RESPONDING TO CHALLENGES IS WHAT MATTERS

Excerpts from an Interview with Sagara Palihawadane –
The Chairman of Mandara Group.

Q: How can we face the current challenges as a businessman?

As humans, problems and challenges are a part of life. But what matters is how we respond to those hard times and the measures we take to avoid them happening again. If we spend our valuable time thinking about our regrets, we won’t find ways of moving forward. If we consider the covid pandemic situation, most of the businesses in Sri Lanka indeed went through a downfall and the country’s economy became unstable.
I find; that that made us clear, that Sri Lanka is highly dependent on imports. In order to sustain in such crises, we need to increase production and exports in our country. The main intention of most companies is to increase their revenues. In contrast,I intend to increase more job opportunities in the country. I always try to think of ways and means to recruit more employees to this business that would benefit both parties. I suggest Sri Lankan companies should encourage local production and invest in small, local businesses.

Q: How do you maintain high-quality hospitality standards for your foreign and local customers?

Speaking of foreign customers, we must create a good first impression for them about the country beginning from the point they arrive at the airport. We usually celebrate all the festivals regardless of religion. We have witnessed foreigners actively participating in the events and they get the feeling that we are a nation that respects traditions. We have seen them enjoying Sri Lankan dishes and appreciating the hospitality of the Sri Lankan people.
It’s also our primary concern to care for our local customers. They are the ones who have helped our businesses to grow to this extent. Being a Sri Lankan, it’s we who know the requirements of our local customers. Most companies forget the importance of local customers once they start earning foreign incomes. But it’s important to understand that Sri Lankan people would be there for us when we aren’t getting any foreign business anymore.

(Excerpts from an interview with SiyathaTV. Transcript was done by Dilshara Hettiarachchige.)