A company with a clear focus: Jacob I Segman, Group Managing Director, Kenol/Kobil, tells African Review how an indigenous Kenyan oil company has become a major player in the downstream petroleum business in East, Central and Southern Africa.(Company Focus)(Interview)

What guides your company?

Focus. We have a very clear focus, right from where we are to where we want to be in the future, which is to be a major player in the petroleum business in Africa. Our focus is to always look for new opportunities, be they in marketing, innovation or investment.

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Would you elaborate your statements?

Yes. In Kenya where we have our head office, we are known to be one of the most dynamic companies, not just in the oil business, but in the corporate sector as a whole. Many people marvel at how a local Kenyan company can achieve such levels compared to multinationals with global operations, decades of experience, and massive capital. Let me mention here that we are a Kenyan oil company that has managed to attain world-class standards. In Kenya, Kenol/Kobil is one of the leading oil companies, with a turnover of KShs,55bn (US$790mn) in the 2004 financial year.take a detailed approach to all the parameters of managing the business. This approach is to examine all the variables as relates to issues like profitability, procurement, inventory, pricing …