For Kenneth Joaquin, making the transition from the senior ranks of Bermuda's civil service to a leadership role at a company in the private sector is all about enjoying “tangible hands-on management”.

“In this environment, when changes are made you see the results quickly - a decision is made and the required action is immediate,” he says of his role as president and CEO of Stevedoring Services. “I loved my time in the (Civil) Service. It was absolutely amazing and I really appreciated the breadth of experience I had there. But I think I have an entrepreneurial spirit at heart and the Service is more abstract. I really enjoy being so close to the end product here.”

The 35-year-old chartered management accountant took over the top job at the company three months ago after the sudden departure of his predecessor Bruce Lines. Settling into his position since last October has involved assessing all aspects of the organisation in order to start achieving his mission “to change this company for the better”.

Some may think that's quite a task. As the only company having the licence to operate the Hamilton docks, Stevedoring Services' financial results continue to benefit from the increasing flow of cargo coming into the port - profits last year increased by 68 percent over 2003 to just over $1 million.

The public has typically heard about the company when its workers have conducted industrial action or because of the long-standing congestion and backlog of containers at the dock.

“There are a multitude of issues we're facing,” admits Mr. Joaquin. “But some are beyond our direct control, like the relocation of the docks and the shortage of space - that's not going to change quickly. And while it's been easy for retailers to point to the docks when they are out of stock that their customers want, we don't own the trucks that move those items out of the sheds.

“As for the relocation issue, we're sitting on seven acres of prime Front Street property, so I can understand the rationale behind the calls to move the docks. But in our opinion if both Number Eight and Number Seven sheds come down, we could continue to operate here. The Corporation of Hamilton own the property, so we'll wait and see what happens.

“We do, however, have a new management team with a new perspective that's looking internally to see how we can manage our business better and serve all of Bermuda better,” he continues. “And we're already seeing some improvements as a result even in the time I've been here.”

He cites a recently formed worker/management task force as one example, which was brought together to address the container backlog but also served as a useful exercise in enhancing relations between workers and management further.

“This had never been done in this way before and provided a great way to allow the people who have the critical knowledge in this context - our dock workers - to contribute directly in addressing the issue,” he says. “I've always felt that it's important for any individual to appreciate what you don't know and respect those that do have the expertise you don't have. Nine times out of ten people want to do a good job and contribute, and if you're managing a company you mustn't get in the way of that.

“So, the task force was working together, looking critically at the operation on the dock to see how things could be improved.”

According to Mr. Joaquin the deliberations are already yielding results: “In November we moved 2,021 containers, the highest volume there has ever been in a month to my knowledge. Ultimately, it's due to the commitment of the port workers to get the job done. These guys are stripping 50-52 containers in a week. We may not have had a good public presence in the past but my observation is that the workers are very proud of what they do, and rightly so. Their work ethic is actually just incredible.”

It's clear that he intends to use his collaborative management style to make the changes he sees as being necessary to move the company forward. He feels that labour relations had improved significantly by the time he joined the company and that “from my perspective we'll always keep the communications channels open with the workers and the BIU. At the end of the day we have the same interests at heart and, if the company prospers, labour prospers”.

He credits the “diversity of experience” he had while working in Government as being excellent background for his present role. He joined the Office of the Auditor General in 1996 with his CMA qualification after completing a Political Science degree at the University of Western Ontario and the graduate programme in Public Accounting at McGill University. That was also the year he married his wife Sharon - they now have two sons.

Mr. Joaquin's career progression within the Civil Service included moving to the Works and Engineering Ministry, becoming Accountant General in 2002 and then being appointed Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Family Services.

It was perhaps his admitted reluctance to stick to a role that was focused solely on pure accounting that led to his seeking out a broader career path even within the Government structure and hierarchy.

“I was actually thinking about becoming a lawyer initially,” he says. “But I turned to accounting after my undergraduate degree after getting some advice from a cousin of mine who's a partner in one of the accounting firms here. I admit - I couldn't stand it at first! But it has turned out to be good profession for me, and I was fortunate to work with some great mentors with good minds who were willing to facilitate the broader exposure in management that I had within Government.”

As a result of his assessment of Stevedoring Services over the last three months he says the priority for the next year-and-a-half will be to enhance efficiency, from speeding up the throughput process for moving cargo at the dock to reinvesting in new capital equipment to implementing new IT systems within the organisation.

“We want to reinvest in our capital equipment to streamline the operation on the dock and make it a lot more efficient,” Mr. Joaquin says. “We're talking about investment that runs anywhere from $175,000 to $2 million for each piece of specialised equipment. Also our new website should be live by April, which will allow consignees or their representatives to check the status of their shipments online in real time. We hope this will help to eliminate the problem of cargo that is left here in the sheds for extended periods after being unloaded from the containers because people will be able to track their shipments from the time they leave port bound for Bermuda to when the containers are stripped and items can be collected.”

He added that the company's IT systems are being reviewed with the intention of making wholesale upgrades to support the efficiency drive, and that higher levels of investment in training and development for employees is also planned.

“I hate to use the term but basically we're re-engineering ourselves,” says Mr. Joaquin. “It's a good time to be here and we have a great bunch of people. We know exactly what needs to be done and because we recognise our role in being a lifeline to supplying the goods that all of Bermuda needs there's a real commitment to doing it.”