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1 Branding . . . Here to Stay!

1 Student of the Year Award

2 OPQ – The Path to CareerProgression at Kentz

2 A New Era for EPC

3 Hi-POTs – High PotentialEmployees

3 Surfing the New Way

4 Fun in the Sun

4 Winners All Round

4 Speeding to Success

THIS ISSUE

experience our perspectiveIssue 2 – August 2007

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in INSIDE KENTZ.

Contact the Group News Co-ordinator

Catriona Nugent on +353 52 22811 or

email cnugent@kentz.ie

to ensure your items are included.

As part of the Group branding policy, Regina Byrne, Head ofCorporate Affairs, organised a Group Branding andCommunications Conference in the Clonmel office recently. Thetwo-day conference was attended by the branding committeeand a representative from subsidiary offices. The purpose of thisconference was to facilitate and manage the next phase of thebranding strategy. Presenters included Regina Byrne, AnnaBrett, Catriona Nugent, Alan McFadden, Ekaterina Kuptsova, PatCass, James Cassin, and the conference was facilitated by KeithBarry.

It has been over three years since the branding committee firstmet and rose to the challenge of implementing a brandingstrategy throughout the 22 countries in which we work. Withgreat tenacity over the last number of years we have created aglobal impression in the marketplace with consistency acrossthe Group, differentiated the Kentz brand in the industry andensured the brand is positioned correctly in each market.

Now that the implementation phase of the branding strategy iscomplete, we have entered into a new and exciting phase forBranding and Communications, that of continuous improvement,refinement and auditing. Our whole aim and vision continues tobe “the specialist service provider of choice” to our clients, bothcurrent and future.

At the conference, Communications and Branding Co-ordinatorswere appointed to represent and champion Communications andBranding within their office. They include those featured in thepanel below.

Each co-ordinator has been given the following responsibilities:

� To implement, manage, and police the Group Visual IdentityPolicy within their office and all sites under the managementof the subsidiary office.

� To prepare for the audit process and ensure the subsidiarycomplies with the policy. Liaise closely with the subsidiaryQuality Manager.

� To champion branding ineverything they do.

� To write timely articles andphotographs for various corporatepublications; @Kentz, Inside Kentz,Kentz Group News.

Audit ProcessAnother important phase of Brandingand Communications is theintroduction of auditing of the GroupVisual Identity Policy (GVIP). JamesCassin, Group QA/HSE Manager,outlined the audit process at theconference and has briefed the QA/QCManagers in all subsidiary offices andasked them to undertake the audit onthe GVIP from week commencing 10th

September. Lots of preparation workwill need to be undertaken by theCommunications and Branding Co-ordinator to ensure the audit is asuccess.

Some comments from the delegates included:

Keith Barry, European Business Development Manager“The work that’s been done on branding over the lastthree years is phenomenal. I hope the next three years goas well. Kentz used to be a federation of independentstates, but now it is just one company, seamless, with noborders. The QA procedure is now in place so it is up tothe co-ordinators to get into action.“

Regina Byrne, Head of Corporate Affairs“Thank you for your energy and feedback. Keep the storiescoming and keep us informed. No business stays still, weneed to keep moving.”

Cathal Hurley, Branding and Communication Co-ordinator, Saudi Arabia“It was nice to meet the people at the conference and seeall the faces. Now I know who to contact in eachsubsidiary. The two days were very beneficial. I had littleinvolvement in the past but now I feel empowered. Weneed every single employee to buy into branding –branding is here, get ready.”

Continued support of the branding committee and Group VisualIdentity Policy has allowed us to distinguish ourselves from ourcompetitors in key markets throughout the world. We mustcontinue to strive to be “the specialist service provider ofchoice” and our Branding and Communications is one of theimportant tools which will enable us to achieve this objective.

Branding…Here to Stay! Back Row L-R: Jonathan Walsh, Uday Rao, Hugh O’Donnell, Pat Cass, Keith Barry, Alan McFadden, Sinead O’Connor, Cathal Hurley, NicoleMootoo, Peter Ross. Front Row L-R: Beverly Aba, Ekaterina Kuptsova, Kelly O’Shea, Regina Byrne, Catriona Nugent, Anna Brett, Valentia Royal.

Currie Junior Scores a Hat Trick

Daniel Currie, with his parents Alan and Elveena

Congrats to Daniel Currie, who is studying in Year 10 at ParkHouse English School, Doha, Qatar, on being awarded the Studentof the Year Award for the academic year 2006/07. Daniel also hadthe distinction of being awarded the HSBC Economics Award andthe Park House Drama Award. Our congratulations also go out toDaniel’s parents, Alan and Elveena Currie. Alan is the FinancialManager of Qatar Kentz WLL based in Doha, Qatar and has beenwith the Kentz Group for the past 15 years. Keep up the goodwork, Daniel.

Student of the Year Award

Saudi Arabia Cathal Hurley

Qatar Alan McFadden

Kuwait Uday Rao

Abu Dhabi Malji Bhosale

Kentz (Pty) Ltd Pat Cass

Thiess Kentz, Australia Bev Aba

Sakhalin Island Ekaterina Kuptsova

Caribbean Nicole Mootoo

USA Valentia Royal

Corporate Anna Brett

Azerbaijan Niall Barry

Ireland Ritchie Geoghegan

Kazakhstan Fergus Burke

Communications and Branding Co-ordinators

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After a full year of workshops, debate and abundant scripting, the EPCmanuals have been completed and the final touches are being made to thematerial for the “Advanced EPC Project Management Course”.

This course will be based on the published manuals, project case studies, andsoft skills centred around project management. Additionally, we aredeveloping an “Introductory EPC Management” course for new entrants to thismethod of execution. This course will be introduced in 2008.

The inaugural Advanced EPC Project ManagementCourse will be held in Doha and will take place over a3-day period. To facilitate the number of attendees,we will hold 2 courses, the first over the 3rd, 4th and 5th

of September and the second over the 8th, 9th and 10th

of September. Attendees will include a range ofpersonnel from EPC, Functional and RegionalManagement from the Middle East, together withpersonnel from other regions.

The launch of the EPC manuals is a major milestonein the history of the Company as we have nowconsolidated our very own execution methodology forEPC projects, combining the best of industry practiceswith Kentz unique management style. It also

represents a significant cultural shift from the methodologies used forconstruction-only projects. For this cultural change to succeed, it will require

the active support of both EPC practitioners and all senior management in theCompany.

In parallel with the launch of the manuals, we are busy updating the Company’sIMS procedures and working closely with the Integr8 project team to provide afull set of EPC project execution tools.

The manuals and IMS procedures will be living documents and we expectfurther enhancements as users contribute improvements based on theirproject experiences.

The roll-out of the manuals will commence with “beta testing” on selected EPCprojects before implementing company-wide. We anticipate that by early 2008,all new EPC projects will be executed following the guidelines set out in themanuals.

A New Era for EPCEPC Manuals – Another Kentz Milestone

The Kentz Group introduced the Occupational PersonalityQuestionnaire assessment some 18 months ago. Initially itwas given out to EdipLM candidates, managers andprofessionals in the South African subsidiary. The resultshave been extremely positive and many employees havenow enquired about being included into the OPQ roll-out.

What is the OPQ?

The Occupational Personality Questionnaire, or the OPQ, isa questionnaire designed to assess one’s preferred workstyle and behaviour, and is used as a development andselection tool. It was developed by SHL (Seville,Holdsworth Limited in Business ManagementConsultancy) in order to aid organisations in selection,development and team-building situations. Thequestionnaire (OPQ32i) itself may be given online or bypaper and pencil technique and simply requires one to ratetheir personal preferences between most preferred andleast preferred on a collection of four statements at a timerelating to work styles. It is a direct method of assessingan individual’s preferred work style and behaviour, it is notobscure and is only relevant within the workplace domainand does not refer to one’s personal life.

Why use personality to direct progression?

Looking at personality, we can see it is relatively stablethroughout life but does change slightly due to changes intheir environment, situations and circumstances. Sincepersonality is flexible, the OPQ is frequently administered,every 18 to 24 months if necessary, to ensure the candidateis receiving the correct development opportunities to reachtheir optimum level within their career level and topromote progression.

What does this mean for the Kentzemployee?

The OPQ provides a unique opportunity to gain valuableinsight into individual work styles within Kentz. This willbenefit Kentz as an organisation but will especially benefitthe self-awareness of the individual. Since OPQ is a self-report, there is no wrong or right behaviour as it is a uniqueperception of the self in the workplace. One can discoverin the relaxed environment of the feedback session, givenby a qualified OPQ administrator, their key strengths orlimitations. The feedback session is given some time afterthe completion of the OPQ32i, where the candidate candiscuss the results and comment on preferences ofbehaviours given at the time of the questionnaire and

contribute valuable personal insight to many factors oftheir personality at work. This two-way process isconfidential and key to the proper interpretation of anindividual’s work style and behavioural preferences. Theadministrator, with the input of the candidate, gatherstogether a report highlighting the areas of possible furtherdevelopment and career progression. This is then takeninto account along with the Kentz annual performanceassessment and a work performance review frommanagers, peers and subordinates to create a full 360-degree review of the individual which, in all, will assist anddetermine career-path prospects and progression.

Is it an appropriate way to assess one’swork preferences?

The OPQ by SHL is a valid predictor of work-basedbehavioural preferences. SHL compares the resultingpreferences against a comparison group of over 300 peoplewho share various levels of expertise in the managerialand professional domain and who have taken the OPQ32i.This comparison is based in the typical preferences of thecomparison groups. Essentially, it is not a tool ofmeasurement but a tool of development. It looks at varioustraits which are combined in different ways to make upcompetencies such as leadership, enterprising,interacting, or creating and conceptualising. It is not basedon ability or skill but on the strength of the candidate’spreferences.

The OPQ looks at four importantdimensions of behaviour and work styles:

i) Relationships with people

ii) Thinking style

iii) Feelings and emotions

iv) Dynamism

Each of these, along with the feedback session, will giveKentz the foundation as to where to direct and build ourfocus on each individual’s career-path progression. Withthis combination, along with the 360O review of thecandidate’s work performance, it insures that we at Kentzcan produce a well-rounded scope of the candidate’spotential and development prospects.

Various employees within Kentz have already gone throughthis assessment to establish their work personality andbehaviour preferences, and this is how they have viewedthe OPQ experience:

OPQ as the gateway to career progression

The OPQ as a development tool will help identify individuallimitations and strengths in the various competenciesmeasured by the questionnaire. Once the competencylimitations are identified, training interventions can be putinto place to overcome the limitation and move it towardbecoming a strength. For example: a key competency tobecoming a successful leader/manager is to be fairlyassertive. If assertiveness is identified as a limitation in theOPQ of a particular manager, that individual manager canbe put on to an assertiveness skills course to helpovercome the limitation and help make him a moresuccessful manager.

The OPQ is an all-inclusive development tool and is used atsupervisory, managerial and professional position levels toaid career advancement. The Kentz Group has three fullyqualified OPQ administrators, Takis Karallis(tkarallis@kentz.ie), Donal O’Neill (doneill@kentz.ie) andNiamh Moloney (nmoloney@kentz.ie), who can becontacted at Corporate Office for any further informationand assistance.

Inside Kentz Issue 2 – August 2007

OPQ - The Path to Career Progression at KENTZ

Hugh O’Donnell, Bob Greaney, James McAdory and James Moore at the final Advanced EPC Project Management Course review held recently in Clonmel.

“My OPQ results were surprisingly veryaccurate on how I am at work and I canbetter understand which areas I havestrengths and limitations in, and whatinterventions need to be put into place toovercome these limitations – all in all aninteresting and worthwhile experience.”

Eoin Hurley - Regional Managing Director

“The feedback I received was quite reflectiveof my work behaviour. On reflection, maybethey were more accurate than I initiallythought. It was the main reason that Idecided to undertake further education. Iam now nearing the conclusion of the KentzMBA course. I would advise others to do it.What have they got to lose?”

Shane Dooley Cullinane - BD Manager

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Over time it’s been proven that companies who developand look after internal talent are the companies whichachieve the highest performance in the longer run. JackWelsh ex CEO, General Electric.

What are Hi-POTS?HI-POT is the term used in Kentz to identify highpotential employees who are earmarked to be futureleaders within the Group.

Key to the success of any Hi-POT programme is providingexperiences that are relevant and key to the participantsand providing the appropriate support to the Hi-POTs asthey experience, learn and grow. The appropriate typeand level of support will depend on the Hi-POTthemselves and their development needs as they areassessed. Incorporating the Hi-POT programme into thebusiness strategy tends to increase leadership buy-inand commitment, which in turn helps to keep theprogramme on track.

Identification of Hi-POTs Ideally, these top performers are identified as early aspossible through observation of their current jobperformance and results from the OccupationalPersonality Questionnaire (OPQ). The Hi-POTs benefitfrom specialised career development plans that ensurethose that are the best and brightest quickly rise to thetop. By efficiently developing leadership skills andcompetencies, high-performing organisations candistinguish themselves from their competitors andextend their competitive advantage in the market.

What combination of different traits dowe look for in a Hi-POT? Someone who:� has the respect and trust of supervisors, peers and

subordinates� has good decision-making skills� maintains a high level of competence in technical or

functional discipline� consistently produces tangible, measurable results

above expectations� ensures that team goals are achieved within cultural

and ethical guidelines� has a bias for action and is a proactive catalyst for

change� is open to feedback and constructive criticism� self-manages in a manner that fosters learning and

high performance� has potential to be successful in another

function/department� has emotional maturity� thinks and solves problems creatively and from a

position of inquiry (versus advocacy)� possesses problem identification and resolution

skills� contributes critical judgment at some level when

setting organisational strategy� has the desire to develop others� has a broad acumen of the organisation’s business

and his or her role in its goals� actively leads and manages teams that create a

sense of loyalty and community� has a good global perspective of the Company � strives to anticipate and deliver on customer’s needs� has ability to use the available resources to the best

of their ability.

Development of Hi-POTsOnce candidates have been identified, Kentz thenpursues a number of activities to develop these highpotential individuals, including role shadowing, stretchedjob rotations, formal training, action learning and projectassignments. Training and development are typicallyfocused on developmental gaps, which are in turnidentified through the OPQ using 16 competencies thathave the combination of traits required and the 360degree review process.

All of these interventions are used to impart andreinforce skills related to team building, leadership,communications and change management.

It's worth noting that the expectations of potentialleadership candidates need to be carefully managed.Kentz Management inform the Hi-POTs that the high-potential designation is not a promise for promotion butmust be continuously earned by the individual. Thisunderstanding can help mitigate disappointment andpossibly prevent departure if the employee is notselected for a new role.

Informing employees that they are on the Hi-POTprogramme is a powerful indication that the Companyvalues their contributions to the business and believes inthem enough to invest in their future. Employees in turn,who are part of high-potential developmentprogrammes, will also find themselves under continuousscrutiny throughout the process. These aspiring leadersface one of the most challenging stages of theirprofessional life as they try to understand theirenvironment, set goals and prove their worth.

Inside Kentz Issue 2 – August 2007

Hi-POTs – High Potential Employees

Above: Executive Diploma, Group 2, 2007

Identification byObservation and Results End of Year Reviews

Assessment OPQ -Occupational Personality

Questionnaire

360-Degree ReviewsSelf, Manager, Peers

and Subordinates

Development Planning Succession Plan

Shadowing

Rotational Placement

Accelerated ProgrammeEDipLM and MBA

Project Assignments

Identified by SeniorManagement Recommendation

Current Competency Level

}

}

Hi-POTs

Below: On the job development

Surfing the New Way

As part of the Integr8 project, the website washighlighted as one of the systems which required anew and up-dated look. It was recognised that thewebsite needed to come in line with our brandingstrategy.

The website will have a complete new look and feel,and all the text will be different to the existingwebsite. The sections which will be covered are:Health, Safety and Environment; Our Services; OurSectors; Careers; About Us; News and Information.

Our Careers section will give the user acomprehensive guide to working with Kentz, thetraining programmes that are in place and thegraduate recruitment programme. The website willalso profile various jobs throughout the Group. Auser will be able to register their CV and apply on-line for current vacancies.

Within the “Our Services” and “Our Sectors” sectionsour capabilities will be highlighted and this text willbe linked to the most recent project profiles. Thewebsite will contain many of our own projectphotographs, giving it its own unique feel.

The site construction is well under way with thevarious sections being populated with text andphotographs.

Once the new-look website is up and running, it isanticipated it will meet the objective of beinginteractive, informative and engaging to reflect thebrand, culture and ethos of Kentz.

A sneak peak at the new-look website home page

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Fun in the SunCarey’s Beer Garden, Clonmel was the venue for the

Kentz annual summer barbecue on Thursday 19th July.To everyone’s surprise, after a very dreary summer it

turned out to be a lovely sunny day and the rain held off,allowing us to enjoy the outdoor event.

The barbecue kicked off at 4.30pm, with Barbara RussellCatering dishing up an array of delicious mouth-

watering food. As an after-dinner treat, Hugh O’Donnellducked out to the local “Londis” and surprised

everyone with champagne and strawberries. Alongwith all the Clonmel staff we were happy to welcome PatCass from South Africa and Valentia Royal from the US,

who extended their stay after the Branding andCommunications Conference to join in the fun.

The party continued into the wee hours, with a traditionalIrish session headed up by Bob Greaney on the

fiddle/guitar/mouth-organ. Plenty of musical talentswere unveiled as the night progressed. Avril McCarthyand Paul O’Brien certainly impressed with their vocal

abilities. Our resident dancers also deserve amention, namely Ray Murphy, Kelly O’Shea, MelissaO’Connor, Noel O’Mahony, Hugh O’Donnell, Valentia

Royal, Aidan Murphy and Brenda Leavy. A greatattempt was made at the Siege of Ennis, although

some practice may be needed before their nextshow.

It’s safe to say that a great night was had by all andwe are already looking forward to next year!

Inside Kentz Issue 2 – August 2007

Winners All RoundThe Kentz/Fluor cricket team won the Kuwait Oil Sector CricketTournament for the second time since the beginning of the KOC-PMCProject, which started in June 2003.

Kentz/Fluor won the toss and elected to bat first. Melwyn Serrao, theKentz/Fluor captain, who is known to be a hard-hitting batsman withinKuwait’s cricket community, scored an electrifying 38 runs off 18 ballswith 2-sixes and 4-fours. But it was Pradeep Varma, a veteran, whostole the show with his excellent all-round performance which earnedhim the “Man of the Match” award. He remained not out after scoring50 solid runs, captured a crucial wicket and took a brilliant catch at point.

It was a warm afternoon and the match was played at the KOC’sAhmadi Hubara ground. The tournament was sponsored by KNPC forthe first time. Many supporters were present to watch the match andencourage their team, which included Fluor International’s ProjectDirector, Peter Wilson.

The management of Kentz Overseas Ltd would like to take thisopportunity to congratulate the Kentz/Fluor team for making us proudby winning this tournament and to wish them many more successes inthe future.

Kentz/Fluor Cricket Team

Speeding to SuccessJason English, Maintenance & Shutdown Site Manager based inSecunda, has always been passionate about motor sport.

A couple of months ago, Jason, Stuart Kent and Carlo Marengoattended a sponsored event to drive the new Reynard cars importedfrom the USA. Jason set the second fastest time ever recorded aroundKyalami race track near Midrand, South Africa, for a novice and wasselected to participate in the Fantastic Racing Arrive & Drivecampaign. He has been working hard with his instructors from CapeTown, and is slowly improving his lap times. Although many of hiscompetitors have been racing for many years, he will have a thrillingexperience during the season and just competing in an event of thisnature is enjoyable for him.

After winning two separate events, Jason has been selected to drive inthe National Formula Libre series, and will participate in his first raceat Kyalami on 8th September 2007. He will be driving the newlyimported Reynard, which cost in the region of R2 million and which isthe first of its kind in South Africa.

Kentz wish Jason the best of luck in his pastime and we all lookforward to seeing him on the podium!

Jason receiving his award

Above: Noel Kelly and Elaine Kinane

Above: left to right: Melissa O’Connor, Sinead O’Connor, Brenda

Leavy, Catriona Nugent, Teresa O’Brien and Elaine KinaneBack row, left to right: John Williams, Teresa O’Brien, Brenda Leavy

Front row, left to right: Valentia Royal, Noel O’Mahony, Valerie Power, Avril McCarthy

Back row, left to right: Noel Kelly, Pat Cass, Hugh O’Donnell

Front: Branwen Kelly and Aidan Murphy