G E M B O: Catching Up... Farewell to Ed and the Three Musketeer$

Sunday 3 July 2011

Catching Up... Farewell to Ed and the Three Musketeer$

Assalamu 'Alaikum

As promised, another catching up post... This time an event in February for the farewell of my boss, Ed and two other leaders Mark N and Mark T, the trio aptly nicknamed the Three Musketeers.

Edwin Bolton or Ed to close colleagues, had been with the company for 4 1/2 years since October 2006. His boyish looks belied the talents, the sharp mind underneath and took some of us back, especially that he was a couple of years younger than me. But Ed was like a sponge - within weeks of arriving he's got grip of what we're doing and within months steered the ship well.

Ed work late, at times over the weekend, sometimes I'd call him dull Jack as he's always avoided any non-work company events. It's not that the work was getting too much, he'll find work to do when he's free!

For Ed to suddenly inherit 30 people when he arrived was a huge shock for him, more so all his 4 direct reports were older than him. How he handled it become my very own personal thesis - I now lead a team of only three but I used every tricks that Ed applied to win us all, to help me take my own ship out of the harbour. I am not there yet, but I look up to him for inspiration if there seems to be rough waters ahead.

Of all the bosses that I've had in my 15 working years, I'd have to say Ed shaped me to who I am now and who I wanted to be. When things got so bad for me, he picked me up and helped me turn around from worst to best performance within a year. Thanks Ed. You're my inspiration.

Ed had been married to Emma just over a year when they arrived in Brunei, and he left Brunei with Olly, one and half years old then and Toby at the end of his second trimester. Toby was safely born in UK last month.

Ed was only one of the three, they weren't even called the Three Musketeers during their time in the company, it was only coined when all three were to leave the company in quick succession Marc N left early Feb, Mark T left end Feb and Ed left end March, Ed in the same time that I moved on to my new job.

Adios you Mu$keteer$... All for One, One for All. We wish you the best in all your future endeavours!