Westports: Reflections Of A CEO

PORT KLANG, June 22 — Westports Holdings Bhd is a success story of a father-and-son team.

Reflecting on his early years, Chief Executive Officer Ruben Emir Gnanalingam (pic) says, his father, Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam set a benchmark for him to achieve success.Thanks to his father’s “golden rules”, Ruben, 38, is already firmly in the driver’s seat as CEO.

Gnanalingam, who founded and built the company in 1994, passed the torch to Ruben when the latter was 31 years old.Gnanalingam, fondly known as Tan Sri G, founded Kelang Multi Terminal Sdn Bhd. The company was later named Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd until its listing on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia on Oct 18, 2013.Under the father-and-son team, Westports’ container handling volume continued to improve to 7.5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in 2013. Westports, nestled in Pulau Indah, makes up one half of Port Klang, the world’s 11th largest container terminal.Ruben, who is co-owner of Queens Park Rangers football club and Westports Malaysia Dragons basketball team, shares his fond memories as a child, his interest and hobbies and what it was like being Tan Sri G’s son, in an interview with Bernama. Below are excerpts of the interview:

EARLY YEARS

BERNAMA: When and where were you born and raised?

RUBEN: I was born on Sept 16, 1976. In the first few years, I was brought up in Petaling Jaya and later moved to Kuala Lumpur. I spent mostpart of my life in the Klang Valley.

BERNAMA: What was it like being Tan Sri G’s son? Was he a strict disciplinarian or easy-going with the children?

RUBEN: The correct answer is a bit of both.He has this method, which is quite sneaky. He didn’t have a term for it. I call it: ‘The fear of losing your freedom’. He let us do what we want. If the grades are not kept at a certain level, his rules will apply.

We don’t know what his rules were and made sure we maintained a certain level of grades as we never wanted to find out. We never still found out the rules until today and we never test the barrier – that is the fear.

But my mother, Puan Sri Siew Yong Gnanalingam, who was then working for Malaysia Airlines, would usually balance things up.

BERNAMA: Can you tell us about your family background and upbringing and what were you like as a young boy and what was your fondest memory as a child?RUBEN: I have one brother and one sister. I studied in local schools in Damansara Heights and eventually Victoria Institution. Overall, I received my early education here.In school sports, I was a house captain and champion. As a child, I enjoyed spending the holidays with my parents. I was fortunate that my mom was working in MAS. We got to go on holiday every year, thank you very much Malaysia Airlines. Those holidays are very memorable as I got to see a lot of different places and this helped in my upbringing. In school, I had fond memories of my friends as well.BERNAMA: Who were those you admired as a child and those who had left a lasting impression on you?RUBEN: I would have to say that my parents leave a lasting impression on me. And not forgetting my grandparents too. We are part of a very close-knit family, especially with my cousins, uncles and aunties. There are only three siblings in the house; but we have 16 to 17 cousins.

We have a lot of family functions together, more than once a week. Overall, my dad would have the biggest impression on me. He made me into a businessman. In terms of where I wanted to go, he has the biggest impression. I followed his footsteps to a certain point.

Another is F1 race driver Ayrton Senna da Silva, a Brazilian racing driver who won three Formula One world championships. Senna left a lasting and big impression on me…how he played and participated in the sport. He was a good champion.

(Senna was killed in an accident while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. He was among the most dominant and successful F1 drivers of the modern era).

BERNAMA: What was your favourite subject in school and what was your ambition as a child?

RUBEN: Economics, which I learnt in Form Four. I love the whole concept of economics, how it affects the economy. How I run my business has very much to do with economies. It had a bearing in my life. The biggest thing I learned in Form Four was the key aspects of supply and demand.

BERNAMA: What was your ambition as a child?

RUBEN: Many, including becoming a policeman. At one point I wanted to be a F1 driver, but you have to have a certain height. I even wanted to be a private investigator like Magnum P.I.

Every child then wanted to be one. I was 9 or 10 years old then. (The popular 1980’s smash hit television series, starring Tom Selleck, was aired over TV3).

Then there was Knight Rider, a popular 1980 series as well.

(It starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a kind of modern-day ‘knight’ who drove an advance smart car with artificial intelligence).

But as you grow up, you learn what you like and that’s economics for me and how it affects business. This is where I found my interest which I enjoyed.

In school, I was not the most attentive, but I began to enjoy economics more and more. I had a balanced life as a student and had a lot of fun in varsity. Every varsity student should try to enjoy university life. It’s the last time you could have a lot of fun before you actually start work.

CAREER PATH AND MANAGEMENT STYLE

BERNAMA: Can you share with us your experience as a student at the London School of Economics andPolitical Science?

RUBEN: In general, I enjoyed my four years in London. There, you get to meet a lot of people, understand a lot of things, with the London School of Economics and Political Science being in the centre of London.

I think it was also very enriching in the sense that you could feel the buzz of the city. One of the great centres for theory development and teaching. Great place.

OTHER INTEREST AND HOBBIES

BERNAMA: How do you unwind after a hard day’s work? What are your hobbies and favourite past time?

RUBEN: Best part of my day is the very beginning – sending my son to school. I usually spend five to ten minutes with him, telling stories with him.

By 9.15 a.m. I am already in the office. Avoids traffic jams. Probably whole day a lot of meetings generally. I usually pack the whole day with many meetings. I leave the office at 5.30 to 6 pm to see my kids before they go to sleep.

Here (Westports), most part of my job is also about selling. Selling the port so that it is appealing to customers. Seeing shipping lines, mostly foreign. A lot of it involves travelling, meeting customers and investors as well as attending roadshows. I spend a lot of time on travelling. KLIA has become my second home. I am not here as often as I used to.

Besides my kids, I enjoy playing golf. I spend my free time playing around with my five year old son. He loves football. I am also glad I get to spend more time with my family and wife.

BERNAMA: Can you tell us Westports’ involvement in basketball?

RUBEN: From the sports perspective, it is far more interesting as it involves a whole range of peopleas fans – men, women and kids too. You don’t see the demographics in footballand 90 per centof the audience are men.

As for basketball, it is played indoors. You avoid getting sunburnt, with the area being air-conditioned. In general, it is far more appealing to a wider audience.

What we have done recently is that we have donated basketball hoops to schools on the island. Surprising, if seven to eight year olds can shoot in proper hoops and they can shoot well.

When we first adopted it, our customers liked it. We wanted to be different. A lot of people would be happy with football, with a lot of attention given towards it, but not basketball.

It is a customer-driven thing. Basketball reaches out to society as a whole. We stumbled upon it. Our customers loved it.

Basketball is not as popular in Malaysia, but it is a good sport. Klang is the foremost area for basketball in Malaysia and has produced a lot of players.

BERNAMA: What can basketball fans/aspiring players look forward to, with regards to the Westports Dragons?

RUBEN: Westports Dragons have done reasonably well. We are looking forward to the next season and waiting for the league to start. There were some teething problems this year, but they have been resolved. We hope we can start the season as soon as possible.

For aspiring basketball players, we provide professional contracts for them. An avenue for career path.

BERNAMA: Can you describe your reading preferences and who your favourite authors are?

RUBEN: In general, I like books that intrigue the way you think, such as a book on logical thinking, ‘Freakonomics’by Steven Levitt.

Two other books which are my favourites are written by Malcom Gladwell, titled “Outliers: The Story of Success” and “Blink”.

These books give a different perspective as how people think and make you think out of the box, in that sense. They let you put in other people’s shoes and how you can respond to them in a better way.

(Freakonomics is both an economics textbook and a series of cautionary tales about the fallacy of conventional wisdom).

(In Outliers, Gladwell examines the factors that contribute to high levels of success. Blink is about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant – in the blink of an eye – that actually aren’t as simple as they seem).

— BERNAMA