Edwin Hewitt was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer to the Board of Directors The JSE-listed DAWN Group to assume the role effective 1 April 2017.
Stephen Connelly, the Hewitt is no stranger to the construction and materials sector, with an impressive track record of having previously occupied positions as CEO of Capital Africa Steel, Petzetakis Africa; Group executive director and CEO of the Fabrication and Manufacturing Division in the Murray & Roberts Group; and MD of Murray & Roberts Foundries.
He has proved successful in his undertakings by turning around businesses and restoring profitability in the face of tough economic conditions. Hewitt joins the DAWN Group at a time when it is struggling with the prolonged fallout of the global economic crisis, and South Africa’s more recent general economic downturn.
Hewitt is confident that the group’s excellent master distributor status and manufactured product offerings; its inherent expertise and embedded skills base harbored in its workforce – combined with significant opportunity in the market serves to qualify the company as an excellent candidate for positive recovery.
This, according to him, will be done through the prioritizing of sales and supply, as well as address and rectifying of challenges with both customers and suppliers to re-establish connections and provide these businesses with renewed strategic direction.
Hewitt states that short-term, continued stabilization is required along with a medium- to long term rebuilding plan, which will be executed by him and an executive management team.
Moreover, inasmuch as it plays an important role in the lives of both suppliers and customers, Hewitt is quick to note the presence of gaps in the market segments, seeing it as an opportunity for DAWN to regain market share.
This, combined with its position as the leading distributor in its industry sector and recent model realignment to streamline costs, means the team can now focus on the future.
