Saying Goodbye
This story was supposed to be a happy one. This week, our acquisition of Haltons, Kenya’s second biggest pharmacy chain closed after we received all the regulatory approvals. However, I am sad because Nick Walker, my right hand man and the person who drove this deal has passed away.
It has been hard for me to process Nick’s death. Nick helped make me a better person and cheered me on when others doubted. The acquisition of Haltons was Nick’s baby. Without him, mPharma would have never acquired Haltons. He wrote the business case for it, led the diligence and developed the initial plan to turnaround the business. He loved mPharma as evident in the email he sent to me right after our 1st meeting -
Nick welcomed me into his home and family. He introduced me to everyone he knew and never asked for anything in return. I saw Nick 3 weeks ago in Nairobi. We were excited to see each other so we could play another round of FIFA. We spent hours at J’s talking about the new ideas he was working on. Nick loved the hospitality industry and was excited to be working on a deal to acquire an italian restaurant in Nairobi.
We spent our last night together dancing at The Alchemist. Around 3am, we hugged and said goodbye. We promised to continue our adventure in London in a few weeks. I left London but Nick left us for good.
Today, Nick’s dream has been realized and Haltons is now part of mPharma. The one thing that motivated us was the dream of being able to create a turnaround story for Haltons and making it the best provider of high quality and affordable medicines for Kenyans. I will continue to hold on to this dream. I sure hope that I don’t disappoint Nick.
Nick left us with one last gift, a short video about Haltons. We agreed to release this video once the deal officially closed. Nick loved Kenya and wanted the best for the country.
I will miss my friend and colleague. I thank Nick for allowing me to share a bit of his life and for joining the mPharma family.
On the day I die, when I’m being carried toward the grave, don’t weep.
Don’t say, He’s gone! He’s gone. Death has nothing to do with going away. The sun sets and the moon sets, but they’re not gone.
Death is a coming together. The tomb looks like a prison, but it’s really release into union. The human seed goes down in the ground like a bucket into the well where Joseph is. It grows and comes up full of some unimagined beauty.
Your mouth closes here, and immediately opens with a shout of joy there.
Rumi
