-company hosts its 62nd Annual General Meeting

GROWTH, happiness, success and a positive attitude are integral to the human resource of Banks DIH Limited, as the right attitude and moral grounding with the best possible training will grow and sustain its momentum into the future; this is according to Chairman of Banks DIH Limited, Clifford Reis.

Speaking at the group’s 62nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) Saturday evening at Thirst Park, the Chairman told shareholders that the importance of values and good relationships is also a hallmark of the company’s operations, since this was responsible for the continued success of the group of companies.

The beverage giant had announced that the company’s profit after tax has increased from $2.9 billion in 2016 to $3.5 billion 2017– being $636M or 21.6 per cent.

Reis in his address to hundreds of shareholders, said business knowledge, institutional memory, ethical behaviour and guiding principles on the journey of life are important aspects of the company’s development. “Some persons may think success is determined by acquisition of wealth, material possessions and educational achievements. As important as these things are in life’s journey, in the context of achieving fulfilment and success, a positive attitude ranks way up there on the list of requirements,” he said in relation to a rapidly changing environment in the 21st century.

Noting that in life there are editing tools that can guide one’s path in the right direction, he said positive habits have a lot to do with decisions or lack thereof, since the company must find ways to make progress in its actions and decision- making.
“Happiness and success are a direct result of how well we connect with the world around us …and that is the responsibility of all of us individually and collectively, as we encourage the social growth of Bank DIH limited,” the chairman said.

Underscoring the strong relationship the company shares with the Guyanese populace, Reis said the company continues to build on the already strong relationship it shares with the Guyanese people, in the form of programmes such as sponsorship of Brand Ambassadors, Sports Events, Bursary Awards, Apprenticeships/Work-study and Academic Scholarships. At the event, the Banks DIH Ltd Group Board of Governors chairman presented cheques to four students.

“There are some things you need to do for long-term success. You need to ensure that there is a pool of talent and skill to move this company forward… without the right people a business cannot grow and sustain momentum; business is about people and without the right people a business cannot grow and mature,” he said.

He said institutions of learning need to support the investment of the talent pool, because the realities of the 21st century entail recognising how to connect the dots of opportunities. The chairman said all employees must now embrace an entrepreneurial attitude which will sustain business over time. “It is difficult to sustain growth, especially in an environment where there is constantly an overtly reactive instead of proactive decision-making and a matter of judgment,” he said.

Meanwhile, the chairman said while the company has performed well in 2017, “we have to continue revisiting our strengths and areas for improvement. The uncertain global and local economic environment, together with the effects of changing global weather patterns are factors which will adversely affect our company. We have to continue to examine areas in which we can diversify our business portfolio,” he said.

Further, Reis said the company continues to comply with requirements which enable it to manufacture products that conform to international manufacturing standards. He said in 2017, the Soft Drink and Novelty/Dairy Plants successfully completed re-certification with Lloyds Register Control and South America Limited for the following: ISO 9001: 2008 – Quality Management System; ISO 22000: 2005 – Food Safety Management System; FSSC 22000: 2014 – Food Safety System Certification; ISO/TS 22002-1: 2009 – Prerequisite Programme on Food Safety and ISO/TS 22002-4: 2013 – Prerequisite Programme on Packaging Manufacturing.

Additionally, he said the company was successful in the Finance, Environment and Safety audits that were conducted within the company by the Coca-Cola administration. The company performed exceptionally in the Guinness League of Excellence, which resulted in the company earning the second position in the Americas and Fourth worldwide for the manufacture of Guinness Stout as at September 30, 2017.
In addition, Melissa De Santos was appointed to the board on January 26, 2018, with an impressive resume. Melissa De Santos, LLB, LLM, MSC is currently the Legal Officer/Assistant Company Secretary of Demerara Mutual Assurance Society.