Ruwanthi Fernando: Finding ‘Passion’ and ‘Purpose’ for a rich and fulfilling career

Ruwanthi, the Chief Information and Process Officer for Hela Apparel Holdings PLC, is no stranger to hard work and success. She received her initial education at the CMS Ladies College, Colombo 07; When asked what advice she would give young career women, she highlighted the importance of staying true to one’s core values, as this is important for personal and professional growth.

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Hear what Ruwanthi had to say about her career journey, leading a team and learning through fear and mistakes.

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1.????Can you tell us about your career journey and your passions outside of your corporate life?

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I started my career as a Software Engineer in the Fiji Islands. After being overseas for 6 ? years and returning to Sri Lanka, I joined Unichela (Pvt) Limited (a MAS Holdings Company) in 1996 as the Assistant Manager for IT. After starting my corporate journey from Unichela, during the past 25 years, I have had the privilege of working at numerous prestigious organizations such as Prima, Associated Motorways, Expo Lanka International, Camso at a CxO Level, Microsoft as the Services Directory for Microsoft SEA New Markets and N-able as the Chief Delivery and Process officer.

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I am also a mother and a wife, and food is my passion! I love creating inspiring culinary delights. This passion led me to establish a home-based gourmet food delivery business catering to family meals and functions. I am the Co-Founder and Culinary Creator for “Roo’s Deli” (IG: Roos_deli, FB: Roosdeli), a small home-based business that my husband and I manage jointly. We have been in business for 3 years!

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I also love travelling and participating in the Old Girls’ Choir at my alma mater, Ladies College.

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2.????How do you feel about making mistakes and failing?

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Making mistakes and failing is one way of learning. To learn, one needs to own up to their mistakes, understand the cost of the error and re-think how to move forward. Such experiences enhance your potential as a professional.

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Failing is okay. But try not to fail big, and don’t fail for too long. Make sure you always have a plan to get back on track.

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3.????How do you keep your team motivated on hard days?

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Executing the digital transformation strategy at Hela has been challenging given the difficult circumstances we have been facing these past few years. Keeping teams in high spirits within a challenging environment is hard. However, an open-door policy and a strong relationship with my team have helped us get through the crunch moments successfully. I always believe in planning ahead. Planning helps us complete each challenge with minimum impact on the outcome. When collaborating with my team, I always say - “it’s never about where it went wrong and who made a mistake, but how we will complete the job well.” That’s what matters in the end.

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Motivation is different for everyone. Having regular touchpoints with the team creates an environment where they can speak to me on matters that cause stress. This reassures anyone going through a problem that I have their back.

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4.????What qualities are lacking among today’s leaders, and what qualities should a successful leader have?

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Considering my work experiences as a leader, we are there to mentor, inspire and lead young professionals to reach their full potential. I have noticed that leaders who fail to share knowledge have short-lived careers and fail to make a lasting positive impact on their colleagues.

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You also need to be accountable for your team’s work. When you do this, you realize you are teaching others to be responsible and ethical. These are, in my opinion, some of the most crucial qualities that make great leaders.

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5.????What are your key achievements and contributions to your company or sector?

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From the beginning of my career, I was involved in providing business solutions and creating digital transformations within businesses. So my key achievements stem from understanding business needs and transforming these needs into long-term creative strategies.

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Some achievements that I’m proud of are the ERP global implementations I delivered for companies in the Logistics, Apparel, and Tyre Manufacturing sectors.

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6.????Can you describe when you were scared during your career and how you overcame that fear?

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Fear is normal; when we spend over 10 hours a day at our job, we will be surrounded by work-related fears and stress. Firstly, we must learn to manage fear. One way is to create a good work-life balance. Work should be something we are passionate about, but we should not make work the only thing that makes us wake up in the morning.

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When we experience fear, we must look at how we can get to the root of those fears. For example, fear can stem from a lack of planning. When I experienced fear at work, it was mostly because I was not adequately prepared to face an outcome.

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I use past experiences to guide me while seeking new experiences to learn and build confidence. I believe that if we are confident about our actions, fear takes a back seat.

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7.????What are your thoughts on the opportunities available for women in the apparel sector – particularly in managerial roles – and how can such opportunities be strengthened further?

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As women, I believe what we bring to the corporate environment is unique and special. We have the distinct advantage of being the stronghold within a family unit, which helps us create stronger bonds, even in a corporate world. We should use our strengths in planning, multi-tasking, and empathy to our advantage.

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I am glad that many corporates, including Hela, are equal opportunity employers, working to uplift women to their full potential. Although times are changing for the better, as women, we need to keep working harder. By doing this, we can create lasting impressions and deliver results so that we are unbeatable.

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8.????What is a piece of career advice you wish someone had given you?

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Never doubt your inner thoughts and gut feelings. Sometimes we feel scared to be the only ones to speak out. All you need to do is think of how to articulate your thoughts correctly, and you will be able to find the best results.

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Also, never agree immediately to things your superiors may ask. First, evaluate the request and provide the correct answer based on how you can deliver. This may be tough, but you will gain more respect later! After that, make sure you deliver the work with the utmost commitment.