| The 2008
Dial-a-Cab AGM will be held at The Brewery, Chiswell Street on
Sunday 8th February 2009 at 11am. The following candidates have
announced that they are standing for election and sent Call Sign
their CVs for publication. Names are in alphabetical order… STANDING FOR ELECTION AT THE 2008 AGM |
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 Joe Brazil (K16) My name is Joe Brazil, K16. Having previously been an employee of Dial-a-Cab for 17 years I can honestly say these are extraordinary times that we face together. We will have to be innovative to thrive, we have to be adoptive to change and brave in our decisions. These are conditions not faced for many years and we have to be strong. My belief is that while some businesses may shirk away from these challenges, we should seek opportunity. I will support an immediate increase in our sales team, especially west London which requires immediate action. A Dial-a-Cab presence in places like Heathrow and City airports would be beneficial, even Westfield shopping centre should give immediate returns and should be sought. Our cab logos should also reflect our desire for new work. Not showing our phone number is folly and this could be addressed immediately. Advertising our credit card facilities with guaranteed scrubs should also be sought. I will also support an increase in our minimum fare; £8.00 does not reflect our increased costs and should be increased to £15.00 at the earliest opportunity. Software changes are also required, GPS route checking technology, interactive messaging between drivers, Bluetooth technology to make calls via our screens are all possible and should be explored. The past and our history may be viewed as a guide, but innovation will be the way forward, I’m not asking for wholesale changes, the steady hand showed by our present Board has guided us through the good times for many years, these times are different and we must adapt and I want to be part of that evolution. I am asking you for your confidence and your vote.  Keith Cain (Q07) Sitting Board member The unfortunate downturn in work will in my opinion have an influence in the decision members make with electing their Board. History of the Society is that this is not the first time - and it will certainly not be the last - that we experience such an impact on our work levels. It will require individuals with a great deal of experience to steer the Society through these periods and my decision to stand for re-election is because I believe I have gained a vast level of experience that will assist in driving the Society forward. Having been a member for 25 years and a Board member for 18 years, I have held a number of senior positions - one of which was the elected Treasurer. During my term I played an influential part in bringing in a Professional Qualified Accountant onto the Board. I have also been involved with New Business, Customer Service and currently I hold the position of Driver Operations Manager. Within this role I have the responsibility for the Call Centre, which employs 160 staff. With the competition being far greater than at any other time, we need to ensure that we cut our cloth accordingly, plan for the future and make sure that business decisions are made with the long-term future in mind, rather than deciding on a quick-fix solution. Being part of a Board that over many years has built the strong financial foundations that will enable the Society to sustain these difficult times, it is this that motivates me to want to continue and serve the members, so that our Society remains the leader within the taxi industry.  Allan Evans (Y83) Sitting Board member I have been privileged to serve you, the members, on the Board of Management for the last eight years. I am a licensed taxi driver with over 30 years experience and a member of our Society since 1985. I have, in this time, been trusted to hold a number of important roles. As you know, I am jointly responsible for Driver |
Operations and presently hold the
position of Compliance Officer. I treat these roles extremely
seriously and my judgements are based on experience, integrity and
the need to safeguard the Society and our members. Prior to being
elected, I worked as a new Driver Trainer and Marshalling Officer,
always seeking to raise the Society’s profile and generate
additional income for us all. During my time in office, I have also been involved on a number of high profile projects, which has helped me build up an excellent working relationship with some of our most senior clients. I feel it is very important that as a working driver I have never lost touch with you the members and have always made every effort to be approachable, fair, willing to listen and available to offer help and advice if it was requested. The knowledge I have gained over the last eight years in office has given me a deep understanding of our Society and provided me with invaluable experience. I have always been totally committed to my position of Board Member; it is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. I am a team player and proud to be member of a vastly experienced Board of Management that is fully committed to steering our Society forward and maintaining it’s success throughout the financial challenges that lie ahead. I ask you once again for your support in voting for me to represent you for a further term in office; I will certainly not let you down.  Paul Jenner (L17) I have been a Licensed Cab Driver for 23 years and a member of this Society since 1992. I have represented Dial-a-Cab for the last 14 years as a Marshall at all of our major accounts and am aware of the service that is expected from our clients and, as importantly, the drivers who provide a service second to none. One of the Boards’ strengths has been to plan ahead and that is why I offer myself as a candidate for the Board of Management. Nothing lasts forever and we need to have the right people in place to carry on the good work that the present Board have done in past years. I have sometimes been called ‘a company man’ to which I plead guilty. As an equal shareholder, I feel it is important to do all I can to make Dial-a-Cab successful, after all, the more we achieve the more we earn. I know I have the ability and I hope I have shown the commitment to show to the membership that I have the qualities required to ensure this Society keeps its position as market leader. We have made enormous strides in our present status and I see no reason to change. Like many of you, I am becoming increasingly frustrated as PH eats into our livelihood and I am against any support for our competitors. I do not understand why we prop up their service levels by covering the work they either don’t want or can’t cover. Present BoM members often warn us of the threat PH pose, but at the same time sanction the setting up of accounts for the very same people that they write about. I won’t make promises I can’t keep but if successful will do all I can to put the interests of the members first.  Mike Son (V52) Sitting Board member You will have read in Call Sign of the sad loss I recently suffered when my youngest brother Brian passed away following a long illness. Having also recently undergone a knee replacement operation and taken quite some time off work, I had time to think about my future and initially I decided that I would not seek re-election to the Board. However, as we all know there has been a significant downturn in the economy and the taxi industry is most certainly not impervious to the reduction in revenue. This consequently may have an effect on our standard of living. With this in mind, I now believe that to change any member of the Board at this time would do a disservice to the membership. It could also cause a give a lack of confidence in us to our clients when continuity with their service providers is extremely important. Therefore, I am seeking a further |
term of office and
look forward to your support. I have no doubt that the economy will
not improve for some time. All at Dial-a-Cab will have to work even
harder than ever, not only keeping up the tremendous service clients
expect our drivers to provide, but also to keep the ongoing
interaction, contact and communication our Account Managers provide
to their account contacts. I look forward once again to your support.  Allen Togwell (Q08) Sitting Board member Most of our members know my background, however to those who are not familiar with my working past: I had my own manufacturing business in the UK for 21 yrs as well as working abroad. I’ve had a badge since 1966 and joined your Board in 1986, prompted by the fact that the Society did not have a recognised Sales & Marketing dept, a much needed department I was confident I could develop given the opportunity. Which I did and believe my role together with the advent of data despatching played a significant part in our Society’s future success. One particular advantage I had in addition to generating new business was my ability to produce artwork and design, which has resulted in Dial-a-Cab never having to spend a penny during the past 22 years using outside agencies for artwork and design for marketing or advertising. I have produced it all in-house, including, I’m proud to add, the designing of our corporate logo. I mention the above for one purpose only and that is to emphasise the importance of experience, particularly in the manner in which Board members are elected. We are a multi-million pound business with a responsibility to generate income for our 2,300 members, our 200 plus staff and our Society’s future. The past few months has seen economic chaos in the UK and around the world. Dial-a-Cab is not immune from being affected by that chaos. We need a strong Board with the maximum of experience during this period of economic instability. I served on your Board during the recession of 1992 and know only too well the difficult decisions the Board had to make to keep our Society solvent. I am passionate about the success of Dial-a-Cab. I have considerable experience and would like your support to put that experience to use by you electing me for another term of office.  Tom Whitbread (Q09) Sitting Board member It’s now another 2 years since I’ve had to write an AGM CV and in that time I have been proud of our achievement in bringing the Society into the position it has reached today as the most respected Licensed Taxi organisation in England. During the 20+ years that I have been a Board member, I have seen the Society through the good and bad times. The Society is now in the best position that it has experienced in the 32 years I have been associated with it. To say that the work to get to this level has ranged from being a pleasure to frightening is an understatement. In the bad times, it was as bad as not knowing if you could lose your own home just for staying on the Board and trying to keep it solvent. In the good times there were the glory seekers, all wanting to stand for election to the Board whilst in the bad times they seem to disappear. I have gained my Board experience through hard work, coping with nearly all the jobs throughout the company. Most of my time on the Board has been serving as the Complaints Officer, a job most Board members shy away from as it is obviously a vote loser. But during this time I have always been honest and straight talking. I will tell you how it actually is to your face and not change my view behind your back. Neither will I will ever give you false or unattainable promises just to get your votes. I give you my promise of hard work and dedication to the Society, just as I have done over the past 32 years. The work may have slackened off over the past months, but stick with us and cover the work and we will once again come out as the top London Licensed radio taxi service. |
