Paving the way for succession

Dan Seevaratnam:

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

In many organisations be it in the Government or the private sector, there is very little room to pave the way for succession of that institute , grooming young people to come up. But the CEO Watawala Plantations Dan Seevaratnam, a product of Trinity College Kandy is an exemplary and rare character who moved out wholeheartedly from Kahawatta Plantation where he transformed the company to be a highly profitable venture before moving out.

He speaks to the Daily News Business for Tea with CEO.

How did you start your career as a planter? Did you have any particular reason?

I joined the plantation sector in 1972 after leaving school. Before that I was selected to take up a position at Unilevers but it did not materialised because the Government stopped all imports due to insurgency activities.

I always liked to do outdoor work so I was destined to join the plantation sector. I joined as a Creeper in a estate called Houpe managed by a British Company. Since then, for the last 35 years I have been working in this sector in different positions.

Today you are a well recognised personality with track records in the tea sector. Our readers will be interested to know how you came to this position. Can you elaborate?

With the nationalisation of the plantations I served as a manager and visiting agent at Waltrim Estate, Lindula. Thereafter I was invited to the Board of Directors of the Janatha Estate Development Board (JEDB) in Hatton. Then I moved over to the Maharaja Group as a Director/General Manager in-charge of their plantations while simultaneously being the GM of a plastic factory in Ja-Ela.

Thereafter I moved to Maskeliya Plantations managed by John Keells Group. Having brought Maskeliya Plantation to number one from its 14th position, I moved to Namunukula Plantation as the Director Operations which was also managed by John Keells Group. Having served there for six years, I went to MIF Group as a Deputy Chairman of Kahawatte Plantations in 2001.

At the time of my taking over, Kahawatta Plantation was running at a loss and the Tea Board ranking it had was 18 out of 20 companies. I transformed it to be the highly profitable No 1 company in Sri Lanka in 2007 and even now it is continuing be the No 1 company. The share price of the company is now Rs 40 compared to Rs 5 when I took over.

What are the changes you made to transform Kahawatta Plantations?

The company did not have good tea or other resources apart from 11,000 people. The synergy created by the excellent staff and the work force resulted in the success. Training at all levels not only to improve competency but more importantly to change attitude towards work made this difference. Introducing new technology to capture management information in order to make proactive decisions was a significant competitive advantage.

The cooperation extended by the worker trade unions which was formulated by a programme called Partners in Progress was extremely successful.

Why did you leave Kahawatta Plantation after bringing it up to the peak?

Having turnaround the company and groomed my successor, I thought the time was right to take up a more challenging task and also make way for the succession plan of the company.

In fact I had the pleasure and satisfaction of handing over the company to my successor who came as my Creeper exactly 25 years ago to the date I handed over to him as the CEO. In 2008 I took over Watawala Plantations.

What is the nature of Watawala Plantation and what are your future plans for the company.

This is a highly diversified profitable company and the challenge here is to take it from Good to Great. We have a strategic partnership with the world renowned TATA Group. It is one of the biggest edible oil manufacturing company in Sri Lanka with over 2500 hectares of oil farm cultivation in the Galle District.

We have also diversified into Banana cultivation in the Galle region and now exporting our products in collaboration with Dole in USA.

We manage a large dairy farm in the country. My plan for the company is to make it a Bench Mark company and make it the best managed agri-business in South East Asia in five years becoming a global player for value added products.

How do you see the industry today?

It is becoming more and more challenging. The need to synergise and get workers towards business is becoming more important because we are in the knowledge era.

Have you achieved your goals in life?

Yes. When I left Unilever I had a goal to become a Director of a Company before the age of 35 and I achieved that at the age of 32.

Of course not only because of my commitment to work but also by adding value to my self in obtaining Diploma in Plantation, updating my management and leadership skills through local and foreign training programmes in India, Singapore and Australia.

Where do you like to spend your holiday outside Sri Lanka, and in Sri Lanka?

I like Australia. I like the diverse opportunities they have opened up, not only for the young but also for those who want to improve competency at whatever age. In Sri Lanka, I like to spend my holiday in upcountry plantations specially in Hatton.

What is your advise to the younger generation and to those interested in the industry?

Sri Lanka is a great country with lot of potential and opportunities if we could only bring in a sense of discipline starting from school itself. There is no reason why Sri Lanka should be second to any other country in the world.

It is a great industry. It is the backbone of the country to a large extent. There is a lot of challenges and great deal of satisfaction. The industry would recruit people depending on competency, knowledge and skills.

What is required is the right attitude to work in a result oriented, dynamic, people centered industry.

What are your hobbies?

I am fond of Aquarium fish and still I have in my office. Reading and playing tennis are other interests.

How do you like to spend your retirement?

I do not hope to retire. I feel till your dying day one must make life useful and contribute towards the family and the society. As my father taught me, my motto in life is ‘Do unto others what you expect from them’.

BIO- DATA

Dan Seevaratnam

Head prefect of Trinity College and awarded the Ryde Gold Medal for the
Best allround student in 1969/1970.
Board of Governors of Trinity College
Executive Deputy Chairman Kahawatta Plantation and Forbes
Plantation Pvt Ltd, Chairman Ceylon Planters’ Provident Society.
Director, Plantation Human Development Trust and the Tea Research Board.
Pictures by Saliya Rupasinghe