Profiler
Profiler
But accidents are to be expected, and so are promotions. After three years at the pool hall, Davies was promoted to bowling cashier. His IT skills and natural PR ability would prove to be a plus at a busy desk. Here, Davies got to interact with both individual and corporate clients and after another three years he was asked to handle the events section within the Recreation Department.
Since then, Davies has been involved in organising birthday parties, corporate product launches and charity events. Among the most memorable events that Davies helped put together was National Bank’ s Vision Account third anniversary party.
One may wonder what happened to the rest of his life. Well, Davies had to stop playing rugby; not because of the demands of his cool job, but because of an accident. During a rugby match he sustained an eye injury.
“ Doctors told me that it could be surgically corrected but that it wasn’ t necessary. So I chose to live with it instead. However, I decided to quit rugby altogether.”
Opportunity knocks
Not one to sit still in the face of opportunity, Davies developed a love for theatre.
“ I hated theatre for as long as I could remember,” says Davies.“ Even when I was in high school, theatre didn’ t interest me.”
But that would all change when he joined college. Word went round that his college drama club would be going to the National Championships to a place that Davies had never been, Nyeri.
“ I had always heard about Nyeri, but I had never been there before. I figured that this would be my opportunity to visit the place.”
There was only one problem: Davies was not a member of the theatre troupe. How would he get on the college bus? Well, he didn’ t. Instead, he put his pocket money together and boarded a matatu, making sure it left at approximately the same time the college bus left, and followed his fellow students.
Once he got to Nyeri with no accommodation or meals planned, he approached the drama teacher, Alex Kimani, and offered his services as a troupe handler in exchange for a bed and food for the week. Davies didn’ t know that his services would be so demanding and that his plans for exploring Nyeri would have to
be put aside.“ Mr Kimani had told me from the onset that he would teach me how to handle these people,” Davies recalls. And handle them he did, fetching timetables, props and making sure the troupe was where it needed to be at the assigned time.
New talents
“ It was all worth it, though, because in the end we won the competition – okay, they won,” Davies admits, while laughing and choosing not to take the troupe’ s glory.
Having earned a ride back to Nairobi on the college bus, Davies returned with the victorious troupe carrying a large trophy, much to the excitement of the institution’ s principal.
Today, Davies is CEO and producer of Friends Ensemble, a theatre troupe focused on developing Kenyan theatre and arts. He works alongside famous names in the industry such as Ellis Otieno and Vincent Zicoh. Together they have produced more than 50 plays.
As if that weren’ t enough, Davies is also an events MC – a talent he discovered during a friend’ s wedding when the hired MC got lost trying to find his way to the ceremony. Davies has since perfected the art and now presides over various functions including staff fun days and end-of-year parties.
Davies is also a family man, having married
Davies has been involved in organising birthday parties, corporate product launches and charity events
the love of his life two years ago. His wife and eight-month-old son live in Mombasa, where Davies spends most of his time when he is not at work at the theatre or filling in for lost MCs.
Back at the ranch, he continues to oversee his tasks like only a concert master would.
Davies appreciates and acknowledges all the people who inspire him:
“ I thank The Village Market management for giving me the opportunity to be here and for my friends and colleagues for believing in me. I also thank my family for giving me the reason to wake up every day to go fend for them. You all are the reason I enjoy what I do.”
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