This is an excerpt from the speech delivered by Mr. Sunil Wijesinghe, Co-Chair of the Judge Panel and a prominent Management Consultant, at the 45 Under 45 Leadership Excellence Platinum Award Ceremony.
At the outset, I must say that awards like these have greatly benefitted individuals and countries.
The criteria used in the selection process were excellent and relevant, bringing to the forefront 45 individuals who will be the rising stars of this country in the future.
Honourable Prime Minister, it is pertinent to note the first-ever award scheme launched in Japan was on quality. Japan was a devastated country after World War II.
Quality was poor because they were told by the government, “Forget quality, just produce something and export because we needed foreign exchange.” But then, after some time, they realised they had to improve their quality to capture the rest of the world.
The American occupation forces, led by General MacArthur, invited an American specialist on quality, Dr. Deming, to come to Japan and teach quality concepts. From that arose the famous Deming Award for Quality, which significantly enhanced the quality of Japanese products. The products were of such high quality that the American industry was clamouring for protection against Japanese goods.
All this was because of the Deming Award. Finally, America also decided to have a similar award, now known as the famous Malcolm Baldrige Excellence Award. Europe followed with their EFQM award scheme, and many other award schemes were established, including in Sri Lanka.
I have seen how these awards have benefitted individuals as well as their companies and thereby the country. So I congratulate Global CEO Forum for creating this award and recognising these individuals under age 45.
On a personal note, when I was invited to be involved in this exercise, I thought about what I did when I was below 45. I realised that it was the most exciting period of my life. My vision at that time, even after leaving school, was to be a multidisciplinary person. I achieved my ambition by qualifying in engineering, accountancy, obtaining my MBA, and specialising in management services.
I got an early start when I was appointed as General Manager of the Institute of Cooperative Management, a government body, in my 30s. I was able to make a significant contribution, which was even appreciated by Dr. V. Dahanayaka, the Minister at that time, who wanted it recorded in the consultative committee minutes.
Then I moved to the Ceylon Ceramics Corporation as the General Manager, which was a large corporation at that time with 4,500 employees and factories all over. I was in my 30s, and my deputy general managers were in their 50s and 60s, creating a significant age gap.
Initially, they did not support me, but finally, they did. When I was appointed Chairman of the Employees’ Trust Fund Board by then President Premadasa, it was not a political appointment. He properly interviewed me and selected me because he wanted a young person. I was only 39. I’m sharing this to inspire those of you under 45. If anyone tells you that you’re too young, don’t believe it. At that time, not many people under 45 were in leadership positions. When I mentioned to my father, a great historian, that people said I was too young to be Chairman, he told me to remind them that William Pitt the Younger was 24 when he became Prime Minister of England.
Despite the challenges, I was able to make a significant contribution, appreciated by the President. But there were always challenges. I was young and stubborn, and when the government wanted me to invest in a government debenture at 3% less than the treasury bill rate, I refused, saying it was employees’ money, not government money. This led to my removal, but I wrote to the President explaining my stance, and he reappointed me. He valued my innovative work and told me he wanted someone who could do new and innovative things.
At ETF, we had many investments in companies. During the revision of nominee directors, I allowed senior directors to take the desirable positions, and I took the one nobody wanted—Dankotuwa Porcelain. It was during the period of privatisation, and we had the smoothest privatisation because I matched the theory I learned during my MBA with practical application.
Reflecting on my journey, I realised that if this award scheme had been available during my time, I might have been a recipient. My advice to you awardees is to hold steadfast to your integrity, principles, values, and ethical standards.
Do new things, think outside the box, train and develop your subordinates. There will be challenges, but in the end, you will emerge victorious. I’m well past 70 now, and it is with great pleasure that I remember the period below 45 as the most exciting time of my life.
Congratulations to all of you receiving awards today. Be inspired, and we look forward to seeing you as the rising stars who will take this country forward to a new era. Thank you very much.
