On Tuesday 7th November 2017, our Managing Partner and CEO, Edwin Dande, was the guest speaker at the Grant Thornton Emerging Leaders conference, a forum in which new Managers and Senior Associates at Grant Thornton got trained on Exceptional People and Client Experience in preparation for taking up future roles as partners in the firm.
Edwin started off by encouraging the future leaders to realize that opportunities are everywhere and that it’s just a matter of the strategy one picks and how one executes. “We founded Cytonn when we realized that people want to invest, but they did not know how to analyze the market. We took advantage of our strength in investments analysis and realized that having the arms of Real Estate and Investments combined into one company would be the key to success. Currently, we are the only Kenyan firm that provides this unique combination of services.”
He further emphasized that there are four main things to focus on to come up with a successful company. “Clients should always come first, then the brand, followed by the team and lastly the leader,” Edwin stated. “Treat each client as if he or she is the only client you have. This is the best way to ensure that all your clients are happy,” Edwin explained.
He also spoke on the importance of finding the right partners for a company. He insisted that the people you partner with are as important as what you choose to invest in. “Bringing in the most capable and enthusiastic new people and growing them is important to building a great firm,” he expounded, in reference to the Cytonn Young Leaders Program, our talent acquisition, and recruitment arm.
Edwin concluded by emphasizing that business leaders should identify the decisive competitive advantage their company holds. “For Cytonn, our competitive advantage is our unique product offering and a people-focused culture that serves as the ‘glue’ that holds the company together.”
