Au revoir from Piers du Pré
The recent news that Engage has joined the Education Horizons Group also marks a poignant moment for us all as we wish Piers and Lin du Pré a very happy retirement. Kim Hollamby caught up with outgoing founder, Piers du Pré, on his thoughts about the exciting journey Engage has taken, particularly with reference to our operation here in South Africa.
Q
How did the Engage journey start here in South Africa?
A
In 2014 our youngest son announced he would be marrying his South African fiancé near her home town. At first, we planned a short trip for the wedding, but decided to stay for six weeks. We loved the country and everyone we met. Towards the end of that trip, I learned about the Independent Schools Association of South Africa. Engage already had incredibly strong working relationships with many school associations around the globe and it made sense to pay ISASA a visit. We quickly learned that South Africa has an impressive number of leading schools that would rank at the top of educational delivery, anywhere in the world. Engage was rapidly accepted into several of them at the outset and we have been building on that since. Although I was actually semi-retired when we started in this part of the world we had such a good reception for Engage that Lin and I have spent at least four months of each year here, growing the market and making great friends at the same time.
Q
You also launched a dedicated office here?
A
Yes, our South African office is a vital part of our own eco-system now, supporting Southern Africa specifically whilst making a valued contribution within Engage’s global support network. When opening the office we were very fortunate to be introduced to Jenny Dry, who had previous experience of working on management information and financial systems within schools. Being married to a school head, Jenny understood every nuance of the needs of our customers. We appointed her as our Regional Manager and she has been extraordinarily successful in engaging with our customers and running our team here.
Q
We all know you like being busy so why retirement?
A
It’s been so exciting to be at the core of the emergence and growth of Engage over many years, but I’m now 71 and felt it was time to hand over the reins properly. So we started to look for a company that would take Engage and everyone that works for us up to the next level of achievement. That’s when we found the Education Horizons Group (EHG) which is the absolute perfect fit in terms of values, culture and ambition. We join them having grown Engage into a globally recognised leader in its field, installed in more than 600 schools spanning more than 60 countries. Knowing the impressive nature of EHG’s plans and its strength from the 1300 predominantly Australian schools already in its care, I can only say, ‘Stand by and watch what happens to Engage.’
Q
Is this the end of your visits to South Africa?
A
No! Right now, we were supposed to be in South Africa for six weeks, but the necessary restrictions placed upon us all by Covid-19 make that impossible. We will re-set those plans though for the end of the year. When that happens we want to visit a number of our schools to say hello, shake hands and when appropriate, have hugs! Plus of course to visit some of the wonderful places here. Lin and I just love South Africa, it has such wonderful potential and retirement will not end our visits to catch up with the many dear and valued friends we have made. We’d both like to thank you all for making us feel so welcomed, personally and as a business.
