PINNACLE PINNAC LE

Ashroff Omar, the Chief Executive Ofcer of Brandix afrms that the apparel industry,
being the largest employer in the manufacturing sector has been in the forefront in providing great career opportunities to the suburban and rural youth

Sharlene De Chickera interviews Ashroff Omar, who gracefully ponders at the Pinnacle, for readers of EDEX+Plus.
Q. You have been at the helm of the Garment industry for many years. In your opinion is a career in garments as appealing to any aspirant (the white collar worker and the blue collar worker alike) in the Sri Lankan job market as it was before 2005? Absolutely. First, my advice to anybody - be it a new graduate or even a student is dont benchmark against local talent or peers. Equip yourself to compete with the best in the world. It is extremely important to consider the value chain in the garment industry to truly assess the potential. Today, we are forced to face the realities of a globalised world, the good and the bad. While the competition is intense and you need to compete on a global platform, opportunities are limitless. The traditional responsibilities in the value chain are shifting. We are no longer restricted to basic manufacturing activities; we provide design intelligence, technological innovations and are becoming closer to the consumer with brands of our own. These new challenges are exciting and require a different mindset. The Fashion industry has always been about speed and it is of essence for success. Therefore, white collar workers have to possess the brains and requisite energy to keep pace with the demands of the industry. They have to be equipped with attributes that will enable them to have that edge. The same applies for the blue collar workers albeit in the context of their jobs. There is no getting away from the time-sensitive nature of the industry, therefore they need to be equipped to take quick decisions and work at the requisite pace to meet crucial deadlines. A challenging job done well is always rewarding. Q. Are career options such as Merchandising still as rewarding as they were in the last decade? What are the new job categories that are available? Yes, it still is. Perhaps more so, especially with the changing responsibilities in the value-chain and strategic relationships that require to be built with both the customer and the supply chain partners. A proper Merchandiser or Merchant has to have specic skills and aptitudes. The Merchandiser today must know how to sell and also have the technical skills to match this capability. The Merchandiser should be able to take care of the total procurement aspect as well. They would require necessary skills to manage the entire supply chain. In terms of emerging job positions, the Engineering eld is one such area. The industry is still largely manual. Automation in the garment industry is not at its optimum level. Any innovations in automation/ semi-automation, process improvements to reduce cost of production and deliver a consistent product while allowing some exibility to react to change in demand would be timely. For instance, a new process which was devised to clean garments using Titanium Dioxide is still in its infancy. Chemical engineering could also be considered a new area in terms of job categories. Demands for protecting the earths resources, eco-manufacturing and reducing carbon footprints open up a whole new set of green careers for those who are suitably knowledgeable in sustainable practices. Q. Is a career in the apparel industry the great equalizer for a job-scape that is still quite disparate in socio-economic terms? Yes, I believe so it was the case in the past and I expect that will be the case in future. There is certainly equal opportunity for growth even though entry points would be different. The success stories within the industry in this regard are numerous. The industry has been quite adept at bringing in raw talent with different socioeconomic backgrounds and providing development opportunities in-house. The human resources function has been a powerful tool in harnessing potential talent at all levels. But this situation is not ideal. The education system needs to evolve and be able to develop much of this talent before they enter the job market. Industry can partner these efforts in identifying emerging demands and what attributes in terms of knowledge, skills and aptitudes need to be honed.

For the best of Sri Lankan talent, the best place to work will naturally be Sri Lanka - no where else. After all, you are a rst class citizen here.

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Q. How can a career in the garment industry serve the national interests over and above purely commercial concerns? The apparel industry has been remarkable in reinventing itself to survive and grow through the conict period and the quotafree era. This can be attributed to dynamic thinking of industry players, continuous investment into businesses and continued support of successive governments has made this industry the best performing sector and a serious contender in the region. Sri Lanka has done well in pursuing an aggressive growth policy in the Indian subcontinent. The limitation in resources is a point of concern in comparison to India, which not only has the largest population but is also rich in terms of raw materials. However, I feel that Sri Lanka is well poised to leverage all resources to facilitate the garment industry. We are politically friendly with all countries in the SAARC region and have facilities of the Colombo Port. The new facility in Hambantota is an added impetus to the industry. Sri Lankas high literacy rate is also a positive contributory factor to growth. The apparel industry is a US$3.3 billion market and targeting to grow to US$5billion by 2015. To achieve this we need talent. There are Sri Lankans working in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, somewhere in the region of four to ve thousand Sri Lankans are working overseas. Their jobs span from merchandising to production engineering. With the dawn of peace and fundamentals beginning to settle I expect some of this talent will return to the industry here. Brandix is expanding in India at Visakhapatanam in Andhra Pradesh and in Dhaka, Bangladesh as we cannot achieve the kind of scale we require but much of the management will be Sri Lankan with the requisite skills. Q. What new developments/trends in the local and even regional/international market place is making the pursuing of a career at one of Sri Lankas leading apparel manufacturers an attractive prospect? Naturally peace is the newest development locally and the biggest dividend is that Sri Lanka can once again begin to claim its rightful place in the region. In terms of our industry we are denitely in a growth region and there are immense opportunities in leveraging the strengths in the region. On one side we are within 2-4 days sailing from two of the worlds largest textile bases and on the other to one of the worlds fast emerging markets. At the same time, global companies are emerging and Apparel Conglomerates here are also evolving their business models. Even brands and retailers operating models are evolving. As the industry pursues strategic relationships with these large global clients as well as expands its own operations overseas, the teams will have unparallel access to new trends and technology, develop cross-cultural learning through interaction and share best practices. At the end of the day, the business of fashion with all its challenges and pressures is always an attractive prospect. Brandix philosophy is to provide inspiring solutions in terms of branded clothing. To do this, we need to keep reinventing ourselves to deliver innovative solutions to our customers. In this drive for continuous improvement in all spheres, we often nd ourselves the rst to offer certain solutions to customers' needs. That drive is exciting, gives us the rst mover advantage and keeps the team energized. Q. Where once apparel industry was one of the largest/most lucrative employers for new graduates, is it true that the brightest and best of Sri Lankan talent/ skills are being lost due to brain-drain, or have the bigger players in apparel industry- like Brandix and MAS managed to reverse this undesirable trend, especially after the end of the war/conict? Brain drain is an issue. With globalization, talent sourcing is not restricted to ones own country but it has become a global search. Countries are inducing talent to come over to their domains and there are no visa restrictions as well for this top talent. Therefore, the only way we manage to attract and retain the best talent is by way of stressing on the more soft factors such as our culture of caring and respect, encouragement of entrepreneurial thinking, genuine empowerment to take decisions and risks and providing challenging opportunities. Listening to opinions, adopting a transparent management process and showing a clear career path are also very important to retain the top talent. Q. What more can be done in terms of HR, PR and capacity-building, or any other eld/discipline, to restore the lost fortunes of the war years? The focus must be to develop the next generation of graduates with skills that market demands. This requires a strong emphasis on enhancing technical training institutions. It is also imperative that collaboration amongst all stakeholders; the Government, Universities, other Educational Institutions, academia and Private Sector is enhanced. There should be avenues for Government and Private Sector partnerships to provide students with O/L and A/L qualications who do not gain entrance to University, with employment on a cost sharing basis. This will allow the untrained talent to build the necessary capacity whilst earning a living. The industry along with Universities and Educational Institutions also need to engage in developing critically needed soft skills of graduate trainees. Proper communication skills are of primary importance and in this globalized world, knowledge of other languages would also be advantageous. The Governments decision to liberalize higher education and permit foreign Universities to come in is also a positive step in this regard. Q. What dynamics on the political scene could affect the development of careers in this sector, if at all? The importance given to the industry and assistance rendered by the Government will continue to play a crucial role. Aside from revamping educational aspects and capacity building, labour law related

Greener Pastures in garments : Brandix Green Factory Seeduwa

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practices will also play a signicant role. The changes required in law to accommodate global demands and trends are also important. Resources are limited. We must look at laws and regulations that would extract resources from nonproductive activities to those that can be put to productive use and add value. There is a necessity to reduce bureaucracy and red tape in Government and simplication of levies or tax structures will help reduce the resources allocated to manage those processes and focus on value-adding activities. The investor friendly practices as well as support towards infrastructure will also be a positive factor. Efforts at negotiating market access instruments to existing and emerging markets will help level the playing eld. Q. Where else in the world are similar market places situated so as to offer comparable careers? For the best of Sri Lankan talent, the best place to work will naturally be Sri Lanka no where else. After all, you are a rst class citizen here. Being in the growth region, the local garment industry as it graduates to the next level has the capacity to provide the most challenging and rewarding opportunities. The larger Sri Lankan companies are headed to become global

The human resources function has been a powerful tool in harnessing potential talent at all levels. But this situation is not ideal. The education system needs to evolve and be able to develop much.
companies with operations in other parts of the world where it makes business sense. In that sense, aspiring graduates can apply for those positions. Q. Which aspects of the local job market would be appealing to international developers/investors? The new economy will continue to offer opportunities for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in the elds of apparel and textiles. What investors nd appealing is

the highly literate and trainable talent. For most foreigners this is paradise, so when all required fundamentals align and awareness is created, investments will ow in. There are plenty of opportunities to establish new manufacturing units especially in the North and East where there is a labour pool. And with the country emerging as a regional hub, retailers and buyers have the opportunity to establish their regional headquarters here. This could extend to even their back ofce operations, i.e. outsource their parent company nancial functions, customer call centres etc. These are the opportunities that are emerging and we need to be proactive in ensuring that the talent is trained and readily available. Q. How can the State/Government and the Industry/Business Chambers build a better bridge between the povertystricken/disenfranchised youth of the country and protable employment? They can help by enabling these youth to be employable by providing them training on skills in demand. Internship programs across industries, provided they are carefully designed, implemented and monitored are invaluable in equipping youth with useful skills. This could be done on a cost-sharing basis with participating Companies / Government

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/ Industry Chambers etc. The offer would need to include other support and facilities for individuals such as accommodation or hostel facilities. Q. Is the upper echelon of the apparel industry now open to budding talent in suburban and even rural areas, or is this still the domain of those educated in the countrys/Colombos elite schools? The apparel industry, being the largest employer in the manufacturing sector has been in the forefront in providing great career opportunities to suburban and rural youth. The fact that the industry is widely spread has enabled this. Many who joined factories in their own villages or migrated to another village or town have started in junior positions and through perseverance and commitment risen up the corporate ladder. In our management trainee programmes especially we have witnessed quite a lot of graduates coming from various rural areas. Once in the organization, reaching the upper echelons needs commitment of both the individual and the Company, one to recognize and nurture, other to fully embrace the opportunity to learn and advance. This holds true irrespective of where you are from; urban, suburban or rural areas. organization successful, who have a transformational attitude and can face challenges in changing times and can understand the business criticalities will always have preference. Social and environmental consciousness is another positive trait an employee should possess. These new-age employees need to be tech-savvy, they must be able to integrate people with technology.
Greener interiors for cooler workplaces

Q. In your opinion what changes are required in the education system to ensure that school leavers are equipped with the required knowledge and skills to compete globally? School leavers should strive towards higher education in the varied spheres that are available today. Overall they need to develop their technical and soft skills, since companies look forward to hire future leaders who can grow shareholder value and can build strong stakeholder relationships. Those who can anticipate customer needs, have common sense, are practical and able to execute to perfection - are in demand. Those who can help build talent and work well in teams to make the

Q. What measures can conglomerates like Brandix offer as incentives, if not careers to ensure that the best workforce is retained in the country? Our offer to employees must include a great place to work with a unique culture which inculcates strong valuebased behaviour. An organization must offer its employees inspiring careers, vast opportunities to grow, challenging assignments, opportunities to lead teams, offer excellent training and learning opportunities and encourage innovation and not discourage risk taking. Rewards based on performance and value addition by way of global exposure are considered key criteria for conglomerates like Brandix to retain the best, while offering the best.

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