PREDOMINANT EXPERIENCE

As the Executive Chairman of Westports, he is known for his dynamic approach into the port business, revolutionising the port industry with his innovative concepts of Fastport Standards, Gardenport and Flexiport and defying the conventional practices to cargo and ship handling. Tan Sri Gnanalingam is known for his trademark management style which incorporates leaving no stone unturned, initiating mind-shifts and quantum leaps, adopting a gung-ho work style, instilling innovative thinking and sparking creative ideas. His keen passion for developing people is a key success factor for Westports. The key elements needed are a skilful set of staff; to provide the best customer service; and having enough financial resources. Tan Sri Gnanalingam has made ports seem a friendlier place. He has created public-awareness and adopted a garden port concept within Westport, making Westport probably the only such port in the world. He was credited for introducing innovative measures to win traffic during the 1997/98 financial crisis that saw Port Klang achieving positive growth.
BUSINESS BACKGROUND

G. Gnanalingam serves as the President of Malaysia The Indus Entrepreneurs. Tan Sri Datuk Gnanalingam served as the Marketing Director of Malaysian Tobacco Company Berhad. He started his own company G-Team Consultants Sdn. Bhd. which secure the marketing agency rights for RTM. He serves as an Executive Chairman and Executive Director of Westport Holdings Sdn Bhd. He serves as an Executive Director of Westport Malaysia. He serves as a Director of Multimedia Development Corporation. He serves as a Director of Pembinaan Redzai Sdn. Bhd. and a Board Member of the Klang Port Authority.
Gnanalingam is acknowledged for his marketing skills, not only with British American Tobacco, RTM or Westports, but also with the 1989 SEA Games which was the best ever and truly a commercial success.

Management skills before and after any crisis are the same.
LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Royal Military College, University of Malaya, Harvard Business School (Boston).

LEAD TIME OF SUCCESSFUL

His initial career was with the British American Tobacco group where he started as a Sales Representative and became the Marketing Director within 10 years. He then started his own marketing company, G-team Consultants, which handled the commercial operations of RTM, the

national television station. The revenues of RTM grew from RM 55million to RM 360million. In 1994, he started Westports from a barren, swampy island into a RM 1billion enterprise. Tan Sri Datuk G. Gnanalingam is a prominent Malaysian businessman. Tan Sri Datuk G. Gnanalingam is the Executive Chairman of Westports Malaysia. He founded Kelang Multi Terminal Sdn Bhd (Westport) in 1994 and became the Executive Chairman in 1996. He is the one of Malaysia's leading port operators. The US$700 million entity has chalked impressive heights with a consistent double-digit growth since it opened its doors for business in 1996 under his stewardship The Singapore-born captain of industry, who grew up in Port Dickson and Kuala Pilah, is of Sri Lankan Tamil ancestry. He joined the privately held port in 1994 and was instrumental in steering the port into a leading cargo and freight player in Asia. With sheer hardwork and dedication, he built Malaysia's largest privately owned port. Tan Sri Gnanalingam has been instrumental in growing Westports into one of the worlds top five ports in terms of productivity and with over 4 million TEUs in 2007 and still growing. Westports operational procedures, developed from customers wish-lists, led to the port achieving three world records, including cargo handling speed. In the last two recessions, I was involved in two new different businesses. The first was GT Consultants (RTM) in 1988 after the recession of 1986/87 and the second was Westports, which began its operations in 1996, just before the Asian financial and economic crisis of 1997/98.

COMPANIES

Westport Holdings Sdn Bhd

Westports today is one of the top 5 terminals in the world achieved by 100% Malaysian staff, 70% whom are Bumiputras. Malaysians can definitely stand tall being one of the best port operators in the world. Westports has won 25 awards in the industry and also holds the world record for productivity and turnaround of vessels. Westports effort has helped Port Klang move from 27th position to 14th position in terms of world volume.

4. Based upon your research, what knowledge and skills do that people need in order to be successful? Why?
RECOMMENDATION
What we are facing today is a manifestation of excessive spending, great risk taking, exorbitant greed, lack of regulations and most of all - a lack of an economic warning system like the tsunami warning system. The world economy is definitely not going to recover from cost cutting measures. The world will recover when all the citizens in the world have an income to buy goods, which in turn will buy raw materials, employ people and run their factories. As such, stimulus packages in the next two years must be directed to the citizens and to enable them to pay for housing mortgages or rentals and also buy goods for their consumption.

My advice is you will be paid for your skills and the downturn is the best time to acquire new skills by attending training programmes. You will also earn more not from your blood or sweat but from your ability to think and be aware of the world you live in. Spend within your means... It is essential to have some savings and when

you get your pay package, pay yourself 20% for your savings before you spend the rest on everything or everybody else.