Lasting memories: Thomas Philip

Some long-term staff mambers share their thoughts

The logistics of ensuring efficient distribution of Gulf News to homes and businesses across the UAE is a subject Thomas Philip is very familiar with.

Philip joined Gulf News in September 1979 at age 28. "I used to live in Naif Road and it was lonely living there as a bachelor because there were hardly any people to talk to," he says.

Currently Account Group Manager in the circulation department, Philip has worked his way up for 28 years in the company, and has witnessed first-hand how important it is to distribute the newspaper according to the deadline.

"I first arrived in Dubai in February 1975 as a car salesman and then moved on to become the spare parts supervisor of a helicopter firm. When that company moved its services section to Bahrain, I applied for a job with Gulf News and got it, becoming the circulation supervisor for Dubai in 1979. I was monitoring the sales distribution at the office on Airport Road."

Before the relaunch of the newspaper the "competition was tough and we had very little sales," remembers Philip. Then came the relaunch of the newspaper in 1985 and the response was tremendous.

"People suddenly wanted to buy Gulf News. We were working nearly 20 hours daily to meet the demand. The hours were long but the work was exhilarating. The team was set to achieve a sale of 20,000 copies in three months and we reached the target convincingly."

He was then transferred to the DNATA building in Deira, along with the marketing department, where about 35 team members were working on increasing the newspaper's sales.

"We stayed there for three years, and once a week I would check all the distribution outlets and then go to the sales department team to check whether the outlets are increasing or decreasing in circulation," he says.

The circulation team moved out to the office on Shaikh Zayed Road in 1985 where Philip was promoted to circulation sales executive and was reporting to the branch manager in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.

"In 1995, I was promoted to assistant branch manager where I was in charge of circulation in Sharjah. Soon enough a Gulf News branch was set up in May for the team.

"I was living in Karama then and it was not a hassle at all to commute back and forth because there were hardly any buildings from Sharjah to Dubai. There were only five buildings on the way to Sharjah, including Al Mulla Plaza."

Philip stayed at the Sharjah branch for four years before he was promoted to branch manager and then moved back to the head office in Dubai.

"The rent has become too high these days, and I never would have imagined that sandy areas would be home to so many high-rise towers and that rents would shoot up," says Philip.

The years spent at the paper have certainly been memorable for Philip as he not only held a number of titles in his track record but medals and trophies as well.

"I played badminton and football at the Indian Sports Club every weekend, and Gulf News would sponsor many of the sport events that were conducted there.

"There was also a cricket team, but I was not very interested in that. I won many medals and also led the football team to win three tournaments while I was captain."

After holding a strong position at the circulation department, he was then promoted to account group manager for Malayala Manorama, a popular daily newspaper that was established in 1890 in Kerala, India.

The paper has been distributed in the UAE since 1987. "It is a very popular newspaper published in India and we deliver them everywhere in the country, so we do home deliveries and send them to subscribers as well," he says.

"I am proud of the growth of the company through the years, which was made possible through the hard work put in by all the staff."