Creating Brands through Social Entrepreneurship and missed opportunities in the international market – The Saga of Dr P. A. Kiriwandeniya
View(s):On the 14th of November 1941, when he was born no one would ever have imagined him to be standing so tall among all the social entrepreneurs made by Mother Lanka ever in history. His reputation is not limited to the boundaries of Sri Lanka but also has spread around the world especially in the Western world for what he has created around the concept of social entrepreneurship and rural economies. He’s none other than, the Founder and the Creator of the SANASA movement in Sri Lanka, Dr. P. A. Kiriwandeniya who is fondly known as Kiri. As he celebrates his 81st birthday tomorrow, I thought today’s article should be dedicated to him as there is no better day than his birthday to pay my tribute with an article based on what he has contributed to all of us Sri Lankans and the opportunities that spin out of his creations to reach out to international markets.
Trustworthiness, Envisioning Skills, Character and Competencies are key for a person to come up as a leader. Both from management and humanistic perspective I consider him as a true leader as he always maintained an untarnished name by being trustworthy to those who believed in him. Selflessness and lack of personal agendas could be seen as the fundamental reasons he could hold the confidence of the people unlike most who chose the political option. A true leader always envisions the future and remains true to his/her mission. This, Dr. Kiriwandeniya proved in what he practiced, by walking his talk.
SANSA BANK – From what we are taught in banking, one of the main success factors for a bank is KYC – Know Your Customer. If the customer is well-known, the risk associated with customers is much controlled. Yet, how little does the average modern and impersonal banks ‘know’ about their customer? As the lending societies members know each other well, it’s easy to maintain a healthy relationship with the borrower. That marked the beginning of SANASA movement in Sri Lanka when he introduced a banking system for the poorest communities in rural Sri Lanka.
Complimenting the common characteristics of a leader, business acumen and business sense are important. Young Kiriwandeniya could envision the power of lending institutes and societies at the very early stages and he was picturing the Walgama conference for ages to make his dream a success. (Famous Walagama Conference marked the beginning of this new movement which later was referred to as SANASA).
These entrepreneurial abilities blended with the leadership traits of young Kiriwandeniya paved the way for the Cooperative movement in Sri Lanka to reach greater heights. Remaining true to one’s own self is the best way to tackle false allegations. He knew this and he remained committed to his true calling and to his ultimate vision. Nothing could take his vision and commitment away from him though the SANASA bank was taken away from its original shareholders as it got listed in the stock market.
He once mentioned that he was multitasking to reach key milestones in life and that he was never tired of being tired. The reason he had given was the continuous awareness that one is working for a true calling beyond oneself.
INNOVATIVE THINKING – With this self-awareness, nothing can make one weaker and nothing can take away the energy. As a modern-day management and marketing professional, I find it remarkable how he has been able to organize conferences without booking hotels and spending money on accommodation and food. In trying to comprehend this we will recognise that young Kiriwandeniya never claimed to do all this ‘alone.’ He knew precisely that a community or national mission is accomplished only based on the unity of the whole. Thus, it’s evident in his leadership style that he never tried to dominate or sing praises of himself. Throughout the revival of the cooperative movement, he acknowledged the hundreds of others who gave him strength through their leadership acumen. (You will soon be able to read more of his stories when it’s all published as a book)
The concept of Home-Stay is now quite popular in Sri Lanka as it was promoted by the Tourist Board to encourage providing accommodation for foreigners rural in homes and thereby uplifting the village economy. However, far back in the day, it’s evident that Dr. Kiriwandeniya had seen the importance of this concept for both the practical and the holistic; helping to carry out a community purpose at low cost and enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation by connecting hearts and minds. There is much we could learn from this that would prevent the absolute waste of money in holding national events, including those connected with poverty alleviation, in real-life disconnected luxurious comfort.
SANASA INSURANCE – He created SANASA Insurance under the wings of SANASA for the benefit of the poor-rural communities in Sri Lanka. Many got the opportunity to derive the benefits of having insurance which was only an option for the affluent top and middle end of the market. Going by his leadership and direction SANASA Life has been able to achieve the fastest growth in the life insurance sector as they remain true to their purpose of providing their policyholders with much-needed protection. SANASA General too is now on a growth trajectory where the staff and the top management are setting direction to gain traction in the market. In addition to that SANASA Media, SANASA University, SANASA Publication, etc are giving competition in the market while providing unmatched service to their fellow Sri Lankans.
UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITIES
While creating an impeccable personal brand for himself, he also made sure that he would develop an array of brands to cater to the larger communities in Sri Lankan societies with passion and commitment. This legacy which continued to serve Mother Lanka for more than 60 years will continue to serve all of us making inclusiveness a reality in business. However, there seem to be many other countries that should know who Dr. Kiri is and there will be many other countries and societies who would like to get his service and advice. The next decade should be dedicated to taking this message of “equality through inclusiveness” to the world as it’s now it’s mode needed than ever. The reputation he has gathered in Australia, Germany, and many other countries paves the way to get his services at this hour as Sri Lanka can reach out to the world with a credible and trusted name that was well known over the last few decades. On the one hand, there is an opportunity to attract funds to Sri Lanka from his friendly nations at this crucial time, and on the other hand in spreading the business beyond the boundaries of Sri Lanka. As he celebrates his 81st birthday, I’m confident that his fellow members in each of these companies will work tirelessly in taking his name to the world so that there will be a new debate created on the current economic conditions of Sri Lanka which can attract a savior from a developed country in the same manner, the famous Panadurawadaya could attract Col. Henry Steel Olcott to come to Sri Lanka for the revival of education among Buddhist pupils as it was getting trampled with big metal shoes of British.
Dr. Kiriwandeniya’s latest campaign – “Reduce Consumption – Produce Incomes”
His reaction to the ongoing economic crisis was a somewhat different one from ours. With the realisation of the ground reality which basically revolves around the lack of foreign investment and incomes to import consumables etc. to support the artificially inflated, misleadingly handled and disbelievingly overcast Sri Lankan economy, all he suggested was to reduce consumption and increase incomes, which I see as a more practical approach to the problem in hand. All it would take is a realization of the true meaning of consumption which can be more meaningful as long as it’s mindful.
May this be a tribute to our unsung hero – in my opinion, a highly underrated hero of our times who could truly carve out a new business model which could revive the rural economy of Sri Lanka which has now come to the limelight in many aspects. May you live longer and be able to serve Mother Lanka for many more years to come!
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