CEO says no Aramex job cuts during downturn

Aramex has not laid off a single person this year as a result of the economic downturn, according to its founder and CEO.

Fadi Ghandour said the only people to leave the company in 2009 were those who did not perform.

“We actually guaranteed everybody’s jobs,” he said in comments published by Arabian Supply Chain on Monday.

“We went to our people and said: ‘No-one is this company is going to lose his job because of the current slowdown. You will lose your job because you’re not performing, not because of the slowdown’.”

Morale, the CEO claimed, has remained high as a result and this has boosted the company’s performance in 2009. Aramex reported year on year increases in net profit in its last three quarters, despite falls in revenue.

Ghandour was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new warehouse in Dubai Logistics City (DLC). He expressed his support for the DLC project, despite some of the uncertainty surrounding it.

“The way we view this [investment in DLC] is that it’s part and parcel of our overall view of Dubai. We’re not viewing DLC as an independent entity; it’s part of our overall expansion and development,” Ghandour said.

“Being next to a potential airport that might be delayed is fine. The services already offered in the city are first class, whether the current airport or Jebel Ali.”

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