Former telecoms executive Eugene Nolan, who has been named Tortuga’s new CEO, says he is ready to keep building the company while staying true to the values of founder and owner Robert Hamaty and his family.
“Legacy is a very important word for us in the Tortuga business and building on that legacy and always remembering where we’ve come from and continuing to grow with those values is really, really key to us,” Nolan said in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass via Zoom.
Nolan, who has lived and worked in the Cayman Islands for 30 years, said he felt “privileged and proud” to take the helm of the “iconic” Tortuga group of companies.
“I have a job, a very clear job, which is to maintain the legacy started by Robert and Carlene Hamaty,” Nolan said.
Loss hit the Tortuga family hard
When Robert Hamaty, affectionately known as Mr. H., passed away suddenly in June 2020, the Cayman company suffered a “huge body blow”, one the newly appointed CEO said was hard to recover from.
“Mr. H, as he is still fondly known by all our family members within the business… he was the driving force behind the business together with his wife Carlene,” Nolan said, adding that a board of directors, represented by the family with a couple of independents has been formed.
He said he was brought in as a consultant 18 months ago and was subsequently appointed CEO.
Nolan, who previously worked for Cable and Wireless and Savage Consultants, says his passion is for the Cayman community and Tortuga is a key part of that.
The company, he said, will continue to be family-owned from a shareholder perspective.
“Now and in the future there’s absolutely no plans to change that. We intend to drive forward very much steeped in that family history,” he said.
He added that one of the key things about Tortuga, and what really attracted him to the company, is that it’s a family business which encompasses not only the Hamaty clan, but also extends to all 140 employees.
Vision ahead
Nolan said he wants to build on the foundation laid by Robert Hamaty by strengthening four areas of the business.
The first is making sure that stringent business controls are in place.
“We’ve come from a patriarch-led business to a board of directors-led business… making sure that we have the right controls and order processes in place is very important,” he said.
The second is growing the retail side of the business – the discount liquor, wine and spirits arm through online shopping and bringing more brands to the island.
“We’ve just introduced a new online channel… We will deliver to you. Similar to some [other apps] on the island, you’ll be able to track your delivery driver on the way to you,” he said, adding that post-COVID “having a strong online presence is becoming more and more important to consumers”.
He said his third area of focus is promoting the story of the iconic Cayman brand.
“I think it’s really important that consumers are aware of everything that we do here in Cayman,” he said.
To this end, Nik Koster, senior sales and marketing officer at Tortuga, said the company will be unveiling a new ‘experience-led’ tourist attraction at Tortuga’s North Sound Road visitor’s centre.
“You’ll be able to see from scratch all of our Cayman rum cakes being made here,” he explained, with a “long walkthrough with a little bit about the history, a little bit about the secret recipe without giving it away”.
The retail area is also being revamped, Koster said.
Nolan then noted that his fourth focus will be on “cherishing our people”.
Tortuga, he said, has a majority of Caymanian employees, which “we’re very proud of”.
“All of the senior team are Caymanian,” he said, stressing the importance of developing career paths for employees.
Pointing out that some staff at Tortuga who may have started, for example, in the warehouse or the retail store have advanced to upper management.
“They’ve developed over the years,” he said. “Our ambition is to be number one place to work in Cayman and we won’t rest until we get there.”
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