|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 20 October 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Dr Bandula Perera : One thing at a time
Shouldering responsibility, doing a perfect job, getting the work done and changing with the times are some of the essential qualities of a good manager. Chairman, Industrial Development Board, Dr Bandula Perera moved from the private sector to the public sector to show his gratitude and do a good job of work. Education Dr Perera was educated at Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya from Grade One to Advanced Level. He was selected to the Peradeniya University to follow a BSc degree in 1963 and passed out in 1966. He won a scholarship to the now Staffordshire University, UK and completed a BSc Honours Degree in Ceramic Technology. Since he had a basic degree, he was exempted from the first year and finished the course in three years as the second best in the batch with a Second Class Upper Division. Subsequently, he was offered a research assistantship at the same university to follow a Phd course. "I took a chance and followed the Phd course by passing the Msc. If I came down, I would have lost everything, but everything went fine and I completed the course," he said. Career His first job was at Nalanda College as a teacher in Mathematics and Physics for Advanced Level classes, but he was able to teach only for four months as he joined the Ceylon Ceramics Corporation as a Management Trainee. During this period, he was offered a scholarship by the UK government to do another Bsc degree. On his return, he was sent to the Corporation's Negombo factory and was promoted as the Deputy General Manager Technical within one and a half years of his return. While doing his Phd, he got an opportunity to work at three ceramic-related factories which gave him an insight of the mechanisms of each. The factories he worked for in the UK are Herriford Tiles, Enoch Wedgewood and Chloride Shire. Dr Perera also worked in Turkey for one month. "I came back in 1972 and was appointed General Manager, but as things were not happening according to my liking, I decided to migrate to Australia. I applied for permanent residence and got it, but had to change my decision due to the persuasion of Ms Rukmani Weligammana, Chairperson of the Ceylon Ceramics Corporation. "She motivated me to join Lanka Tiles Ltd. as its General Manager. I worked there for seven years, mainly concentrating on marketing. I worked hard and took the product to several markets in USA, UK and the European Union. In USA, the product was taken to Los Angeles, New York, Washington and several other cities. We also penetrated the Dubai and South African markets for the first time and exported around 30 containers a month." He also initiated and set up Ceradec Pvt Ltd., a Board of Investment company which helped to double the capacity of Lanka Tiles. "I joined Ceylon Glass Company (CGC) in 1995 as its Managing Director on the invitation of the management and worked there till I took up the appointment at the Industrial Development Board early this year." He still functions as a Director at the CGC, but concentrates entirely on the IDB. "You cannot do two jobs at a time, this is the reason I left CGC and joined the IDB full time." "The most satisfying experience during my working career is being able to increase the salary of workers at CGC from Rs 5000 to Rs 19,000 without incurring losses to the company," he said. He also introduced the glass model which delegates responsibility from the management to the lowest level of workers. "We discussed every decision with the staffers before implementation to get their views and suggestions to improve them. This system worked and we were able to increase profits too." The management converted the Naththandiya factory to a profitable venture by handing over the management to the workers. They have formed a co-operative which is running at a profit. IDB The Industrial Development Board (IDB) will work in partnership with all stakeholders to fulfil the objectives of the small and medium industrial sector, the government and staff. He said the structure was in good shape and there was a fine network of district offices as well as a semi-finished reorganisation process, but there was absolutely no financial control at the time he took over as Chairman. The main focus for Dr Perera at the moment is taking the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to a firm footing while giving the staff what they need. The IDB has started to help rice millers who are in difficulty and utilise the knowledge of the staff to move entrepreneurs into new products with value addition. The IDB has initiated a project in Kurunegala while plans are under way to take it to Hambantota too. The IDB is also working with members of a trade union to produce biogas, coir products and food items. Under the initiative of Minister of Enterprise Development, Investment Promotion and Industrial Policy Professor G.L. Peiris, self-financing projects will be started in Senapura for 400 disabled soldiers. "There are many hard working officers at the IDB. I pooled them together and formed teams to carry out the work. This has motivated them to work hard and produce results," he said. Earlier, workshops at the IDB were used for the benefit of the Army and the Railway while there was little effort to develop the SME sector. The management has stopped it, but we get projects which are distributed to the SME sector under our supervision and guidance. This has opened up job opportunities for several persons, he said. "I want to develop the IDB into a private sector government body, self- financed and paying the staffers a better salary." The private sector has several business development centres, but the government should also have one to create healthy competition. Therefore, the IDB should become the leading business development centre in the country. Future plans The network of the IDB will be restructured to suit the requirements of the five economic zones. Plans are also under way for the IDB to be a facilitator in creating one-stop-shops for SMEs in each zone, implement a database with UNIDO funds and have an industrial database to link up with SME sector organisations in India. "We are also doing a corporate plan for the next five years, utilising resources from inside". Family Born to a family of three boys, Dr Perera lived in Gangodawila and Borella during his childhood. His brothers are engineers now. He has two daughters, the eldest is married while the youngest got through her degree course at the Manchester University recently. Hobbies Listening to music, watching dramas, business and sports programmes, reading, doing exercises and being with his family are his hobbies. Philosophy "I eat anything, but meditate for one hour and practise my religion. I also get a lot of satisfaction by working. I am not a slave to money, but the money I earn is sufficient to keep me happy. Practising my religion and being result-oriented has helped me to become what I am today. I believe in doing one thing at a time." Motivation "When we were small, we had difficulties, but it was my poor relatives who helped me and not the rich. Therefore, I was determined to beat these rich relatives in their own game by taking the correct path of having a good education and achieving and fulfilling the dreams of my parents and all those who helped me to succeed." (SG)
|
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
Fact File
