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| Sunday, 20 July 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Personality plus: Pravir Samarasinghe Reaching the pinnacle of success
Family Samarasinghe's father worked in the private sector while his mother looked after the family estates and their two sons. Education Born and bred in Colombo, he had his education at Royal College, where he excelled in both academic and extra-curricular activities. He was conferred 'college colours' in swimming and rowing and was also the first Sri Lankan to win the 'Venebles Pairs Trophy' at the East Regatta of the Amateur Rowing Association. After completing his Ordinary Level examination, he wanted to follow Commerce subjects and there has been no turning back since then. He completed his Advanced Level examination and registered for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) exams and CIMA parallely. He is a Fellow of CIMA, UK and the ICASL and also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Career Samarasinghe said: "I started my career at KPMG Ford Rhodes Thornton and Co, which was a rewarding and enjoyable experience because I learnt a lot of things and enjoyed life with my peers". He was seconded to KPMG Peat Marwick Mitchell and Co in Oman and the Maldives during his career at KPMG. He joined Richard Pieris and Co Ltd in 1991 to set up a Corporate Planning Unit. "Mr Lal Jayasundara, the then Chairman of Hayleys who was also a Director of Richard Pieris, influenced me to look at corporate planning as a career. Since I did not want to be confined to the root of accounting, I saw it as a great opportunity and selected it as a career path, which opened up new avenues. I am presently involved in planning and business development as a director of Richard Pieris". Richard Pieris and Co is a multibillion rupee blue chip conglomerate listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) with business interests in manufacture, retail, exports, plantations, financial services and real estate development. The company and several associate companies are listed in the CSE and command over four per cent of the total market capitalisation. Executive development programmes Samarasinghe has attended a number of executive development programmes including programmes conducted by the Harvard Business School, National University of Singapore and Crain Field University, UK. Prizes He has won several prizes at examinations conducted by the ICASL and the Stanley Berger Jubilee Prize at the final stage of CIMA. Book Samarasinghe has researched and authored the book 'The impelling and impeding causes and the development of a debt securities market in Sri Lanka'. The book was co-published by CIMA and the Post Graduate Institute of Management, Sri Jayewardenepura University. CIMA Before being appointed President of CIMA, Samarasinghe held many positions in the institute's council including that of deputy president, and the chairmanship of the Membership and Professional Development, Secretarial and Finance, Library Research and the National Conference Technical Committees. "CIMA must be perceived and recognised as the most desirable financial qualification for business. We are not auditors; we are business managers with a sound training in business strategy as well as an information and finance strategy," he said. Future of CIMA "In a society fragmented by political and economic divides, one can see the emerging seed of stability and unity and it is expected that large measures of reconstruction and development will be in progress in the country. Our members will have to play a greater role in this scenario. Also, in the recent past, we have had significant additions to our membership through high pass rates and member conversions. A challenge the division will face is to ensure the employability of our new members and thereby, the fulfilment of our purpose," he said. Therefore, to face the challenges and exploit the opportunities for CIMA in the future, they are focusing on four key areas - member services, student support, employer relationship and raising the profile of CIMA, Samarasinghe said. The main purpose of the division is to improve the employability of its members and students by keeping them abreast of the latest information. The institute in London is placing greater importance on the increased need for financial training. High profile training and executive development programmes and soft skills enhancement schemes will also be pursued while IT and general management have been identified as areas of priority. Developing a fully-fledged Information Resources Centre and providing a technical support facility to members and the business community in the core areas will also be pursued. "As a key focus of CIMA is to qualify students, the division will continue to support tuition colleges by assisting and encouraging them to adopt best practices. We will also afford them opportunities to train their faculties both locally and in the UK and will continue to obtain the services of foreign lecturers to enhance the learning capability of the students and to add value to the methodology of teaching. "To build a closer relationship with employers, I intend to meet them through breakfast meetings, short presentations and CEO fora to ensure their needs are met and that CIMA students and members are their number one choice for accountants," he said. Advice He said: "Get a sound understanding of your profession or discipline; be creative and different; express your opinion; and challenge the status quo. Also, be hard working and learn to work in teams. This will pave the way for success". (SG) |
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News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
Education, solid skills, a disciplined approach, hard work, being
task-oriented, different and outspoken are the pillars of success for
Pravir Samarasinghe, the newly elected President of the Chartered
Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), who is a Director of Richard
Pieris and Co Ltd.
