If you reminisce your school time....

I studied at Nalanda College. After I sat for my A/Ls , I left for London to pursue higher studies in printing. And on finishing my studies I returned to Colombo to embark on our family business, that’s printing and publishing.

Did you engage in any sports activities at school?

Yes. I played cricket for the school and was the vice captain of the team. From the age of twelve I’d been playing cricket. Apart from that I did swimming and chess as well. I was much involved in sports due to the school’s ‘sporty’ background.

What made you to embark on the printing and publishing industry?

I showed a keen interest in geometrical drawings, graphic and printing since I was schooling. I believed that I would be more successful if I engaged in a job I have a passion on. That’s an interesting area and I pursued higher studies on the area and later decided to make it my profession.

When you returned from London, how was the printing and publishing industry faring?

That time the printing and publishing industry was quite flourishing and my parents had already put the stepping stone for their own printing and publishing company.

Thilanga Sumathipala is the joint Managing Director of the Sumathi Group of Companies. He was three-time President of Sri Lanka Cricket and former Chairman of the Asian Cricket Council, the ex-Chairman of both Sri Lanka Telecom and Mobitel.

Have you followed any other career development courses?

Yes. I have followed many vocational courses. I went through a Senior Management training program at Yokohama, Japan. I am presently working on to obtain my Masters degree at the Harvard University. I target to get the Masters in Public Administration completed by next few years. I am required to be at the University to attend some imperative lecture sessions and sit for exams for six or more weeks. According to the student’s schedule he can choose semester as when to attend lectures and sit for exams. I plan to go to USA to do the second stage of my Masters next year.

You own a diversified chain of companies ranging from printing and publishing, IT, restaurants and trading. How do you look into the standard of your businesses as a single person?

I hardly involve in my businesses personally. I am proud to say that I have pragmatic and proactive group leaders to look after each business. I have given them the fullest freedom to operate on their own, being careful of losses and any detriments. The CEOs are required to report to the holding company. My brother, another joint Managing Director and I are involved in policy matters.

We hold meetings to negotiate annual business plans and the respective CEO of the company is required to get work done in a low budget. We only involve in monthly monitoring.We get personally involved only when there is a crisis in a particular company.

Yet, if we take some family based on businesses, they are often knocked by clashes among family members. Do you think that” Sumathi Group of Companies” is a deviation from the traditional?

Yes! My brother and I have a good understanding. I, as the younger brother always respect my elder brother’s views. We have been working together for a long time and there’s no line between us. I am very lucky in that case. We discuss business matters together and come to conclusions with no arguments.

Your business has made a tremendous progress and expansion. Is it due to the sound foundation made by parents or, is it your hard work?

Definitely it’s due to the proper foundation laid by my parents. I admit that if not for my parents’ hard work and proper management, the Sumathi Group of Companies would not have been what it is today.

What help did you receive from your parents in inculcating good habits which even stand today for your better personality?

The good habits inculcated by our parents help us in numerous ways even today. I was brought up in a Buddhist background. My mother advocated a strict and proper way of upbringing children and as a result of that we used to lead proper lives. I do not gamble, smoke or take hard liquor. I abstain from ways which waste money. If I have excess money, I would give them away in charity purposes.

Do you think the third generation would continue to work that way?

It’s uncertain. I do not think that they would work and act in harmony as we did. What we should do to trim down those differences is to give them particular responsibilities.

What advantages are there when you work in a family based company than working in someone else’s company?

Family based on business gives you a great freedom and happiness. You’re not suppressed by any restrictions. You run the business liberally. The staff often rely on you and become loyal to you. Because they are aware of the fact that they live off by the company that you own. The staff has a great respect towards the boss who owns the company.

In several of our companies, there are people who work over 25 years and some have urged to find employments in the same company where they have been working for decades. They strongly believe that they will only be rewarded if they have done their due part to the company. They are also attached to the company and feel homely. So, you get a staff with such qualities in a private company and it is easy to manage and work with such staff.

What are the secrets of a successful business?

Undoubtedly the dedication and the commitment.

When it comes to business it depends on the time factor. There is an appropriate time frame for every business. No business can run the same way throughout a century. It has to face perpetual differences. Changes made by time are inevitable and any business organisation which doesn’t change according to that would probably be in peril.

In the cycle of business there is time to sell shares, change the structure of the business, and to exit. If you don’t take necessary and appropriate actions at the right time, there is high possibility for a business to run amiss.

There are opportunities in the business. You always have to be on the alert of how long that opportunity lasts. You have to grab the market while the product is at its peak of popularity. The trend for CDMA phones and mobiles are a good example of that nature. You have to employ market strategies before its popularity diminishes. So that you can reap the maximum benefits.The business should be given new appearance from time to time. For instance if you take a gram vendor on the beach, if he doesn’t give his customers a high quality service, such as packeted grams with high quality and hygienical condition with rich taste, he would certainly lose the business when another vendor sells better products.

Naturally people tend to expect value added services.A successful business person always on the alert of the new market trend and opportunities and work on that.

You have rendered your service as the President of the Sri Lanka Cricket. Sri Lanka cricket has faced a crisis situation today and many are of the view that a new administration would make things better. Is there any possibility for you to be the President of the Sri Lanka Cricket?

I’d been holding the post for quite some time. Majority of clubs in which I have the membership hold the infallible view that this is time for me to take up the job and make things better. The date of election is yet uncertain and if it happens, I think I will have to make a come back to turn the game into a different standpoint.

As I feel there are tremendous opportunities for Sri Lanka Cricket and I can better utilize those opportunities. Currently it is run by the interim administration and I would say it is highly politicized. There is no room for the members to air their views. The whole country is aware that the way the Cricket Board is running is not so smooth as far as the administration is concerned. Many including cricketers, clubs and international bodies have not so appealing an impression. Now we need an elected committee running the board so that they will be answerable and accountable. I think the faster we can go for an election the better for Sri Lanka Cricket. Under these not so good circumstances, I am keen to come back.

What would you do to uplift Sri Lanka Cricket if you become the president of the Cricket Board?

I have large spectrum of plans to be executed. Though I should mention that those plans would be out-dated if they do not hold an election immediately.If I am elected, I know what should do and not to do. Since the new administration came, nothing has been changed. They still depend on what I have done when I was holding the position. It survives today for the sake of the things I have done and no new additions to the game is seen made.