Dubai, UAE: A chapter of The Kanoo Group’s history was inscribed on Tuesday 8th May 2018, when members of The
Kanoo Group bid farewell to veteran CFO PS Ganapathi who is retiring after over
four decades of working for the company. For the group, he is considered part
of the Family.
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| Mr. P.S. Ganapathi (left) receives a token of appreciation from Mr. Mishal Kanoo |
He said,
“I’m tremendously grateful for all the hard work and the many sacrifices you’ve
made for The Kanoo Group. Working with you has made my time with the company
nothing short of a privilege. You are like a rock where I could always put my
ship to anchor and not worry. Now that you are retiring, I feel sad and happy
at the same time. Sad to see you go, but happy that you will finally be
spending time with your direct family. After all, we are a family business. And
family is the most important aspect of our lives.”
“You have
been a great colleague, partner, peer, and a great mentor to your team. From
the bottom of my heart and from all your family over here, I wish you a
beautiful, happy, enjoyable retirement,” he added.
Mr. PS
Ganapathi would be delegating his duties and responsibilities to Mr. Badri Ramaswamy,
General Manager – Finance and Accounts, whom Mr. Mishal Kanoo described as ‘trained
and groomed well by Mr. Ganapathi, with big shoes to fill in and would surely
do a superb job.’
Mr. Bob
Curtis, CEO and Mr. Fahad Kanoo, Executive Director in the UAE & Oman also expressed
their sincerest thanks to Mr. PS Ganapathi for being a part of The Kanoo Group family.
Mr. Bob Curtis said that despite professional differences at times, it has been
great working with Mr. Ganapathi. Mr. Fahad Kanoo said that during his
relatively short tenure with the company, he has learnt a lot from him.
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| Left to right: Mr. Fahad Kanoo, Mr. P.S. Ganapathi, Mr. Mishal Kanoo, Mr. Bob Curtis |
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| Mrs. Parvati Ganapathi (1st right) delivers message to her husband at the farewell party |
In his
parting speech, Mr. Ganapathi said, “The journey has been very exciting. It has
been a great responsibility heading the finance and accounts division of a
large company like The Kanoo Group with its many joint ventures. I believe I
was able to deliver what was expected of me due to the cooperation of all
concerned.”
He recalled
how he has been a part of the growth of this organization from strength to
strength over the years. He added that it was a privilege to have worked
closely with the ex-Chairmen and UAE’s founding father Mr. Hamed Kanoo and also
the ex-Chairman Mr. Yusuf Kanoo. He added that he had no words to thank the
present Chairman Mr. Mishal Kanoo, for the trust and confidence reposed in him
and for his unstinted support. He also acknowledged the affection shown by Mrs.
Lulwa Kanoo, Miss Maha Kanoo and Mr. Bassem Kanoo. Mr. Ganapathi also thanked
Mr. Fahad Kanoo, Mr. Mohamed Kanoo and Mr. Bob Curtis for the excellent
association he had with them.
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| Mr. Sean Bradley, Managing Director Freightworks |
Mrs. Parvati
Ganapathi was requested to say a few words about her husband. In her heart-warming
speech, she said: “I believe that each and every one of us is blessed with
great qualities, talents and abilities and it rests with us to discover, tap
and develop them in order to achieve maximum success in life, mental peace and
contentment.”
“I partially agree that ‘behind every man’s
success there is a woman’. I believe Ganapathi has been blessed with great
qualities ... no doubt about it ... the deep understanding and patience, a
positive attitude towards life and to fellow human beings in general. He has a
big heart and is never judgmental. He is a thorough gentleman. On a personal
note, Ganapathi is an awesome dad to our girls. ” she remarked.
Mr.
Ganapathi thanked each and every one of his colleagues for their love and
support and urged his colleagues to keep up the hard work for the continued
growth of the organization. He wished them and their families a bright and
happy future.
P.S.
Ganapathi is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant from the U.K. and
India and has been in charge of accounting and financial functions of The Kanoo
Group in the UAE & Oman for the last several years. He has held various
senior positions and has been a Member of the UAE & Oman Board and a Director
of The Kanoo Group and some of the joint venture companies.
Some of Mr.
Ganapathi’s remarkable achievements were being placed in the second spot at the
Forbes Middle East’s list of Top Indian CFOs in the Arab World in 2014, and
also one of the Top 50 Indian Business Executives in the Arab World in 2017.
Visit The Kanoo Group website to see more photos of the event.
