CEO of MAS Kreeda tells APIIT MBA’s: Be the best version of you’ by failing early in life !
View(s):The strongest Industry linked MBA in Sri Lanka – The Staffordshire University MBA at Asia Pacific Institute of Technology( APIIT), hosted one of the top business personalities from the Corporate world of Apparel the CEO of MAS Kreeda and Board Member MAS Apparel Board Sarinda Unamboowe who discussed “ Be the best version of you’ interviewed by Marketer
The CEO MAS Kreeda and Director MAS Apparel Board Sarinda Unamboowe
Dr Rohantha Athukorala at last weeks “APIIT MBA Diaries”
Mr. Unamboowe starting his career as a Accounts Officer at American Express Bank, he went on to become the Director General Manager at the blue chip company- JKH at John Keells Stock Brokers. There after he went on to serve the apparel giant MAS as the CEO of Linea Aqua for a period of 15 years. Today’s he has served the MAS Holdings for almost a decade as the Director MAS Apparel Board whilst being the CEO of MAS Kreeda. On a question asked at the discussion ‘ what makes you tick in life’ he reaction was give life the best version of you. ‘ I love my photography and time spent in the jungles, championing the environmental sustainability challenge that Sri Lanka is faced with and I am a strong advocate of flexible work policies which empower women in leadership roles’ he said. The speaker then took the cream of Sri Lanka’s corporate talent on the step by step approach to how to live life to the full.
1) Focus and you can achieve
A key limiting factor for performance according to the guest speaker was your limit to a belief of what you can achieve. Man in nature have thoughts which are limited in nature. Break this Barrier and take challenges. The example cited was that when MAS Kreeda was to be started he told the board that he was prepared to take the challenge. The performance has been phenominal.
2) Work on your strengths
Being fit was critical to performing better. Hence the speaker worked on this on a daily basis and that’s what gives him the strength to perform was the speakers beliefs. If not, doing the length of Sri Lanka twice would not have been possible.
3) Accept your weak area
A key point highlighted was that if you want to live the ‘be the best version’ then you must accept the weak ares and agree to address them. This requires you to agree to the hurt points and the correct them. It’s tough but that is what it takes to live life. The speaker said that he accepted that managing large staff was a key area that he wanted to learn and he realized that and took a job change initially to lead a supermarket brand and got himself ready to take over a production led CEO later on.
4) change habits
It’s a key point to note if you want to grow shed your earlier habits. The speaker mentioned how he had had to continuously get professional support to get his life on track. There should not be any shame to accept that you need directional support at different times of your life. Just get that emotional support.
4) Set inward goals
An important point to note. Always look inside you and set goals to change your inner thinking. Break the barriers inside you as that is what stops you being the best version of your self.
5) Build Rituals
If you want to be successful then you do many rituals that depict that success in your behavior. This rituals shape your behavior and this leads to a new way of life. This is what it takes to make you live your life best.
Mr. Unamboowe emphasised the need to get the technical training with a strong degree and MBA progamme and then said “ Make your mistakes early in life so that you mature out. You must be mentally tough to handle set back later on in life. This is the key to bringing out the Best version of your self’ he said . Unamboowe has walked the length of Sri Lanka twice and ridden a bicycle around Sri Lanka 4 times to raise funds for two separate charities. He was the co founder of TRIL that went on to build the Cancer Hospital in Jaffna.
The Asia Pacific Institute of Technology( APIIT) hosts weekly the top business personalities with Dr Rohantha Athukorala under the theme “ APIIT MBA Diaries” which has Included personalities like Sri Lankan Ambassordor to UK Saroja Sirisena, Sri Lankan Ambassordor to China Dr Palitha Kohonna, Global branding guru Simon Anholt, Unilever Chairperson Hajar Alifafi, Nestle Managing Director Fabrice Cavallin, The CEO of Colombo Stock Exchange Rajeeva Bandaranaike and very recently the Sri Lankan Ambassordor to Belgium, Luxembourg and Head of the Mission to European Union Grace Asiriwathan. Next week we have the top expert from the Tea Industry said Dr Athukorala.