Finding passion and purpose, early on His foray into the business world began early on. No stranger to hard work, his entrepreneurial spirit, passion to be a changemaker and a strong family influence were his greatest driving forces. “My great- grandmother would give me things to sell to earn my pocket money. As a teenager, I remember spending my evenings selling sweets, samosas and vegetables, to lend my family a helping hand. I relished in the challenge of trying to figure out the price at which to sell items to ensure I made a decent profit. At university, my tiny room was piled to the ceiling with T-shirts - a venture that paid for my first car,” recalls Seelan. A chronic overachiever, Seelan studied 40 years’ worth of matric exam papers to prepare for his finals. He graduated from high school at 16, achieving many distinctions. He went on to study a BCom in Accounting and Law at Rhodes University, taking up part-time employment to pay for his studies. As luck would have it, a local company was very impressed by his performance. They tracked him down via a local newspaper and offered him a bursary. Seelan explains, the value of a good education was instilled in him, early on; “I recognised the power of education in opening doors, especially in pre-democracy South Africa. So, my focus was on excelling in my studies, earning a decent income and doing something that feeds my passion”. It is this drive and ambition that saw him achieve his Chartered Accountant qualification in his early twenties, and he went on to do an Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School. He has built an impressive career, having assumed senior leadership roles across emerging markets for almost two decades, working at numerous blue chip global companies. In 2001, he joined Old Mutual and during his almost decade-long career, served in a number of senior roles – including FD, Head of Administration, Head of Corporate Distribution and MD of the Old Mutual Corporate business. Under his leadership, Old Mutual Corporate refined its strategy, increased sales, grew market share and established itself as the industry leader. In 2010, Seelan joined another panAfrican financial services company, Liberty Holdings, as CEO of the Liberty Corporate division - a role that his cumulative experience had effectively prepared him for. With a proven track record in managing complex businesses and an ability to build strong cohesive teams, his growth continued at a rapid pace. Three years later, he was appointed CEO of South African asset manager, STANLIB where he was responsible for implementing the business’ strategy and driving growth by building new capabilities as well as leveraging skills for investment opportunities across the continent. STANLIB managed over R580 billion worth of assets across various asset classes. He has served as a Non-executive Director on several boards and boasts the title of Founder and Director on his resume, establishing JSG Capital. Seelan often cites his various entrepreneurial exposures as catalysing his personal and professional journey. His approach to life is simple, “Always do the right thing and follow your passion.” He adds, “In my opinion, success involves less effort when you enjoy what you do.” Spearheading Omnia’s turnaround strategy His expertise set him up for what was perhaps the most challenging chapter of his journey. He started at Omnia Group as a Non-executive Director in 2018 and then became Group FD early in 2019. Not one to back down from a challenge, he also took on the role of CEO soon after, at a time of immense financial turbulence. The business sought a leader who could provide direction and a clear vision to turnaround the business – someone who wasn’t afraid to make tough decisions and set ambitious targets, but also map out ways in which to achieve these. While walking into the eye of the storm can be intimidating for some, Seelan was certain about the strategy and commitment needed to shift the needle. He employed a ‘back to basics’ approach, which included focusing on reducing debt to manageable levels, capital expenditure and working capital management, cost containment and improving return on investment. His approach instilled a high performance culture - prioritised skills development, aimed to identify and attract the right talent, but also drove the emphasis on human resource efficiencies. In just over a year - and during the height of Covid-19, Omnia proved its resilience by achieving a successful turnaround and silencing critics. Omnia’s longer term turnaround strategy continues to achieve against key metrics and create broader stakeholder value. He cites Omnia’s heritage as well as its socioeconomic contributions and commitment to sustainability as other reasons that drew him to the Group. Operating in primary sectors Omnia’s success spells economic success. From addressing basic needs such as food and potable water through its technologies, inputs and expertise; to creating employment in its more than 25 geographies; to developing skills and empowering communities – Omnia’s touchpoints are endless, and its influence immeasurable. - 18 - CEO Today Af r i ca Award s 2021 - South Af r i ca - “ Omnia has an incredible history and continues to be a leader and a market pioneer. The kind of innovation and forward-thinking approach our team applies to finding solutions, enables us to scale even greater heights.
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