I have been managing the Datacraft Asia brand for 15 years now and I am extremely proud of the brand we have built over the years. The Datacraft brand has undergone several transitions since I first joined the company in 1995. It’s time for another transition but this time round, it’ll be a complete makeover as Datacraft will be renamed as Dimension Data sometime in 2011 and take on a new brand identity. I thought it was a good idea to put my thoughts, and my own feelings in chronicling the journey. I’ve had the pleasure to see Datacraft grow from its humble beginnings to where it is today. Invariably, I feel like a proud (and protective) parent.
Datacraft was a mystery to me when I first came onboard from IBM. Everyone has heard of the Big Blue but Datacraft? Who? Ok, I was one. I did not know much about networking, nor did I know what a systems integrator (SI) is. All I knew of the company was as much as it was newly listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) with an IPO share price of US$0.39, with a turnover of US$64m and US$4.8m Profit after Tax (PAT).
But being young and gungho, I saw it as a challenge to take on the task of raising the company’s brand profile with a meagre marketing budget and lots of creativity. Moreover, it was a new position, so the world was my canvas! *Yay* Oh, I also thought Ron Cattell (then Marketing Director and ED) would make a good boss. Bless him – I was right in my judgement.
Thankfully enough, I was not alone on the brand building journey. The management i.e Des Althorp (then MD & CEO) and Ron were very active in cultivating and educating our influencers (stakeholders, analysts, media) about our business. Of course it helped that we were able to substantiate our story with strong business growth and sterling financial performance quarter after quarter.
Through our concerted efforts and consistent results delivery, Datacraft unwittingly became the “darling” of the Singapore stock market. Our shares can really run – a punter’s and investor’s dream! By June 1996, our share price was above US$1 and competitors have already started to take note of our presence. Unsurprisingly, our media and analyst results briefings were well attended (about 70 – 80 financial analysts at times) and soon, we were making headlines in the local news.
A new star was born! In a short span of time, Datacraft quickly established itself as a leading SI in Asia Pacific as we expanded from 17 to 25 offices. We were also a player to be reckoned with, which made it easy to secure media interviews. In fact, we talked to the press too much that resulted in often chastises from SGX. 
Financial analysts were also following us closely and recommending our shares.
It was no surprise when Datacraft was selected as a founding stock on the Singapore Regional Stock in 1996, where it was ranked overall Best Performing USD share and 2nd best performance on the SES. Datacraft is no longer unknown!
Lo and behold, we caught the attention of Dimension Data (Didata) a, a highly successful South-African IT company.
Didata was similar to Datacraft in many ways – highly successful with strong growth and it was the best performing stock on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. They were smart too. They bought out the shares of our parent company Datacraft Ltd, which was listed in the Australia, and took over 51% of Datacraft Asia. This was because we were more expensive than our parent company.
I was rather concerned that the Datacraft brand journey would end with Didata.
Fortunately, Jeremy Ord (Didata Chairman) and Patrick Quarmby (who was responsible for the buyout) had the wisdom to keep the Datacraft brand because of its strong brand premium in Asia Pacific. Of course, Des (Chairman & CEO) and Ron (COO) also fought hard to ensure that we keep the Datacraft brand. It was their baby and they were determined to nurture and protect it as long as they can. As a result, we held on to the Datacraft brand and started our 13 years relationship with Didata.
Hence, in November 1997, the Datacraft brand underwent its first transition – as a member of Dimension Data.
Esther Quah heads up Asia’s Corporate Comms and Brand Management, whereby she develops and implements an integrated PR, corporate communications, brand, marketing and internal communications strategy and plan for Datacraft. She is also responsible for Global Brand Management and is currently working on the Dimension Data brand refresh.
