'Sri Lankan mindset now positive'
Shirajiv SIRIMANE
Not only the Sri Lankan infrastructure, but even the living standards
of people have improved in the last few years and they look very
confident and seem to be full of energy said Nestle Lanka, Managing
Director, Alois Hofbauer.
He said that this same positive mindset is seen in their company as
well as they have been able to achieve targets and goals that were not
possible in the last 20 years. This has prompted the Nestle Headquarters
to give them additional finances that were not initially in the
pipeline.
Hailing from Austria, he is also a keen learner of the Sinhala
language and his pronunciation is near perfect. In addition to taking
great pains to promote the Nestle brand aggressively, his CSR
initiatives towards the community too is highly praiseworthy.
"Just giving 'a little' back to the society is not enough. We want to
give more. We believe that giving a fish to eat for the community is not
enough, we believe in giving a fishing rod so that they could earn for a
better self-sufficient life- style," he said. "We are happy that people
consider Nestle as the local multi national," he said.
This is one reason that Nestle has many chilling centres islandwide
and has a mammoth transportation operation to bring fresh milk collected
from all over the island to their Pannala factory. "We believe dairy is
something that the government should promote more aggressively as it
gives an income daily to people and farmers also do not have to depend
on the weather," Hofbauer said.
Having worked in the Asian markets for 18 years Alois who also
presses his 'Tab' takes time to speak to 'Daily News Business Expat Chit
Chat'.
Shirajiv: How was 2011 for Nestle?
Hofbauer: The year was very challenging since commodity prices were
very volatile. The certified price of fresh milk was increased from Rs.
30 to 50 and this too was challenging for the company.
However in contrast our markets grew better than what we expected
which was good. In the stock market Nestle shares were treated with
great respect and investing on them has proved to be a safe bet with
people having respect for our shares.
Sri Lanka thankfully has been isolated from the economic crunch in
Europe and the government has taken lot of pains to seal the country
from these negative impacts. In addition the government's commitment
towards providing infrastructure to the country is praiseworthy.
However we may start to feel the European economic crunch next year.
Shirajiv: What are your plans for the next year?
Hofbauer: 2011 was a good year for us and we expect this positive
sentiment to continue.
We are planning a Rs. two billion investment programme next year and
this would continue. We at Nestle hope to upgrade our coolers and would
also open our noodle factory next year.
Shirajiv: What do you see as the gray areas of the country?
Hofbauer: Sri Lanka has a very big population in the North and the
East and the government must try to create opportunities for them. I
think they should be groomed in the dairy industry as it is a high
paying vocation.
Shirajiv: What are the on going CSR projects of Nestle Lanka?
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Pictures by
Saliya Rupasinge. |
Hofbauer: We don't use the word CSR. We at Nestle say that this is
creating share value to the community. We believe in building long-term
livelihoods for the people and Nestle provide people the right
technology and skills guidance so that they could move to the next
level. Educating people on sanitation and getting involved in micro
financing is one of our priorities. We also have a Nestle Healthy kids
programme targeting their nutrition and a series of such programmes
targeting chilren and women in the society. Focusing on water treatment
too is another area we concentrate on.
Shirajiv: How do you feel about working in Sri Lanka?
Hofbauer: I am happy that I am in Sri Lanka at the right time.
This is the perfect time to be in Sri Lanka as the mindsets of people
are very positive. There are tremendous opportunities in Sri Lanka for
everybody.
Shirajiv: Can you recall an unforgettable incident in Sri Lanka?
Hofbauer: When I went to open a Milk Chilling Centre in Odusudan last
year I was very touched when an elderly farmer came up to me, held both
my hands and said,' Sir thank you' This is because they knew that they
now have a way of earning money by supplying fresh milk and the farmer
knew he and his family could mould their future from it.
Shirajiv: Where would you like to spend your holiday in Sri Lanka?
Hofbauer: I call myself a mountain boy and like the hill station of
Nuwara Eliya. However I also like the Yala beach to spend my holiday. I
must also comment that I am used to spicy food since I was in China.
Since my wife is a good cook thank god I don't have to worry about that
department.
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