It was a night of classical music, fine dining and nostalgic speeches on Monday evening as Kerzner International bid farewell to its president and managing director, Paul O’Neil, who told a packed ballroom at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort that he and his wife, Judy, had no idea what they will do next.
But Mr. O’Neil, 60, quickly pointed out that it would be great waking up knowing that every day is Saturday.
He told The Bahama Journal that he was honoured to be a part of helping to develop the magic of Atlantis. The retiring hotelier, however, highlighted the work that the entire Kerzner family has been doing.
“It starts with the Kerzners of course and their vision and the board of directors for being willing to [spend the money] that’s necessary,” said Mr. O’Neil, who later in the evening thanked the company’s Chairman Sol Kerzner and its CEO Butch Kerzner for the opportunity to be a part of the company.
He said everyone straight down to the line staff has been responsible for “making it happen”.
“We’ve had a single vision,” said Mr. O’Neil, who passed the baton on to George Markantonis, another Atlantis official. “We’ve had goals in mind to make that vision happen and it’s really great; it’s terrific.”
In his address, he paid special tribute to his wife, three children and the rest of his family, saying everything he achieved in his nearly four-decades long career was because of the support of his relatives.
He told those who had come to share the special evening with him that he and Judy were ending “their” career.
Mr. O’Neil departs Kerzner International as the company’s Atlantis expansion moves into even higher gear. Asked if he would be back for the grand opening of Atlantis Phase III, he quickly said, “Absolutely; no question about it.”
Prime Minister Perry Christie said he hoped that although Mr. O’Neil is moving into another chapter of his life, Kerzner would still be able to call on him if need be.
“Because of persons such as yourself, we have been able to continue to grow our economy to raise it to a level to where others are now coming in,” Mr. Christie told Mr. O’Neil.
Butch Kerzner, who met Mr. O’Neil back in the year 2000, said the veteran hotelier’s time with Kerzner International was “quite a journey.”
From their first meeting, he said it immediately became clear that Mr. O’Neil was a “very special person”.
“Since [he joined Kerzner] this company is a very different company,” said Mr. Kerzner, who added that being able to say hello to Mr. O’Neil had always been a great way for him to start the day as he was able to get advice and commiserate.
“Paul is not a colleague,” he said. “Paul has become a dear friend. If we measure ourselves by the [criterion] of whether we leave something a whole lot better than where we found it, Paul gets 10 out of 10.”
Mr. Kerzner said Mr. O’Neil has been instrumental in helping the company attract an outstanding team, improve morale among staff, and improve Kerzner International’s financial position.
The Kerzner International CEO also pointed out that Mr. O’Neil helped the company pass the half-billion-dollar mark in terms of its revenue.
He said the departing executive took the company’s Guess Satisfaction Indexes to the high 80’s; and started Atlantis University where many staff members received quality training.
In fact, Mr. Kerzner believes the special training initiative is Mr. O’Neil’s legacy.
“If we measure [the index] by the smiles on the faces of our employees, it’s up 1,000 percent,” said Mr. Kerzner, who added that while technically Mr. O’Neil was supposed to have reported to him, he as CEO leaned on the president a great deal.
“Clearly, there’s not much I could tell Paul about the hotel business and I’ve never pretended to try. Over the years, there has been a handful of folks in addition to my father (Sol) who’ve taught me about business and life and a whole lot of things. When it comes to Paul, I’ve learned many, many lessons, but chief among them has been the lesson of leadership.”
On this topic, Mr. Kerzner said Mr. O’Neil has been more instructive than a library full of books.
“Paul O’Neil is leadership,” he declared. “He’s authentic; he’s honest; he’s knowledgeable; he brings out the best in people; he never, ever pretends to know something that he really doesn’t know.”
Sol Kerzner – who showered the couple with luxury presents, including a two-week trip on the Queen Mary, and trips to Kerzner properties around the world – said while he and the Kerzner International family would not see Paul and Judy as often, Monday night was by no means the final farewell.
He wished the two “lots and lots of luck” and urged them to “give ’em hell”.
By: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
