Thinking big.
| Author | Holmes, Lawrie |
| Position | Interview |
Omar Fatha Rally's outsourcing powerhouse is part of an industry that is driving the Sri Lankan economy. He tells Lawrie Holmes about his time at Harvard Business School and his ambitions for Tellida
How did you start out in your career?
I am from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and I studied at the city's Royal College. I began my career aged 16, working part-time with my grandfather and helping to manage the family estate.
When did you take the CIMA course and how has the qualification helped you?
I'd always wanted to be an accountant. That's why I started taking the qualification immediately after my A-levels, qualifying in 1998. CIMA not only gave me financial and management accounting skills; it also gave me the confidence to make key business decisions and solve problems rationally. It opened my mind to topics such as sustainability, ethics, lean management and quality, too.
When did you go to Harvard Business School?
I won a scholarship under a World Bank grant in 2010. This enabled me to take the business leadership course at Harvard. I was in my early 30s and the CEO of HelloCorp.
All the case studies discussed on the course were about large US or global companies. It broadened my horizons, teaching me to think big and plan for the long term, but also to review goals regularly. I gained an insight into how succession planning is done in large firms and how technology can pose a threat to your business model.
What was it like working at Expo Freight in India?
I started there as a management accountant, with the task of setting up a reporting structure and financial controls. The company was just over a year old and had about 75 employees and four branches across India. I was newly qualified and wanted to apply the knowledge I'd gained on the course. As with any growing firm, we had working capital problems, so I introduced a credit control system where every shipment had to be credit-authorised by each head at the different stations.
The company grew to...
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