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COLUMN

My mentor
He was tall, heavily built, bearded and with a laugh that would echo through the office. Georg Wyss, Managing Director looked up as we were introduced to him in his smoke filled room. We were selected for an internship in Ciba-Geigy towards the end of our MBA program in November 1980. As he leaned back in his chair, which we were told was specially made for him because of his size, he smiled, welcoming us. He told us about the privatization of the pesticides business in Bangladesh and that there was so much to do!
I had to do a project for Marketing, and as such, my interaction was with Walter Reinhardt, the Head of Marketing. I was quite surprised at the high level of marketing competency. With the words marketing guru Philip Kotler still fresh in mind, it seemed that his book had come alive! And what surprised me even more was how the great divide of expatriates
and locals was non-existent in Ciba-Geigy.
I completed my project, including a gargantuan task of sifting through invoices, and compiling annual sales statistics by customers, products and territories. In those days, an electric calculator, which I was privileged to use, was a locked up prized asset that you had to sign in and out.
Walter was pleased with the statistics and immediately went to Georg's room with them. I was startled and won-. dering if I had made a mistake when I saw Georg with the copy, coming up to my desk. “Congratulations!” his booming voice and smiling face reassured me, as he shook hands. Thus started my career and journey as a professional manager, mentored by Georg.
As Homer tells us in his ancient epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, would go off on journeys, including the Ttojan Wars. He left behind his kingdom and his sonTelemachus to Mentor who was his wise teacher and counselor. The word mentor is thus used today as a person who helps others to grow professionally.
The five years with Georg shaped my life. I was so very fortunate. Fresh out of university, we were still idealistic. Georg did not let the idealism die. He nurtured it, molding it with realism, thus shaping me to face the reality of the world.
Over the next couple of years, we had an influx of bright and brilliant newcomers. As our mentor, Georg nur-
tured us, grew us to be where we are today, in leading positions in various organizations. I was in close touch with him. as after a year he made me the financial controller of the agro business, reporting to him directly.
Every day was literally anew day, as I continuously learnt from him, like a sponge, soaking in his wisdom. He infused in me not to be a babu', the typical bureaucratic lordship ingrained In our society. He would literally roll up his sleeves to get things done.
One day, the young set of six from various disciplines in the company then, were invited to the meeting room. Georg handed over telex copies of an invitation. We were to meet an investor. The address was a house in Gulshan. We were wondering what was up, puzzled and excited. Georg told us it was a company secret, we were not to talk to anyone.
On the appointed day, we went to Gulshan and the address turned out to be Georg's residence. As we sat around drinking colas on the porch, he told us that the investor had asked him to brief us. We were to form a competitor company which would out-maneuver Ciba-Geigy in the market. The six of us were the management team. We were free to invest in any way we liked and had two months to build our business plan. We worked after office, brainstorming. introducing products, building plants, distribution systems, hiring the best talent.
Our Regional Manager from Switzerland soon came for a visit He was the 'investor'. We were to present our new company to him and the company management. There we were, the six of us, making presentations of how we would beat Ciba-Geigy in all business areas. Having finished, there was a round of applause. Absolutely brilliant, Georg told us, and he concluded, “Gentlemen, to beat Ciba-Geigy, you would need a company like this, and that is not going to happen anytime soon! One can have cash to invest, but where can one find the people, the talent to run such an organization? We are assured of our future!”
Such is a mentor. He nurtures and teaches, creates a vision for the future and through his wisdom leaves behind a legacy of talent who take the organization for the next giant leap forward.
The writer is the managing director of Syngenta Bangladesh Ltd.