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By Yashodha Nirupamala and Seminie Dissanayake
Ted Hiran Muttiah is the Chief Guest at the second leg of the 75th Bradby shield encounter this year. As a former captain of Royal College rugby (1982), representative of Kandy sports club, Upcountry, CR & FC and Sri Lanka, his rugby prowess on the field and as a previous administrator on the Sri Lanka Rugby council and as the present deputy president of CR & FC, his association with rugby is well known to the rugby fraternity.
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Hiran Muttiah |
Here we hope to articulate sufficiently and do justice to his outstanding leadership off the field. For us, meeting Ted has been the most wonderful stroke of luck. Our first encounter with him was in 2015 through our internship at South Asia Gateway Terminals Ltd. in the Port of Colombo in his capacity as the Chief Commercial Officer.
Being among the minority of females in the male-dominated industry, ports and shipping was indeed challenging. However, the strong mentorship and positive leadership influence we received from Ted from day one helped us to confidently rise above the usual ‘gender-based challenges’, while energising ourselves with inspiring values and work ethic as foundations for the future.
He was instrumental in nurturing our individual personalities and helping us create our own professional ‘Brand I’ to thrive and excel in our short, mid and long-term career objectives. Today, we dedicate our positions of leadership of multifaceted teams in a multinational organisation in Sri Lanka to his impactful guidance as our foundation.
There was so much to learn from such an industry stalwart with global expertise and a wealth of life experiences. We were fresh graduates and the first two interns in the Commercial and Marketing department.
As the head of the department, Ted ensured we were given opportunities for personal and professional development. As we shared internship experiences with our university colleagues, we realised the opportunity at SAGT and specifically under Ted’s guidance, we had indeed gained knowledge, acquired skills and discovered self like no other internship possibly could.
Work delegation, taking ownership at work, being accountable for the projects involved are some of the key lessons we learnt as he guided us to “swim in the deep end” with no fear. Interning at commercial and marketing department was challenging. It required hard and smart work, commitment with a relentless drive to learn and grow.
Integrity, respect, loyalty and team spirit are the best lessons we learnt while his continuous counsel helped us to be assertive, confident and self-assured in our tasks and that brought out the best in us. As young females who just entered the male-dominated industry, his professionalism, wise counsel, encouragement and belief in us was indeed inspiring.
One of the most important lessons he taught us is the value and constructive impact from a sound understanding of Emotional Intelligence (EI), Social Intelligence (SI) and Cultural Intelligence (CI). We continue to gain from this understanding as we consciously focus on these key aspects as a foundation to build good interpersonal relationships, effective communication, conflict resolution and enhancing professional and community courtesy.
“There is no such thing as being over-prepared, always aim to prepare more than you think you may need. Knowing the breadth and depth of the subject matter enables you to consider more than just your perspective. This is fundamental to win-win negotiations. All of life interactions are negotiations of some sort,” he would often emphasise.
Those words of wisdom ring true for us each day as we confidently face situations in the knowledge we are equipped in readiness for the unexpected. “Do your best; Be your best” are his words that reassure us in time of self-doubt.
Ted remains a committed ambassador actively developing and promoting women into the maritime industry. He devotes personal time to mentor several groups and individuals from within the industry as well as leading government universities in Sri Lanka. Often, he invests his personal resources in coaching and guiding the emerging leaders of tomorrow and many of them have blossomed into exemplary women leaders in the industry.
Despite his career and personal successes, Ted is the most humble and down-to-earth individual we have come across. He is incredibly generous and is always ready to help a friend or stranger alike. His leadership and inspiration laid a strong foundation in our careers and personal lives, making us who we are today. The impact he has made in the lives of many young people including us is huge. His unending guidance and coaching immensely helped us to face and combat any challenge with confidence. He empowered and uplifted us to “be our best”. Even to date he is still our greatest mentor and the beacon of light in our careers.He is very passionate about team sports and the values he carries from his “favourite sport” rugby to the corporate world-like dedication, perseverance, team spirit and comradeship were made basic principles of our lives too.
As the Chief Guest at the second leg of the prestigious Bradby Shield, to us Ted Hiran Muttiah epitomises the ‘Spirit of the Bradby’ which is to lead by example.We wish both teams all the best and hope it will be a memorable day for the boys in Blue and Gold!
(The writers are Business Systems Analysts at IFS R&D International Ltd.)
