FTER 26 years of tireless hard work, Anne Kast, founder and president of Kast Investments, gave herself a well deserved break.

For years she had worked around the clock to make her business a success, working long hours, sacrificing many things and constantly fighting uphill battles.

But being the whirling dervish was taking its toll and Mrs. Kast six months ago decided enough was enough and took a sabbatical.

She went back to college, took time out with her teenage daughter and spent time at the family hearth for the first time.

"It has changed the way I look at things,'' she said, as she returned to her company this week rejuvenated. "I have taken a step back and it has given me focus. It has affected my ability to clarify and embrace my vision.'' Now she is planning changes at the company and has devised a new two year plan with more focus on research and development and staff training.

"To have vision, the brain has to be in the right mode,'' said Mrs. Kast.

"It made me revise the priority of the stake holders in the company.

Kast to ring the changes "We all acknowledge that our business is based on its people and research and development, and being away has given me the space to have a much broader look at things.

"I want to make the business stronger and we are going to be inventing more in-staff training and research and development. With this we should get better service and better performance and more efficiency.'' Mrs. Kast began working in investment 26 years ago and opened Kast Investment in 1991 and has built up a strong reputation on the Island.

"I have been working for 26 years non-stop in investment. I needed to step back and reflect. I love the investment business by I felt I needed to recharge my batteries. The company was in perfect health having had its best year ever, so it was a good time to do it.'' And she enrolled in to Templeton College at Oxford University, England for the Advanced Management Programme.

The four-week course is an intensive education course which is divided into seven core subjects which include strategy, leadership, marketing, finance, operations, information technology and managing across cultures.

Mrs. Kast said that there were over 60 case studies analysed in depth and detail at Oxford University's newest college.

The course culminated in a competitive strategy game called Tango which lasted several days. The game challenges teams to manage knowledge based on a company applying what they have learned in actual business situations and from the course. Mrs. Kast said her team was so good that it dominated the group -- so much so that the game officials in the interests of learning and completion of the game intervened and took the unprecedented step and stripped their imaginary team of 60 percent of their assets.

Mrs. Kast said she spent much of the summer with her teenage daughter for the first time and has come back to work with new vigour and enthusiasm ready to implement her new management skills.

"I came back this week full time, and it is great to have the opportunity of implementing the new ideas I have. I feel I have achieved a lot and feel completely rejuvenated. I have taken what I have learned at Templeton and brought that with you.'' Re-Kast-ed woman: Anne Kast, who has returned to work rejuvenated.