Kenneth Abela, Chief Financial Officer at Dizz Group, has come a long way in his eventful career. Forming part of the top brass of one of Malta’s retail empires, no less during the COVID years, Mr Abela draws on his long career in the hospitality and tourism sectors which, according to him, pivot on the same values of attention to detail and excellent customer service.

“Leaving hospitality and tourism was not easy, as I had grown very passionate about the sector, having been involved for the best part of my working life,” says Mr Abela. “However, I quickly found that there was a great deal of similarity between hospitality and retail. In both cases, the utmost priority is providing a professional service to the customer, thereby making their experience as pleasurable as possible. This, I believe, will ensure becoming an outlet of choice,” Mr Abela explains.

“It is always vital for any business to try and exceed client expectations, and this is often achieved by having excellent brand ambassadors on the front line who have a positive approach and the right attitude towards clients. In hospitality, we had a motto we used to drill into everyone’s mind, which is just as applicable in retail – “yes I can”. Nothing is too great an ask. I make it a point to lead by example, in making this our company culture, in order to have the buy-in of all stakeholders, who share the same positive attitude.”

Like many other businesses globally, the pandemic created unprecedented challenges for the retail giant, which required careful and inspired leadership to steer the Group through the uncharted waters.

“The first decision we took was that nobody would be losing their job or made redundant as a result of the pandemic. I am extremely proud to say that we have followed through with this promise completely,” Mr Abela declares. 

Moreover, the Dizz senior management team immediately devised a plan to ensure sustainability. “The entire team showed tremendous support, and a drive to ensure that we succeeded in those challenging times. With the gift of hindsight, as a result of the pandemic and the extensive exercise we undertook, we are now a leaner organisation, as we did away with any inefficiencies that we might have had in the past,” Mr Abela continues.

Reflecting on the ‘new normal’, Mr Abela says that though the situation appears to have reverted to normality, some challenges still exist. “The war in Ukraine remains a major threat as it is exerting a global effect on businesses. Although we are very optimistic about our future, we continue to be extremely cautious in our approach to doing business, thereby avoiding any possible pitfalls,” he maintains. 

Like several other sectors, identifying and bringing on board the right human resources remains a challenge, however Dizz Group, employing some 300 employees, has a tried and tested formula which has helped it keep its numerous outlets up and running.

“We consider our great employment conditions as a principal key to attracting the right human resources. We also make sure to nurture our teams through a pleasant working environment, which is complemented by proper training programmes that continue to motivate and engage our members of staff to their optimal levels,” he shares. Furthermore, during the lull of the pandemic, Dizz Group embarked on an ambitious project teaming up with KPMG, developing The Dizz Academy which aims at connecting the Group’s teams to its culture and values.

“The objective here was to develop a train the trainer programme that we would then use in the longer term. The Dizz Academy has been recently launched successfully and it is expected to have a positive effect on staff retention,” Mr Abela expounds.

Looking ahead, Mr Abela says that Dizz Group is currently looking into some very interesting opportunities which are already in the pipeline and could be in the public domain in the next two years.

“We also want to strengthen our food and beverage pillar of the Group, as we feel that there is still a lot that we can achieve there. Announcements will be made as these plans will start to be realised.”

On a personal level, being an accountant by profession, Mr Abela is keen to share some guiding wisdom with young professionals who have just kicked off their careers. “The profession has given me so much over the last 30 years – the result of hard work and commitment. To all fresh graduates I say, work hard and you will reap the results.  

“The profession is clearly one that offers so many opportunities both locally as well as internationally to people with the right drive and perseverance. I am only too happy to give something back to the profession by offering my services to one of the Malta Institute of Accountants committees, namely the Professional Accountants in Business Committee,” Mr Abela shares.

Mr Abela is also the President of the Malta Karate Federation, karate being an old passion of his, which he rekindled in his adult life through his children’s involvement in the martial art.

“Karate has taught me that discipline, hard work and perseverance, along with integrity, are key guiding principles in all of life’s facets. I have adopted these values both in my personal as well as my professional life. While hard work, perseverance and rigorous attention to detail are central to success, I find that it is even more important to adopt a high level of integrity in whatever one does. I firmly believe that a strong moral fibre leads to great rewards in life,” Mr Abela concludes.