Shah Fayyaz
Sales and Marketing Director, Timesco of London Ltd
Q: You and your brother Sohail are well known within the industry-but how did Timesco get started?
A: Our father, Mohammed Fayyaz, a former Captain within the Pakistan Army started the business in 1964. He saw a gap in the market for the supply of surgical instruments and set up as a wholesaler. We began trading from premises in Cleveland Street, London W1 opposite the Middlesex Hospital.
Q: How was the business funded initially?
A: As with many start-up businesses, our father loaned the money – £200!
Q: How did the name Timesco come about?
A: We get asked this question a lot! Some people, even our own staff, think it was an acronym for The International Medical Equipment Supply COmpany, which is a nice idea but couldn’t be further from the truth. Our father saw that the most widely read newspaper in England was the ‘The Times’ and so he named the business after it; hence – ‘Timesco’, nothing more complicated!
Q: How and when did you and your brother get involved?
A: My father began to develop health problems and therefore both my brother and I saw it as logical to step in. As you can imagine, with this being a family business, we had already been involved helping out from time to time. Sohail joined when he was 19 around 1982 and I joined aged 18 in 1984.
Q: Looking back, what influences did your father have on your current business practice?
A: It can take years to build up your reputation in business but just 5 minutes to lose it! He also showed us that nothing is given to you-you have to work at it! In both of the above respects, my brother and I have worked hard to ensure that that legacy is carried through today, from small acorns…
Q: Looking to the future, what are your key objectives for Timesco?
A: We are committed, both within our UK Hospital business and our International business to build on our history, but not to become a prisoner to it. We recognise that the ‘NHS’ and ‘Global Map’ is changing and will continue to change. This is part of the reason for our move to new premises in Basildon, Essex. It is from this building that we will be aiming to both grow and change. We are investing heavily in improved systems and we are bringing in experience from outside, particularly in the areas of Logistics, Warehousing, Purchasing, Quality and Product Development. Our people remain key to our growth and we will continue to look after their interests by providing excellent working environments and an organisation that allows them to bring their own skills to the table and grow as the business grows. We will ‘do things right’ and ‘do right things’. We will focus on three key areas – Anaesthesia, Surgical and Primary Care. We will put the patient first – our ultimate customer.
Q: Finally, what else would you like to add?
A: Quite simple really- to be able to look back and be able to say – “you know, we achieved something!”
For more information contact +44 (0)1268 297 700 or log on to www.timesco.com
