and services upon whom the industry would rely in the performance of their business.” By bringing two different yet intrinsically connected factions of the same industry together, under the umbrella of an association, everybody benefits, from the members themselves to those who require their services. The reason for such far-reaching positive Endeavour Magazine | 59

HONGKONG SHIPOWNERS

results? Sandy believes it is the nature in which the HKSOA encourages and facilitates communication and collaboration: “The Association arranges forums in which members are able to meet and discuss issues of concern, informs the membership of important changes in the shipping environment through educational seminars and circulars, and represents the interests of members in national and international fora.” Operating at the behest of a mission to protect the interests of all members, solidify Hong Kong as a maritime superpower and promote value-added services for the general public, the HKSOA now operates on a number of levels, including internal, local, national and global. Each level requires vast amounts of dialogue and plays a vital role in the overall aims of the Association, the most important being the acknowledgement of being a recognised and respected voice for the shipping sector.

Great Harvest Maeta Group offers worldwide marine transportation services to its customers through chartering out its vessels for transportation of dry bulk cargoes. With its headquarters based in Hong Kong, all vessels of its fleet are registered under the laws and flag of Hong Kong and are hired out under time charterers for a contractual period of time. The Group attributes its success to the following key competitive strengths: • Experienced management with a proven track record • Relatively young fleet to meet customers’ needs • High standard of maintenance to offer safe and reliable fleet Tel: (852) 2836 6801 Fax: (852) 2575 6861 E-mail: info@greatharvestmg.com Address: 12/Floor, The Sun’s Group Centre, 200 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong www.greatharvestmg.com

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Internally, the HKSOA hosts events for members that serve to inform new developments, which are then relayed locally, to relevant government departments and stakeholders. Taking conversations to a national level requires close working relationships with mainland authorities, other associations and business partners and finally, international information sharing consolidates all of the hard work completed on a smaller scale: “At the international level, the Association is well known as the “Voice of Asia”. We support the principles of free trade, fair competition and a level-play field, and we participate actively in the global and regional maritime arenas. Presently, both the Marine Committee of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Ship Insurance and Liabilities Committee of the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) are chaired by HKSOA representatives.” Having become woven into the fabric of the shipping industry over the last 63 years, the HKSOA has seen a great deal of industry instability, with 2019 being a particularly challenging year. The trade disputes, coupled with stunted global economic growth meant that many shipowners felt the pinch, but then came the 2020 shipping sulphur cap to make things even more challenging. Sandy recognises these difficulties for the industry and is resolved to assist: “In the new year, it is even more important for the Association, as a trade organisation representing the local shipping community, to continue to do things that are positive and encouraging.” This brings us to the future. What has the HKSOA got planned, in terms of helping its members through the mire of industry uncertainty? A great deal as it happens, much of which is a continuation of carefully laid groundwork. This is particularly true when it comes to enhanced global collaboration, as the International Chamber of Shipping has accepted the HKSOA’s offer to host a representative office, namely the International Chamber of Shipping (China) Liaison Office, away from London, cementing Hong Kong as a leading maritime entity in the region.

EXPERT SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG

The Hong Kong Shipowners Association Race Day held in January 2018, as part of the HKSOA 60th anniversary celebrations.

The HKSOA hosted a year-long celebration to commemorate its 60th anniversary, with a kick-off ceremony in November 2017. Endeavour Magazine | 61

HONGKONG SHIPOWNERS

Another future focal point to identify is next generation shipping professionals. Not enough is being done to encourage young people to follow a career into the industry and Sandy reflected on how this should change: “Grooming young talent is especially crucial for the shipping industry as the sector is experiencing a period of unprecedented change on all fronts – operational, technical, commercial, legal and financial. We must have the right people to cope with these changes. In the years ahead, the Association will work closely with both the government and member companies in maritime education and training.” Involvement in a significant Greater Bay Area (GBA) development plan is also an exciting long-term initiative that would transform Hong Kong’s shipping industry into a modern, innovative and efficient enterprise. Two months ago, the HKSOA hosted its first GBA Forum in the annual Hong Kong Maritime Week to explore the growth potentials for, and business opportunities of, the GBA for maritime and

maritime services sectors. It was well received, and the HKSOA is planning another one this year. Sandy is also keen to highlight a recent success of Hong Kong. In the past few years, the HKSOA has been working hard in seeking BIMCO’s (The Baltic International Maritime Council) agreement to add Hong Kong as a named arbitration venue in the dispute resolution clause in the BIMCO’s standard contract. In December 2019, BIMCO accepted the suggestion that Hong Kong be included as a named arbitration venue in its Dispute Resolution Clause in the standard contract. “We are very pleased with this announcement. The arrangement will further boost the use of Hong Kong’s maritime arbitration services worldwide, and consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a leading, international maritime centre.” The importance of this should not be underestimated. BIMCO is an international shipping association with members in more

The HKSOA hosted the ASA and ICS AGM back-to-back in Hong Kong in May 2018, followed by a golf tournament for the delegates. 62 | Endeavour Magazine

EXPERT SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG

than 120 countries. To be an important part of such an enterprise will raise the profile of Hong Kongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maritime industry no end, whilst adding credence to the work being done by the HKSOA. By actively seeking out new and important global relationships, nurturing the shipping industry professionals of the future and always retaining a local connection, the HKSOA is maintaining a difficult balancing act. Protecting the interests of those members that look to the Association for support now and being ready for what lies ahead requires significant expertise, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly what the HKSOA is built on.

The HKSOA Annual Cocktail Reception in November 2019, which also marked the launch of the ICS representative office in Hong Kong. Endeavour Magazine | 63

AMAZING WORLD

TANBO ART

love rice, whether it is alongside a delicious lentil dhal, holding my avocado maki together, or as a lovely steaming bowl of rice pudding with a blob of jam…I just can’t get enough! The cereal grain is a particularly versatile staple in most people’s diets across the globe today. Originating in Asia and grown for thousands of years in rice paddy fields, it is the third most popular global agricultural commodity, only after sugarcane and maize. However, rice transcends its edible state: it can be art too! In the village of Inakadate, on the northern reaches of Japan’s largest island, Honshu, large-scale rice paddy art came into fruition. In 1993, Inakadate was looking to revitalize the area and wanted to boost tourism in the village. A council was held called the ‘Village Revitalization Promotion Council’. They thought long and hard about what aspects defined the area, their conclusion – rice. The production of rice is crucial to the economy of Inakadate, they sell a local brand of rice called ‘Tsurugaotome’ and the village is surrounded by luscious rice paddy fields. Someone who was involved in the revitalization plan had seen a local school that had a rice paddy field that was striped with three different colours of rice plant. Then the light-bulb moment came, they realised that they could utilise these areas, and make art! There are many different varieties of rice, so by using up to thirteen different rice 64 | Endeavour Magazine

by James Lapping plants, they could create a colour palette of seven colours. The village usually creates two designs each year, and these murals are approximately 15,000-square-metres in size. The murals celebrate Japanese folklore and local heritage and depict scenes from film and popular culture. They started off in 1993 with a simple design of the nearby mountain, Mount Iwaki, with the words ‘Rice Culture Village Inakadate’ underneath. They repeated this design for ten years but in 2003, they realized that they weren’t fulfilling the full potential of their artistic endeavours. The first ambitious piece they created was the Mona Lisa, however this was met with mixed reviews, due to the warped perspective from the viewing points, and the fact it made her look fat! Since then, they have done designs of geisha, Godzilla, and Gone with the Wind! It is now an incredibly important aspect of life in the village, each year everyone meets up at the town hall to decide on which designs they should do next. They pick two each year – in 2018 they did characters from the manga and anime, Astroboy; 2017 consisted of the Japanese legend Yamato no Orochi (an eightforked serpent) battling Susanno, the Shinto god of stormy seas; and in 2015 and 2016 they depicted BB-8, C-3PO and R2-D from the Star Wars franchise, and the king of monsters, Godzilla! The process takes around 3 months

from planning to planting. Town officials will make basic concepts, and then local art teacher, Atsushi Yamamoto, draws up a design. A local survey company assists by using computer aided design to make a blueprint, this ensures that the viewing perspective of the design is correct for the main observation decks. Markers are then placed in the field and sectioned off with different colours of rope to show where to plant each colour of rice. The final step is to plant the rice – this happens in early June. Volunteers from the city all come together and sow the seeds by hand. Thousands of people from the village and the surrounding areas come together to plant the rice by hand. In Inakadate, one of the canvases is on display outside of the town hall. There are viewing platforms on the 4th and 6th floor of this beautiful structure that resembles a Japanese temple. There is also another canvas that is visible from the train station in the village. Due to the foot traffic that was coming into the village due to the vast popularity of the art pieces, this train station and the observation deck adjacent to it were built especially so that they could display a second design and get

tourists into the village with ease. Therefore, this train station is only open from April-November. These spectacular designs are visible from mid/late June to October, but it is advised to visit them in July or August when the colours will be most vivid. Inakadate now has wide recognition across the whole country, and globally too. The village is instantly associated with rice paddy art. It is extremely popular and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region. Recently, almost half a million people each year have come to admire these incredible collective efforts. They succeeded in their effort to boost tourism in the village, and this has now led to other attractions being opened in the village so people can make a day, or even a weekend of their trip. Other areas of Japan, such as the city of Gyoda near Tokyo, have even started competing with Inakadate by making their own rice paddy murals. Tanbo Art is very time consuming, relies on a collective effort, and demands precision - a truly admirable feat. Each year they manage to up their game, so we can’t wait to see what 2020 brings for Inakadate’s rice paddies!

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A NEW YEAR Perseus Mining chevron-square-right https://perseusmining.com/ phone-square +61 8 6144 1700

In 2012, Perseus Mining began operations at its first site, the Edikan Gold Mine in Ghana. Now, Perseus has branched out beyond its original ‘single-mine, singlejurisdiction’ limits; with two new sites in the Côte d’Ivoire, the company is operating or developing three promising locations and continues to investigate potential for even more. We spoke with Jeff Quartermaine, Managing Director and CEO, to learn about this new portfolio and why Perseus has created such a stable position.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

erseus Mining acquired its latest project, the Yaouré Gold Project, when it took over AIM-listed company Amara Mining PLC back in April 2016. “At that time,” Jeff told us, “Amara was a junior company who had drilled this deposit out and were promoting it as the best undeveloped project in West Africa. It wasn’t quite as huge as they believed it was, but it’s still a very good project.” Perseus spent the first two years after acquiring Amara securing licensing and doublechecking Amara’s results and exploration work, which involved around 80,000 metres of confirmatory drilling. This drilling confirmed Perseus’s amended estimates on Amara’s original results, which were the estimates upon which Perseus acquired Amara. The confirmation complete, Perseus is now “very comfortable that this is a robust and accurate estimate”. The acquisition of Amara was, Jeff told us, “part of a very deliberate strategy on our part to diversify the company away from our first operation and get multiple exposures in multiple jurisdictions. We were keen to diversify away from being a single-mine company.” At the time, Perseus was already developing its first project in Côte d’Ivoire, Sissingué, which Endeavour Magazine | 67

PERSEUS MINING

was its second project in total, and had been its first venture into a new territory. We asked Jeff about the company’s experience in achieving its aim and reaching out into a new country: “Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana couldn’t be more different, even though they share a common border. One was a British colony and one was a French colony. Operating in Côte d’Ivoire is more bureaucratic and more process driven than Ghana. Clearly, there are language differences there, but we work very well with them – we have very good people on the

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ground. However, Côte d’Ivoire is relatively underexplored and there are only about four or five operating mines in the country, as opposed to Ghana, which has years of history with mining.” Each country offers its pros and cons – what Côte d’Ivoire offers in smooth systems, Ghana offers in experience. Operating in Ghana is tried and tested, both for the country and for Perseus, but in Côte d’Ivoire, there is an opportunity to grow together as both country and company explore new horizons. Whilst mining experience is thin on the ground in Côte d’Ivoire, it seems this industry is on the rise there: “There’s been a few explorers into Côte d’Ivoire in recent years, and that’s due to a very proactive effort from the current government to open up the borders and to make investment an attractive proposition for incoming people,” Jeff says. Building this new relationship with Côte d’Ivoire was a task Perseus took seriously, and approached through the principle of reliability. “I think having a clearly defined set of values stands us in good stead. We have a fundamental philosophy of doing what we say we’re going to do. I think we’ve earned the respect of the government with our first mine [in Côte d’Ivoire]. We said we were going to build it, we did, and did it very well. We said we were going to invest heavily in the local community and to employ people locally, we’ve done all of those things and it’s very visible. Having earned the respect of the government, getting our second property license wasn’t difficult.” Perseus’s newest mine, Yaouré, is contracted to go into operation in January 2021. In developing Yaouré mine, Perseus not only undertook its confirmatory drilling, but also expanded its reach and conducted additional drilling around the outskirts of known deposits. The company’s findings indicate there is significant underground potential on the site, adjacent to one of the existing pits. Whilst Perseus itself currently only operates open-cut mines, many of its leadership have experience in underground mining operations, so branching the company out in this new direction would be a return to established knowledge for many.

A NEW YEAR

In 2020, Perseus intends to continue exploring this underground potential with a tool that should greatly assist the accuracy of the Company’s results: technology developed by a company called HiSeis, which allows explorers to conduct accurate 3D seismic surveys in potential deposit sites. “It’s not dissimilar to what’s being used in the oil industry, except it’s being applied to hard rock. It’s being used successfully in Australia, and has been part of why the Australian mining is doing so well at the moment – these guys have been able to locate deep, deep structures and have been able to target their drilling.” Through HiSeis, Perseus will gain a far more accurate view of what underground potential its sites have, with the hope it can develop these underground sites in order to greatly extend the mine-life of its properties. Perseus isn’t stopping there, however. The company also intends to expand exploration efforts into greenfields areas, potentially in

different countries, to further expand the company’s portfolio. “In the longer-term, we’d like to have four of five operations, spread between three or four countries. However, the objective is not about size - it’s about profitability for all of the stakeholders that we have. “It’s a very difficult business – there’s no two ways around it. You face many challenges, particularly when you have operations in Africa. You’ve got to be resilient, and you’ve got to be able to work your way through those issues, and if you can, it can be extremely rewarding.” Just as Perseus’s attitude to building a relationship with the Côte d’Ivoire was based on reliability, so too is its approach to bonding with the local communities it works within. In both Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, Perseus is actively involved in various CSR projects around their mine locations. In Côte d’Ivoire, this is mandatory – 5% of a mining company’s revenue must go into a trust fund that is then

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PERSEUS MINING

administered by a local prefect and used to help the local area. However, Perseus goes above and beyond this in all territories. “It’s good for us. It’s very simple, really; if the community is happy, then your workforce is happy, and if your workforce is happy, then they’re productive,” Jeff says. The communities in Côte d’Ivoire took longer to warm to Perseus than in Ghana, as there isn’t that same established history of mining, and therefore local residents didn’t know what to expect. However, by providing support and living up to their same standard of reliability, Perseus turned that around. “I think at first, the community were skeptical about what we might bring, but we’ve been able to prove that we’re worthwhile people to have in their midst. At the end of the day, if you’re not welcomed by the community, you don’t have much.” Perseus has been involved in the construction of infrastructure such as clinics, schools, reading halls and water pumps in the

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areas they operate around, as well as working to establish sustainable businesses to fill the gap in the economy that will be created by the employer when the mine eventually closes. In the meantime, these businesses also help to close the economic gap between those employed by the mine and those who aren’t. “What we’re very keen to do and administer is to create opportunities for local entrepreneurs to create businesses and to generate income, not only when we’re there, but also when we leave. So, for instance, we’ll help women, particularly, with setting up small-scale farming or cloth manufacture; we can actually buy those products from them whilst we’re there, but they can have a sustainable business after we’ve left.” Perseus also invests in local education by sponsoring youth to go to technical college. This provides skills for tradespeople who can then be hired by Perseus and assist in the

A NEW YEAR

construction work around the local villages, making the aid doubly impactful. Perseus Mining is a stable and reliable presence in these communities and economies, and it is also solidly situated in terms of its portfolio. Five years ago, it was a company with all of its eggs in one basket, and with a lot of growth that needed to take place. Now, as Jeff told us, “We’ve established a really strong operating base, and we’ve got a strong growth profile moving forwards based on the assets that we already own. We don’t have to acquire anything at the moment – we can turn Perseus into a very significant company with what we’re already got. That’s something that not a lot of companies can say. We’re very confident that the future for our shareholders is particularly good, especially in the current market environment.”

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HEAVY LIFTING Lotus Hall chevron-square-right www.lotushall.com phone-square +66-(0)5432-1511-3

Mining doesn’t begin and end with exploration and waiting to see whether exciting prospective gambles pay off – they are also about hard work. LotusHall Mining works to support the mining industry throughout South East Asia, providing solutions in both drilling and civil construction as it seeks to help both small and major mining companies alike with the essential hard graft needed to dig up those yearly returns. However, they also have exciting projects of their own on the horizon...

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

eavy engineering construction company, LotusHall Mining, has operated in Thailand since 1996. The company offers essential support to the mining industry, in the form of both equipment and specialist mining and construction services, their operations reaching throughout South East Asia, and well as Indochina and the Pacific Rim. We spoke with Nucharee Brown, Managing Director of LotusHall Mining, to get a better idea of what services they offer: “We are a ‘One Stop Mining Service’,” she explained. “We specialize in mine exploration, drilling, blasting, haul-road, land moving, tailing dam and crushing plant business. In particular, we specialize in open pit mining ores such as gold, copper, silver, limestone, kaolin and lignite, and our staff is full of engineers and experts who have over 20-30 years of experience in the mining business.” With a range of services that they can provide, LotusHall approach each new project with a fresh eye, tailoring their offerings to fit their clients’ specific needs. In total, the company has a fleet of 413 units, made up of both vehicles and machinery. This impressive collection includes 114 off-highway trucks, 53 excavators, 23 track dozers, 16 front-end Endeavour Magazine | 73

LOTUS HALL

loaders, 10 motor graders, 18 compactors, four water UD trucks, 22 hydraulic drills, two bobcats, 67 trucks, 55 light vehicles and 29 light towers. With all of this and a highly trained team of staff ready to take on any challenge, the company is currently involved in several long-term mining operations around Asia; specifically, they are currently working in Thailand and Laos, but they have also been consulting with new potential contracts in Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Their vision is to one day become the foremost mining contractors in the South East Asia, Indochina and Pacific Rim area, but for now, their two key focuses are the Chatree Gold Mine Project in Thailand and the Sepon Gold and Copper Mine in Lao P.D.R. Under contract with Akara Mining, LotusHall are engaged in two separate locations connected with the Chatree Gold Mine Project. Located in Pichit, Thailand, the project is split into the main mine and the North mine; the

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main mine, LotusHall has supported since its commencement in 1999, and it expanded these services to the North mine in 2010, two years after it went live. At the Chatree Gold Mine Project, LotusHall are contracted to carry out drilling, blasting, loading and hauling of ore and waste, stockpiling, handling ROM crusher feed, waste dump rehabilitation, TSF construction and associated general earthworks, road building and other civil works. Aka, they carry out pretty much all of the heavy labour required to both support and run the mine. On average, they produce around 12 million tonnes of gold per year from the main mine alone. They carry out similar operations at the North mine, and have recently successfully retendered to keep on with Akara Mining in this second position. Meanwhile, at the Sepon Gold and Copper Mine in Lao P.D.R, the company is working with the Mineral and Metals Group (MMG), one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest producers of zinc, gold, copper, lead and silver. This mine, located in the SavannakhĂŠt Province, was the first to be developed in Laos. It is now eight years old, and LotusHall have worked to support it since the very beginning, with a fleet that currently totals at 166 pieces of equipment. The site is undergoing expansion, so these numbers are likely to climb as the mine grows. As well as these key projects, LotusHall is and has also been involved in several more sites around both Laos and Thailand. In Thailand, there was their work with the Siam Cement Group Company (SCG) at Lampang. LotusHall provided a small fleet of equipment consisting of 30 tonne excavators and 35 tonne articulated mining trucks for site development works at the SCG Factory in the Chaeorm, a working relationship with the SCG group, opening the door to future potential work opportunities. Currently, LotusHall is working on the Ranong Project, where the company operates the Kaolin quarry for IMERYS. IMERYS have contracted the company to construct, maintain and repair their haulage roads, to establish hillside benches, and to stockpile kaolin, rock and gravel that is then fed to a hopper for refining.

HEAVY LIFTING

However, the largest project, second to Chatree, that LotusHall are participating in within Thailand is their work on the EGAT Limestone Quarry Project in the Mea Moh district, Lampang. This long-term contract, which began in 2014 and will last until 2026, was awarded to LotusHall by the Electricity Generator Authority of Thailand (EGAT) in 2013. The company has been contracted to mine an open-pit limestone quarry, from which they have so far mined 12.9 million tonnes in total. This limestone is sent to two crushing plants capable of crushing 250 tonnes per hour, in order to supply power plants, in the aim of working towards the desulfurisation process at Mae Moh District. Moving over to Laos, between the years 2005-2007, LotusHall Mining was the main mining contractor at the Phubia Gold & Copper Mine Project for Pan Australian. Following Sepon, this was the second mine to be

developed in Laos, and was in the Xaisomboun Province north from Vientiane. As well as these operations in the area, LotusHall even established its own subsidiary company in Laos: the LotusHall Laos Company Limited (LHL). The company was established in 2011 within in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), located in Savannakhét, Lao PDR. The SEZ is connected with Thailand’s border in the Mukdahan province, making it a very useful location for industry looking to export to Thailand. LotusHall Laos was established to provide a working base for the company’s fleet to ease their reach to projects in Lao PDR. Currently, LotusHall has 400 permanent members of staff, but when its contracts are at their highest, this can expand to 1,500. The company hires 90% of their staff locally, making sure that they are trained to the required level of expertise: “LotusHall Mining mainly focuses on locally hired and trained employees from the community around the mines we

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LOTUS HALL

are supporting. This allows us to support them with improved prosperity and a better quality of life, which consequently contributes toward a better local community, providing improvements such as education, health care and local business around the mine site.” As for Nucharee, she has been with the company since the very beginning: “I have been with the company since LotusHall was established. I was a co-founder of the company along with Max Brown; I worked beside him as Deputy Managing Director until 2004, when he passed away. After that, I became Managing Director.” This family company views its close relationship with the local area as important, both so that LotusHall can best conduct its business and support its clients, and also so that it can contribute to its clients’ efforts in the area. As well as supporting its employees, it also forms close bonds with its suppliers, as Nucharee told us: “A good relationship with

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our business partners and suppliers is our primary objective. Over 20 years in the mining business, LotusHall mining has established a strong relationship through all of our business partners, suppliers, the local community and even the government of every country we are doing business with.” On top of this direct involvement through their business, LotusHall also go above and beyond their operations to frequently involve themselves in charitable works in their local communities; for example, in 2016, Nucharee oversaw a fundraising event alongside Lenso Corporation’s Executive Chairman Khun Jesada Viraporn, to gather funds to build accommodation and support facilities at the Monkachao Temple in Kiewlom Dam, Lampang. More recently, this year, the company’s top management and staff donated 5,000 Baht for schools that support blind children. These sorts of initiatives help to spread LotusHall’s name and build relationships between them

HEAVY LIFTING

and their communities, and improve lives as they do so. Through its contentious local efforts, as well as its shrewd business sense, LotusHall has become a successful company, but its ambition extends further than its current operations. As well as the various new contracts it is looking into, including a new coal mining contract and two new rail projects in Thailand, the company also has an independent project of its own in the works: “Currently, we are exploring a gold mine project in Mozambique, which will be our first own gold mine. We are also looking at another two gold mines in Laos and Myanmar, which are under exploration.” On top of this exciting new direction for LotusHall, the company is also actively seeking partnership opportunities in order to sign on to more ’Mega Projects’ like their work with EGAT. In particular, they are looking to become involved in more work on railways, airports, seaports and other construction opportunities.

However, it is their potential branching into mine ownership that is the most dramatic change, and one that may come in time for a dramatic upswing in gold prices. The move could eventually redefine who LotusHall are as a company, and as we watch their progress over the next few years, we look forward to seeing how this venture into gold pans out.

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SOLID STEEL LHL Engineering chevron-square-right www.lhl.co.za phone-square (031) 7055856

Founded in 1969, LHL Engineering (LHL) has been operating in South Africa for 50 years. Stationed in New Germany, just 15km from the Port of Durban, LHL has come a long way from its simple beginnings, and made the most of its extremely strategic location. We spoke with Nelson Govender, LHL’s Chairperson, about his family’s company and the broad reach it has achieved in its market.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

ith half a century of experience, LHL Engineering is well dug in to South Africa’s industrial sector. Working with metal, it specialises in the fabrication of tanks, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, reactors and piping. It takes on all forms of fabrication to do this, using a range of steel grades, from carbon through to titanium and other exotic metals. This range in grades means a range in price points, and also in applications, so it’s no surprise that a broad spectrum of industries make use of LHL’s products and services. They are used by customers in the sugar and food industries, wood and paper, water and sanitation, chemical, petro-chemical, pharmaceutical and even the transport industries. In fact, transport is where LHL’s journey began. When LHL was founded, it was created in order to support the import of the German LHL axel, a mechanical part used in the transport and logistics industry at the time. From this small starting point, it has grown and grown, filling its niche and then continuing to branch further and further out into other industries. Although it was founded to support a German product, it has become local endeavour, and more than that, a family one. Endeavour Magazine | 79

LHL ENGINEERING The Govender family makes up much of its leadership team today, with Nelson as Chairperson, Silken Govender as General Manager and Janice Govender as Financial Director. Each one has their own reasons for being passionate about the company and their work within it: for Janice, it is the sense of traditional and commitment to family, whereas for Silken, it is an enthusiasm for the engineering industry and being able to see it evolve first hand, and for Nelson, it is the constant challenge of business, and an ambitious desire to see the company improve and prosper. To Nelson’s satisfaction, improve and prosper, it has: “We started off in the transport sector and now have a wide range of solutions supporting almost every sector in our economy. LHL historically focussed only on workshopbased fabrication, but we’ve now evolved to include site-based solutions. We have adapted to our customers requiring turnkey project solutions.” It even offers companies a design

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service, with design and drawing facilities if clients wish to outsource this aspect of their process. LHL’s fabrication and installation services are no small operations – LHL can boast some huge international clients, some of which are household names. This roster includes Bayer, BASF, Buckman Laboratories, Dow Corning, Tisand, Rohm and Haas, Sara Lee, Unilever, Degussa, Cray Valley Products, HOSAF, Scott Bader and even Coca-Cola. With this broad a reach, LHL is well and truly integrated, with a diverse scope that means whatever up and downs different markets take, it should be steady and secure. “The majority of our products are manufactured for the Southern African market,” Nelson told us, “And we are currently working on expanding our international client base.” The diverse industries its specialist offerings are used in make for a secure launch-pad from which to branch out to other nations. To date, the company has exported to Australia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zambia, Angola, Tanzania, Mauritius, Seychelles, the Comores Islands and Hong Kong, and it plans to spread much further. Whilst it intends to expand its export market, LHL is very aware of the numerous benefits of its physical location, and it plans to stay put. New Germany is a town close to Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal is South Africa’s second largest economy, contributing an average 16% to the country’s GDP. It has highly advantageous access to two of Africa’s largest ports, Durban and Richards Bay, with direct access to the Indian and Pacific Ocean rims. It is the second most industrialised area in the country, and is, unsurprisingly, one of the top locations for export, thanks to its location within world trade routes. All in all, it’s a perfect base of operations for a company like LHL. In fact, its manufacturing sector is the second largest in the country, topped only by Gauteng Province, and two thirds of this is geared towards export. LHL’s move to expand its global reach will take greater advantage of this trend and its fantastic location for carrying this out with ease.

SOLID STEEL LHL is also looking to grow locally, and is looking for companies interested in benefitting from what they offer: “We are now at the growth phase of our business, looking for input from companies. We have 3000m² under cover, with opportunity to build on a further 2000m² of specialized workshop to suit other companies’ needs. Our site layout allows for effective flows that prevent unnecessary movement as we have three gates to facilitate this plan. We also have 1500Amp of power which allows for installation of large machinery if needed. We have improved our competitive strengths by way of accreditation in ISO9001/2015, ISO3834-2/Appendix 10 and complying to the safety standards of all our clients. We are currently working on ISO45000 accreditation.” Given its established career in its sector, LHL is a member of the Southern African Stainless Steel Development Association (SASSDA). Membership in this organisation comes with certain perks, such as the support of a board of experts and industry people who are ready

to speak with the government on its members’ behalf, and are looking out for the stainless steel industry in the country as a whole. Education, training and events are all parts of the benefits that SASSDA members can enjoy, but with this, there also comes a responsibility to uphold a certain standard. Nelson broke down these standards and responsibilities for us: “We commit ourselves to establishing and satisfying the needs of our users by timeously supplying competitive, quality products; maintaining high professional and ethical standards; through our commitment to interactive and constructive communication between the industry and those it serves; through respecting the dignity, integrity, and safety of the individual; by planning, creating and dedicating the resources necessary for the upgrading of skills, and through the ongoing technological development and upgrading of technical competence and facilities.” This family-run South African company is dedicated to its country and its people as much

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LHL ENGINEERING as its legacy. “As a LEVEL 1 BBBEE Contributor, our staff policy is to afford opportunities to employees who exhibit the commitment and skills, with particular reference to addressing past inequalities.” As well as training, the company offers its staff medical aid and other benefits, looking after its own, because it knows that this way, its staff will look after it, too. “Our well-trained, happy workforce ensures stability and continuity.” One of the main challenges that face LHL is what Nelson describes as the “incestuous” nature of South Africa’s industrial sectors. “This industry is very incestuous due to the limited employment scope. Economies of scale do not exist and engineering does not require large staff complements. Customers are not keen to change, and the customer base is almost the same as the industry in that it operates in a closed shop environment. Getting into new customer supply lists can take years if you’re lucky enough to become a vendor at all.” In part, LHL tackles this through a collaborative

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approach to business; through working with other companies and teams, it not only makes its own operations more cost effective, but it also helps to promote a ‘you help me; I help you’ culture that spreads opportunities further afield. To keep itself in check, LHL has trained up some of its staff as internal inspectors, to keep an eye on LHL’s operations in addition to the third-party inspections that are required by law. This move to go above and beyond in the name of safety has helped LHL to produce its reliable products and smooth operations, as well as, Nelson told us, “resulted in us achieving a great track record with external inspection authorities.” Inspectors aren’t the only people LHL has great relationships with – it also, as a successful business should, has a fantastic relationship with its customers. “Most customers are repeat loyal customers that we’ve proven our commitment to,” Nelson told us. That, more than anything, attests to LHL’s quality.

SOLID STEEL “Our reliability, quick responses and decision making, excellent lead times and management process makes dealing with us a pleasure.” Having better service than the competition is certainly a goal for the company, and to this end, it has even gone back to the drawing board on how to approach some sectors: “We have re-strategised and increased focus in all sectors (especially petro-chemicals) that can offer repetitive scope in both maintenance and renewal/replacement, with increased emphasis on site solutions.” Ultimately, LHL’s goal is simple: “We want to be a fast and reliable one-stop shop, with value and integrity as our key drivers.” This isn’t a goal that’s easy to achieve, but after 50 diligent years, it already finds itself in a strong position to charge on. Through pulling together all of the offerings it is already capable of, all it needs is to find those companies to collaborate with that can take it to the next level as we all enter the new year.

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REBUILDING TOGETHER Exodus & Company chevron-square-right www.exodusandcompany.com

Since 2017, when Robert Mugabe ceased to be President of Zimbabwe, the country has been looking towards a more optimistic economic future. Times of financial crisis affect every aspect of a country, and a key area of this is the upkeep of infrastructure. Now, with a country in recovery and hopefully on the rise, it is a key time for local businesses such as Exodus & Company. We spoke with the company’s founder, Exodus Makumbe, about the current climate for Zimbabwe’s civil engineering industry.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

ounded in 2007, Exodus and Company is a Zimbabwean construction company that focuses on civil engineering construction, bulk earthworks, housing development, commercial and industrial real estate construction, real estate brokerage, and plant hire services. Its clients include the Zimbabwean government and other local urban authorities, as well as rural district councils, banks, mining companies and other private businesses in the country. It has a bulk of work in its history, including the construction of 158km of road, of different sizes, including those in housing developments, 300 residential apartments, industrial warehouses and even schools. In the years to come, Exodus & Co hopes to expand its reaches beyond Zimbabwe, but even within its home country, it has been on quite the journey to get to where it is today, and that journey still isn’t simple today. Exodus Makumbe, its founder, explained to us: “Our economy is undergoing some positive reforms from almost two decades of constrained activity, including in the construction sector. We can say the construction sector is recovering, but at a slower pace at the moment. However, there is a lot of scope for growth in this sector in the near future when the Government Endeavour Magazine | 85

EXODUS & COMPANY

will rehabilitate and reconstruct some of the dilapidated infrastructure.” Much of Zimbabwe’s infrastructure needs updating and repair after the times of difficulty the country is now exiting, but this promised increase of work also means a sharpening of attestation from the glut of competing companies who have been waiting for this improving market: “Competition in the civil engineering sector is quite intense, as there are many players of almost same size offering same services. Profitability margins are falling as companies compete on price, especially on public procurement tenders. The major client with sizeable projects is the Government and quasi-government institutions, and everyone is competing for this same business.” When it comes to the real estate sector, the competition is even higher. Exodus explained to us that this is because of foreign developers, who have been making the most of low costs and a potentially ready-to-rise market to

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invest in Zimbabwe’s future. Unfortunately, this interest takes away from the business available to local, Zimbabwean companies: “High levels of competition is one of the typical characteristics of the housing development and commercial real estate development sector in Zimbabwe. In recent years, real estate developers and engineering contractors from China, South Africa, Turkey and other countries have entered the Zimbabwean housing and real estate construction market, and compete for the market with local real estate developers and general contractors. Most of these foreign developers have a wealth of experience and large-scale development capabilities, which for the local real estate developers in Zimbabwe is a very big challenge.” Exodus & Co was founded with the aim to improve the quality of life of its stakeholders through the quality of its work. It was a noble aim, but the early years of Exodus & Co were not easy, as the company did not have a partner to lean on. Instead, it got itself onto its feet using its own ingenuity, focus and hard work: “We have not been that fortunate to have someone to handhold us in our journey. We had to be innovative to structure a housing product that the market was longing for, serve the market well, create a strong brand from scratch and secure strong customer support.” It can be difficult to find support when one is a newcomer, and like many companies when they are starting out, Exodus’ team had to rely on itself to create its foothold. Once a successful formula has been proven, though, and faith no longer carries that element of risk, support is suddenly quick to appear. In Exodus & Co’s case, once it had some successful projects under its belt and its demand was clear, the banks opened up their willingness to provide project loans – but before this, the company managed to make things work on its own. Exodus himself oversaw the company for its first seven years, but then it was time to hand over the helm. “I formed the company in 2007, and led the formation and growth of the business as the founding CEO from 2008 to 2014 before stepping down to be the Chairman of the company.” Today, Exodus is still the major

REBUILDING TOGETHER

shareholder and, through his role as Chairman remains heavily involved in the direction the company is taking. However, he has trusted it to the aptly-named Progress Mambo to lead his company forwards as CEO into the years the come. We asked Exodus about his company’s people-focused aims, and how his company strives to make a positive contribution whilst also seeking success: “We always put attention on improving customer service. It is very important to build the business around the provision of solutions to real life problems and contribute in improving the wellbeing of society. With this vision in place, it also become critical to share the ideas with the employees so that they understand the purpose of the business and empower them to be ambassadors of the company as they interact with the other stakeholders.” Exodus & Co employs 105 permanent staff and has hundreds of others who work with

them on a project-by-project basis. At peak activity, the company can employ up to 1000 people. These staff are given in-house training, as well as financial support to seek out training from external bodies, and the company makes sure to lift up and empower its staff through internal promotions and its careful use of benefits: “Operating in a volatile environment, we have carefully structured staff benefits to make sure they remain relevant to their lives now and in the future. We looked at this from an empowerment point of view by providing tangible benefits like the opportunity to own homes even at very young ages, so that even after retirement, they can live comfortably.” As well as making sure it is supplying every it can for its staff, Exodus is also making sure it is hitting the correct standard for its clients. To this effect, in November 2019, the company secured certifications for ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems) and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management Systems). “We are

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5 Dunlop Road, Donnington P.O. Box 1192, Bulawayo Tel: (+263) 9 467781-3 (+263) 9 472470-3 Fax: (263) 9 469006

Barzem – Hwange

Stand 30, Industrial Area P.O. Box 175, Hwange Tel: (+263) 81 20881-3 Fax: (+263) 81 23277

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EXODUS & COMPANY

very proud to have secured this endorsement. Compliance with the ISO standards will direct us to focus on satisfying customers’ needs, become more efficient and reduce waste, gain more recognition from business partners, and become trusted by customers. This sets a sound foundation for our growth plans.” Exodus & Co’s upcoming slat includes the rehabilitation and widening of 20km of one of the major highways in the country – a tender it secured because of its impressive performance. Between itself and five other contractors, the teams will take on this road in 20km sections until its full 580km length is complete. On the real estate side of its operations, the company also has two upcoming housing development projects in Harare, which deliver more than 1000 residential apartments and 5000 serviced residential plots. Another crucial piece of work for Exodus & Co is a range of road and bridge restoration work for the Chimanimani District of Zimbabwe. This

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district suffered in the wake of cyclone Idai, and in keeping with its aim to help its home country, Exodus & Co donated the free use of its construction equipment to help in the relief effort after the destruction. Now, the company is getting the area back to how it needs to be. This interest in Zimbabwe’s wellbeing is at the core of how Exodus & Co conducts itself, and remains as important to Exodus himself now as it did when he founded the company: “I am guided by the desire to contribute in solving the problems in the society. The feeling of contributing to a better society through the products and services we offer inspires me to continue exploiting business opportunities that add value to society.” Success is one thing, but to succeed whilst making a positive impact on the lives and areas around you – that is a true success indeed.

AUTOMOTIVES

THE NEW SEAT LEON ‘SPEAKS TO TRAFFIC LIGHTS’

Cars gain more electronic features every year. Once upon a time, a car was purely mechanical, but now, you’re driving around in your own personal mission control centre, and SEAT have taken that one step further. The company is trialling technology that will allow vehicles to ‘talk’ to traffic lights so the driver knows when they’re about to change colour. To develop this technology, the new SEAT Leon was connected to Barcelona’s traffic light infrastructure as a test to look at ways of improving road safety, traffic flow and environmental efficiency. When the Leon approached a traffic light, an alert appeared on the screen saying whether it will be red, green or yellow when the car arrived. It did this by calculating how far away the car was from the lights and the speed it was travelling at, after real-time traffic data was sent into a ‘cloud’ which shares data with the Leon’s infotainment. 90 | Endeavour Magazine

This process is known as V2I, or ‘Vehicle to Infrastructure’: connected cars can interact with infrastructure via an internet connection or wireless local area network, and it takes just 300 milliseconds. This test gives a fascinating insight into how connected cars could eventually communicate with traffic lights and control centres around the world. For example, the Highways Agency in the UK has previously said that ‘co-operative intelligent transport systems’ (C-ITS) will play an important role in the future of Britain’s road infrastructure. Data will be exchanged between connected vehicles, control centres, infrastructure, personal devices, and cloudbased storage. It is hoped the data sharing will improve traffic flow, improve fuel efficiency and lead to increased safety, while also enabling authorities to broadcast messages to a connected car at any point in the road.

Jordi Caus, head of Urban Mobility Concepts at SEAT, said: “Queuing at traffic lights can be a frustrating process and it always feels like a ‘win’ when you manage to time your driving perfectly for when the lights go green. SEAT’s new connected cars receive real-time traffic information from the Traffic Authority’s central cloud, including information displayed on motorway panels or the traffic light status in cities. This improves safety by providing advanced information about traffic lights turning red depending on your speed and therefore avoids abrupt braking. One might argue that drivers have managed perfectly fine without this technology since traffic lights were invented, and that the amber light already serves the purpose of providing due warning and stopping time. However, this trial is part of a wider exploration of the potential of increased V2I connectivity. To some ears, this might sound like a bright new future. To others, it might sound dystopian. Eventually, this sort of grid

connectivity could lead to increased law enforcement capabilities, providing the ability to track vehicles and potentially even to send signals to a car to tell it to slow down or pull over. Again, does this make a safer world, or a terrifying one? SEAT, which collaborated with the Spanish Traffic Authority, the Barcelona City Council and ETRA on the project, invested almost £1 billion developing the tech-filled family hatchback, fitting it with a central 10” infotainment screen, which includes gesture recognition where certain functions can be activated using small finger movements on screen. It also has a built-in eSIM which allows the eCall service to directly contact the emergency services in the event of a car accident. Now that, we think everyone would agree, sounds like an important feature.

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SERVING LOCAL COMMUNITIES Edan K Properties chevron-square-right www.edankproperties.com phone-square (868) 658 - 3442

Combining profitable activities with the needs of the people isn’t always an easy ask, but Edan K Properties, located in Trinidad & Tobago, has found a way to balance the seemingly conflicting ideals.

Written by Amy Buxton

ounded in 1997, Edan K properties (“Edan K”) had a vision, right from the beginning, to not only grow into a profitable operation, in line with a carefully designed corporate strategy, but to simultaneously serve the communities that it was a part of. Being neither a charity nor a non-profit outfit, this was a tall order, but by retaining a sense of community connection and social responsibility, the team was able to start as it meant to go on – by selecting projects that would benefit more than just its own bottom line. Property acquisition and development isn’t often associated with humanitarian ideals, but when you scratch beneath the surface, it becomes clear that the two can be intrinsically linked. In the case of Edan K, there is a commitment to “maximise asset values through prudent property acquisition and development, aligned to the needs of the people and communities in which it operates.” In short, if there is a chance to develop an undervalued plot of land or piece of property, while turning it into something that can directly benefit those that live in the local vicinity, Edan K will do so, with completed projects totalling impressive numbers. Endeavour Magazine | 93

EDAN K PROPERTIES

In 23 years, Edan K has bought and expertly developed over 10,000,000 sq ft of land, turning it into prime commercial and industrial real estate. The developments themselves naturally brought employment opportunities into the foreground, but even once completed, each pocket of land opened up new possibilities for surrounding communities. For example, the easily accessible premises were perfect for fledgling locally-run businesses to rent, leading to improved job prospects and economic security. While this might sound supportive enough, Edan K actively seeks out chances to contribute more to the areas that it develops: “The company continues to be focused on supporting the development of internal infrastructure as and where opportunities arise.” It’s not simply a case of acquiring desolate land, developing it and leaving. Moreover, Edan K makes a commitment to be a responsible steward each and every time it brings new

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buildings to life. This is all part of the one-stop service that the company aims to offer. From purchasing to conceptualisation through to project financing and eventual site development, Edan K leaves nothing to chance and always keeps the interests of local communities in its sights. The results of being so focussed on mutual benefits speak for themselves, with trusted partners clamouring over themselves to work with the team and finished projects being heralded as huge successes. Perhaps the brightest feather in Edan K’s cap is that of the Gasparillo business community. Having successfully completed an impressive shopping complex build in 2015, which created over 35 retail outlets, the management team identified value in the surrounding acres of land. Buying said land would prove to be a logistical challenge, but with the potential benefits of the business community in mind, the team didn’t stop until the task was complete. In possession of the deeds, it soon became apparent that all the single-lane roads that led to the area would need converting into twolane thoroughfares and while an infrastructure undertaking of such magnitude is never simple, Edan K recognised that it would lead to increased town traffic and, inevitably, profitability of local outlets. That’s the community spirit in action again, driving sound commercial decisions. No operation is an island and though Edan K is the first to thank those that it has forged solid relationships with, InvesTT has to be at the top of the list. Assisting in the tricky task of gaining approvals from the Complex Development Facilitation Committee, InvesTT proved to be instrumental in speeding up the entire process, thereby minimising disruption to those in the area. Though the Gasparillo project has certainly gained Edan K a lot of positive recognition, it is not the only development to have significantly improved the commercial landscape of Trinidad & Tobago. The Port Lisas Business Park, for example, was born out of a clear understanding of which sectors contribute most significantly to the GDP of the country:

EDAN K PROPERTIES

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We recognise that there is an ever-growing demand for industrial space in Point Lisas as industrial growth continues and port and cargo services expand to meet increasing imports and exports. We developed the Point Lisas Business Park to meet this growing need. This newly developed industrial park will provide the infrastructure to facilitate the expansion of business growth and cluster development to support the multitude of large industries in Point Lisas and across Trinidad.â&#x20AC;? The project saw Edan K take 200,000sqft of warehousing, spread out across 10 acres of land and split it up into manageable units in a variety of sizes. From small workshops through to large commercial units, plenty of local businesses were able to make Port Lisas their home and thanks to improved parking and yard spaces, access was no longer a concern. The result is one more expertly run business location that allows for strong economic growth on the island, with

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sister project, the Belle Vue Industrial Estate, offering the same thing in a different location. It takes more than just ambition to become a successful property development operation, as Edan K has proven. Local knowledge is, of course, essential, but a heartfelt connection to the region guarantees a more personal level of commitment and, often as not, better results. A name that has become synonymous with opportunities and quality, it is always interesting to see where Edan K plans to invest next and it stands to reason that those in the neighbouring areas will be buoyed by the promise of improved infrastructure and energising commercial spaces. Making it clear that profitability and community can go hand-in-hand, Edan K has crafted a unique business model built on deep local market understanding, community trust and tangible results.

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A SHINING EXAMPLE Adriatic Metals chevron-square-right www.adriaticmetals.com phone-square +44 (0) 207 993 0066

Based in the UK but focused on two mining projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adriatic Metals is a perfect example of how a global approach can yield impressive results and weather any industry turbulence.

Written by Amy Buxton

driatic Metals is an impressive operation. A UK-based exploration and development company, it has taken ownership of a special mining concession in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through its 100%-owned subsidiary operation, Eastern Mining. This is pertinent, as the mining industry is notoriously competitive and difficult to navigate, so to manage two high-pressure projects, from overseas, is quite an undertaking: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Vares Project contains two advanced exploration deposits, Veovaca and Rupice, which have previously been mined for lead, zinc and barite. Operations ceased prior to the commencement of hostilities in the Balkans in the early 1990s.â&#x20AC;? Understanding that the region has faced hardship is critical if we are to fully appreciate the potential for success being investigated right now, which will come about as a result of explicit objectives and company directives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The primary objective of the Company will be to focus on mineral exploration of resource opportunities that have the potential to deliver growth of the Company for the benefit of Shareholders. In order to achieve this, exploration programmes have been prepared and budgeted and include, but are not limited Endeavour Magazine | 99

ADRIATIC METALS

to, drilling and assaying, resource modelling, metallurgical testing and potential mine scoping studies as well as tenement administration, general administration and geological services in relation to the Veovaca and Rupice Projects and satellite prospects.” There’s no room for misinterpretation here, as Adriatic Metals is clearly throwing its full weight behind the notion of company growth and shareholder satisfaction, which goes a long way to explaining why the Bosnia and Herzegovina sites were chosen for exploration. Recognised as being as being world-class in terms of having a metal mining legacy and benefiting from unilateral support from a variety of national and localised authorities, there were few stumbling blocks to be concerned about. Add in low operating costs and a commitment to operating in line with mining laws and you have a perfect location for exploration projects, regardless of where the overseeing company is based. Of course,

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viability needs to be ascertained, as a mining legacy is all very well and good but if the metal resources had been depleted too much, new projects wouldn’t be financially viable: “The results of the exploration programmes will determine the economic viability and possible timing for the commencement of further work including scoping studies and possible development on the projects. The exploration programmes and budgeted expenditure outlined in the Independent Geologist’s Report are subject to modification on an ongoing basis and are contingent on the circumstances of the Company and the market, results and other opportunities.” This realistic approach to either progressing or halting a project is refreshing and demonstrates a level of fiscal responsibility rarely seen in the modern business world, but that’s Adriatic Metals to a T. Pragmatic, transparent and thoughtful, these characteristics are clear to see in the Vares projects.

A SHINING EXAMPLE

While both the Veovaca and Rupice projects have previously been explored, with varying degrees of success and exploitation experienced, there are telling signs that there is far more potential to be unearthed. All it needs is an experienced company to take the lead, perform in-depth investigations and make a rational assessment of the remaining viabilities. Adriatic Metals has approached the task with a real vigour: “Adriatic has compiled historical exploration activities for the Concession and surrounding areas and entered this data into a database. Exploration by Adriatic has focused on activities at the Rupice and Veovaca areas within the Concession, including geophysical programmes (induced polarisation) and drilling of the historical resource at Veovaca and the advanced Rupice project.” Employing its subsidiary, Eastern Mining, Adriatic has become the first company to commit to any exploration in the area since

the 1980s and has been pleased with the findings. The Veovaca site, for example, was closed due to hostilities rearing in the country and has shown potential for being reopened and exploited, while the Rupice site could be exceptionally exciting: “The Rupice Project is an advanced exploration project which exhibits exceptionally high grades of base and precious metals and is located approximately 17km North West of the Veovaca Project. The Company completed an 8-hole, 1,458 metre diamond drilling programme at the Rupice Project in 2017, to confirm the historical results and the presence of precious metals with the base metals.” These initial findings are certainly promising and coupled with the low operating costs that Bosnia and Herzegovina can offer, there seem to be very few hurdles left to cross. Being an exporter of energy, Bosnia can support any future Adriatic metals mining projects with low cost power, but the

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geographical benefits donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end there. The Veovaca site is tantalizingly close to a working railway line, offering almost on-site logistical support, and labour costs are incredibly reasonable, considering that the workforce is English-speaking and of an expert skill level. With these elements taken into account, alongside the seemingly undeniable potential of the two Vares region mining sites, extra regional possibilities are being looked into: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Discussions are underway with the Government to expand existing concession boundaries.â&#x20AC;? This brings us back around to the initial declaration that Adriatic Metals is all about growth and development. Far from simply relying on historical significance and initial exploration results, the company is actively pursuing expansion opportunities in and around the existing project sites and with good reason. After all, lead, zinc, silver, gold, copper and barite are showing no signs of a decline, in

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terms of demand and when it comes to mining, more is more and never a bad thing. Enjoying the advantages of supportive local authorities, low operating costs, easy logistics networks and two projects with demonstrable promise, Adriatic Metals is putting Bosnia and Herzegovina firmly back on the metal mining map and we look forward to reporting back when excavation endeavours begin in earnest.

AMAZING WORLD

THE SIWA OASIS: A HIDDEN HAVEN

ar out in the distant reaches of The Sahara Desert rolls the Great Sand Sea - an unbroken expanse of mega dunes larger than the U.K., and epic skyscapes unlike any other. It’s hard to imagine that much life exists within the grips of this arid dust bowl. Yet, upon closer inspection, these swells of sand are laced with hidden desert gems. Where the Great Sand Sea meets the Qattara Depression, one of these very secrets exists, concealed from the world. Sunken 25 metres below sea level lies the Siwa Oasis; a fertile basin of palm trees, natural hot springs and a central lake, nestled into the folds of the Sahara. Dotted with shady olive groves, the Oasis is a haven of respite and relief from the harshness and vastness of the relentless Egyptian heat. Far from deserted, Siwa is a bustling hive of activity, with approximately 25,000 people calling it home. Evidence of civilisation at the Oasis dates back to 10,000 BC, although the first connection with Ancient Egypt came much later - around 7th century BC. 104 | Endeavour Magazine

by Eve Wright One of the world’s last remaining unspoiled oases, Siwa is littered with miraculous archaeological remains. One such ancient wonder is the fortress known as Shali, which dates back to the early 13th century. The Shali was believed to have risen 60 metres above the ground, built into and around a mountain. Many of the Siwan houses were sculpted into the fortress, creating an impressive façade, although its crowning glory was the mosque that sat at the top of the Shali. The fortress was the bustling hub of the Oasis; however, an unprecedented level of rainfall for 3 days straight in 1926 damaged the structure in most areas beyond repair. Thankfully, the Siwans managed to salvage the mosque, and it remains in use to this day. Despite centuries of gradual erosion by infrequent rainstorms, the Shali remains the pride and glory of the Siwa Oasis. So, what manner of people call this secluded settlement home? The Siwans are a Berber people, which culturally places them closer to the Libyans who harbour a far larger Berber population than Egypt does. Historically, this

meant that Arabic governance over the Oasis was punctuated by multiple revolts and tumult. It was only after 1928, following a visit to Siwa by King Fuad I, that a tighter control over the people began to be exerted by the Egyptians. Being one of Egypt’s most isolated peoples, the Siwans are distinct in many ways from of their neighbours - in Egypt and Libya alike. Tucked away between the dunes, the Siwans have developed their own distinctly unique dialect, called Siwi - a language heavily influenced by Arabic, but with a variety of unconventional linguistic features. As one might imagine of such a solitary community, the traditional culture of Siwa is markedly unique. Typical handicrafts include basketry, pottery and embroidery, but it is their impressive silverwork that the Siwans are most renowned for. They have been known to craft a variety of ornaments but are famous for their special bridal silver that is intrinsic to Siwan weddings. Most illustrious of these silver pieces is the ‘adrim’, a plate which hangs over the breast. Traditionally, a female will renounce the adrim on the day she is married. Unfortunately, this reclusive way of life also has its downsides, as harmful traditions can be preserved along with the good. Up until about 40 years ago, it was common for boys as young as 12 to be ‘married’ to men far older than themselves. Chiefs had harems of boys at their disposal,

and prominent men would ‘lend’ their sons to each other. Thankfully, these practices have been discontinued; indeed, Siwan elders and Egyptian authorities alike are fervent in their desire to suppress and even disavow such records to this day. About 40 years ago, the establishment of a tarmac road catalysed change in Siwa. Where before mere camel tracks had been the Oasis’ sole link to the outside world, the road now links Siwa with the Mediterranean coast. This has shaped not only trade, but tourism. Of course, many have been eager to sample the delectable pleasure of the lush Oasis, and to see for themselves a society that has been so perfectly preserved in time. Bringing with it the fashions and customs of the world, one cannot expect tourism to leave Siwa unchanged.Already, the women are trading their silver jewellery for more contemporary gold counterparts, and motorcycles leave their marks on the dirt the roads instead of donkeys. Undoubtedly, all those who encounter the Oasis’ verdant splendour are bewitched by its desert spell. One can only hope that as much as the outside world might influence Siwa, the Oasis will impact those outsiders even more so; and that this beacon of unaffected life will retain its simplicity and charm, as one of the last remaining untouched oases in the world.

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JACK OF MANY TRADES Indiabulls Group chevron-square-right www.indiabulls.com phone-square 022-6189-1155

The Indiabulls Group is a diversified financial services group with its fingers in many pies. It is involved in numerous areas of finance, including housing finance, consumer finance and personal savings, and it doesn’t stop there: the group has also branched out into many other more physical areas, including real estate, lighting technology and even pharmaceuticals. We took a closer look at the group to break down everything it covers.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

ounded and chaired by Sameer Gehlaut, the Indiabulls Group is a large operation with companies in strong positions across a range of areas, though its central focus remains in the finance sector, where it all began. This journey was started by Indiabulls Housing Finance, the group’s flagship company, and it is still going strong today. The Group slogan is ‘On for tomorrow’, and this attitude is one that inspires and encourages all of Indiabulls’ companies to always think forwards, keeping their operations innovated, whilst on a more personal level, assisting their customers in creating a better tomorrow for themselves. This duel emphasis on technology and the needs of the customer is a throughline that runs through the core of every part of Indiabulls, no matter the industry sector. In the group’s own words, all of its products and services “are designed and created to ensure that convenience and simplicity is the primary experience for customers”. Whilst there is a group synchronicity between companies, each one is run independently, and all are listed in the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. We took a look at each company, to get a better overall picture of what it is the Indiabulls Group is up to.

INDIABULLS GROUP Firstly, as it is the flagship, we started by looking at Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd. Indiabulls started on a strong foot; this company is now the second largest of its kind in India, and is rated ‘AAA’ by leading rating agencies (CRISIL and ICRA). Dealing primarily in home loans, the company focuses around the affordable housing segment; it is a loan company for the everyday person, seeking to offer competitive rates to help people purchase that first house or to move to that dream family home. Since it was founded in 1999, the company has helped over 1 million customers, and loaned over ₹ 2.15 trillion. The oldest of Indiabulls’ companies, it continues to practise the mantra of “On for tomorrow” by looking at how evolving technology can ease customer experiences and enhance what it offers, which it is currently successfully exploring through its offer of eHome Loans – a completely online way to apply for, receive and repay a home loan. EHome Loans are a first for India, and given how remote some people’s homes are, it is an India Bulls_188 x 138 mm_half page ad_PRINT CMYK.pdf 1 2/4/2020 1:31:11 PM

excellent innovation that opens up access to this service to more people than ever. With Indiabulls leading the way, it is sure to catch on within the market. On the subject of housing, Indiabulls expanded from finance to also involve itself with Real Estate, handling the bricks and mortar of homes instead of just the loans to purchase them. Like Indiabulls Housing Finance, Indiabulls Real Estate is one of the largest companies in India in its sector. It has developed over 13.4 million sq ft of space, and has an office rental portfolio of 4.9 mn. sq ft., and a joint venture portfolio of 4.1 mn sq ft office space. The company handles both residential and commercial properties, and unlike Indiabulls Housing Finance, it doesn’t limit itself to the mid-income space, instead also dealing with premium and even ‘super luxury’ buildings. It also isn’t limiting itself to India: instead, the company is now starting to look at developing property in other countries, with its first area of interest being central London in the UK. As

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INDIABULLS GROUP

the UK’s capital, this can of course be a highly profitable market, making it an ambitious but exciting new frontier for the company. Getting even more deeply involved in the physical side of architecture, Indiabulls now even has a construction and infrastructure equipment rental company! Indiabulls Store One offers over 650 world-class machines and pieces of equipment to support and enable others’ construction efforts. All equipment is up to date, well cared for and meets Indiabulls’ high safety standards, and with a wide range of stock, it seeks to provide the specific pieces of equipment to meet whatever their customers’ projects need. From house financing to real estate development to equipment hire, the group really has every level of this market covered. However, most of Indiabulls’ focus and expertise has remained in finance – this is where it began, and this is where it shines, through companies such as Indiabulls Ventures

and Indiabulls Consumer Finance. Indiabulls Ventures focuses on consumer lending, asset reconstruction and capital market business, and Indiabulls Consumer Finance is a subsidiary of this arm of the group. The two work together to provide personal loans, with Indiabulls Consumer Finance serving as the middle-man that processes and issues Ventures’ loans. The companies have offices in 124 cities, and on top of this, like Housing Finance, their offerings are accessible online. In this case, this has been made possible through the development of an app called Indiabulls Dhani – one of the top three downloaded apps in Indian’s financial services sector. The progression from Indiabulls’ flapship company into these other operations all seems extremely organic, with efforts essentially branching off into two directions – the further exploration of what is possible in the financial sector, and the further exploration of housing and real estate. However, its final two companies seem a little bit like wild cards. First, there’s Indiabulls LED, which offers LED lighting products, and then there’s Indiabulls Pharmaceuticals, which represents a recent expansion from the group into the medical sector. Indiabulls LED is a leading LED provider in India that designs and manufactures these lights in a series of advanced manufacturing facilities, in Mumbai, Daman, Baddi and Bangalore, manned and overseen by experienced lighting engineers and designers. These lights are all made at an industrial level, created for homes, offices, retail spaces, manufacturing facilities, roadways and outdoor city spaces, rather than the smaller LED lights used in products. This company is an extremely new member of the Indiabulls family, only founded in 2017, with the aim to change up the sector with the most effective and sustainable solutions, and as yet another example of Indiabulls’ forwardthinking approach to business. Founded in 2016, Indiabulls Pharmaceuticals is also new, and is the biggest anomaly of Indiabulls’ companies. That said, it is also a fantastic example of the company’s two focus areas – technology and customer needs –

JACK OF MANY TRADES

coming together. As the company states, “Our pharmaceuticals business’ aspiration is to be a leading patient and physician centric, best in class, healthcare company.” Like the rest of the group’s operations, Indiabulls Pharmaceuticals covers a range of areas: it offers medical services as well as products, and the products themselves are the focus of much R&D investment and effort. “With a firm commitment to product development and research, our 350+ products bring many formulations and devices that are a first-time in India.” The company seeks to “address patient’s unmet needs”, and it isn’t doing so slowly – its large offering of products was developed and manufactured in 35 facilities. This many facilities is a huge investment, but Indiabulls feels that Indian healthcare is exactly the sector to throw resources at at the moment. The Indian pharmaceutical market currently represents around USD 27 billion, but this is predicted to almost double by 2021, to USD 55

billion. If this comes to pass, it would lift this market to the top five of its kind in the world. This projected growth is due to many factors, including rising incomes and an improving economy through much of the country, as well as a growing investment in medical infrastructure as part of the government’s push to improve its cities’ resources. This makes it an extremely exciting and potentially profitable sector for Indiabulls, and whilst it seems a world away from where the company started out, it is a perfect example of its forward-thinking approach to business, which seeks to constantly improve customer experience, as well as to improve what is possible in the sectors it participates in. This could be the perfect challenge for a group that has already proven itself more than capable, and most excitingly of all, in this sector, improvements to what the sector offers can very directly improve and save lives.

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THE SIX-LEGGED DOG Eni Africa chevron-square-right www.eni.com phone-square +39 06 598 21

Italian company Eni is a wellknown name in the global oil and gas industry, making serious waves wherever it operates. To get to know this company better, we focused in on Eni Africa, to explore an area of operations that accounts for half of Eni’s total production.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

efore we get to the specifics of the African branch of Eni, it would be prudent to get a feel for the company as a whole, to lend some context to what is happening on the continent. Let’s start with a look at the guiding principles of the operation, in its own words: “We are an energy company. We are working to build a future where everyone can access energy resources efficiently and sustainably. Our work is based on passion and innovation, on our unique strengths and skills, on the quality of our people and in recognising that diversity across all aspects of our operations and organisation is something to be cherished. We believe in the value of long-term partnerships with the countries and communities where we operate.” Given that Eni is an Italian company, it was only natural that there would be some artistry involved, but who knew that oil and gas could sound so poetic? Well, with a presence in 71 countries and a staffing contingent of 33,000-strong, there’s a little room for lyricism, but let’s find out what makes the African branch of Eni so special. Eni likes to add a little humour to things and describes how the “six-legged dog first left its paw prints in the Egyptian desert in 1954.” The Endeavour Magazine | 113

ENI AFRICA

quote, of course, refers to the charming multilimbed logo of Eni and while it made its first tentative steps into Egypt a long time ago, today, the African arm of Eni accounts for more than half of the total crude oil and natural gas collected by the entire company. Yes, all 71 countries. This staggering fact alone has ensured that Eni is now the primary producer in Africa. While impressive production rates are great, Eni is not about to sit back and wait for new opportunities or simple good fortune to step in, which is why a growth initiative is being put into practice and not simply for the benefit of Eni’s bottom line, as Claudio Descalzi revealed: “Energy and diversification are the key elements for Africa’s long-term development. Lack of access to energy in Africa entrenches poverty and encourages migration, depriving countries of some of their best people. The private sector can make a huge contribution to the use of resources for local development through investment, skills and technology.” We challenge you to recall the last time you heard of an energy company seeking to develop its offerings, purely for the good of the community, but that’s exactly what the Eni ‘Africa for Africa’ model is all about: “We want to develop Africa’s resources for the benefit of the continent and have invested in domestic capital to promote local development from the very start. The key to this is access to energy, which leads to

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development and stability, allowing Africa to fully harness its growth potential. Almost twothirds of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population lives without electricity and in unsafe environmental conditions. We were the first energy company to produce gas not only for export, but also local consumption.” Far from simply seeking to strip Africa of the resources that make it so promising, Eni wants to locate them and distribute them fairly, for the good of everybody; we don’t know about you, but that sounds refreshing to us. Moreover, as part of the same initiative, there is an inherent commitment to improving the future: “We want to replace 50 per cent of the traditional biomass used in the continent – wood and coal – with renewable energy and gas. We’re creating a low-carbon future based on an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable model.” Oil and gas production are, in terms of the logistics, fairly standard, but the way local communities benefit from the activities and the relationships garnered between producers and residents is what sets certain companies apart. For Eni, this is definitely the case, as it has carefully developed and maintained a relationship with Africa over the last 60 years and includes certain surprising elements such as art exhibits. This really ties into Claudio’s vision: “We need to create a North-South corridor between Europe and Africa – a channel not only for energy, but also partnership, social development and stability.” Eni, in this global vision, will act as the conduit for more than just oil and gas, bringing about opportunities and development initiatives as well. The company already recognises that by having a presence in countries that are less industrial than most, it can provide amazing routes into a more progressive future. Eni discusses the theory of ‘Local Content’ for development: “By Local Content we mean the added value that Eni brings to the socio-economic context of the host country through the participation of local people and businesses in Eni’s industrial activities, the transfer of skills and knowledge

THE SIX-LEGGED DOG

and the reinforcement of communities’ skills assets.” In short, Eni is looking to give back to Africa and its people. Yes, the continent has been generous in terms of oil and gas produced, all of which has lifted Eni into a prominent position within the energy sector, but the relationship is entirely reciprocal. As Eni continues to grow and succeed, so too do the local people who are given jobs, and who then feed into the economy. It’s a truly cyclical and supportive relationship and that seems to be the secret to Eni’s success, given that this model is replicated on every continent! As Eni implies, energy is life and everyone has the right to a safe, happy and comfortable existence. While the oil and gas keep flowing in Africa, so too will the socio-economic growth and the potential for great change. That’s the kind of debt that’s hard to repay, but all Eni is asking for is to keep working together. Now that really is the future of big business.

Medserv Plc. provides integrated shore base logistics to the offshore oil and gas industry and supply chain management for Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG). Our in-depth knowledge and unrivalled industry experience ensures that our services are delivered safely and cost effectively. We operate to internationally recognised and certified standards and practices for ethical compliance, quality, health, safety, security and environmental management. Medserv operate dedicated bases in Malta for Libya, Cyprus, Egypt, Suriname, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Iraq. Medserv is proud to have been supporting ENI North Africa in their operations offshore Libya.

Endeavour Magazine | 115

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