Professional standards spell good Corporate Governance

Management experts often tell us that Indian businesses must promote good management principles, transparency, accountability and a high level of integrity to achieve good corporate governance. According to them, each company should evolve a culture that is typical to its ownership and management, transcend nationality, ethnicity and gender barriers, ensuring its continuous growth.

Brand Ambassadors

If corporate citizenship entails equity and if good governance is determined by benevolent leadership through which owners and managers set examples, Sudesh and Laxmi Jhunjhnuwala, directors of the Sudima Hotels (New Zealand and Australia) should be considered brand ambassadors of these concepts.

Their geniality at social gatherings extends to their professional lives but with a difference; in the case of the latter, they are driven by corporate objectives, business ethics, the need to promote staff involvement and most important of all, achieve customer satisfaction.

The couple understand their strengths and weaknesses and are hence able to contribute appropriately to the successful working of their group of companies, which comprises hotels, properties and other interests and a complement of 350 staff.

Entrepreneurs and corporate managers who moan about bureaucratic delays and protracted problems relating to compliance issues could perhaps seek solace from his beliefs.

“Accept what you cannot control. Everyone is in the same boat and hence it is not worth feeling frustrated. New Zealand is one of the least corrupt countries in the world and let us keep it that way.”

Quality education

With his early education in Rangoon (now Yangon), Kathmandu and Hong Kong, Mr Jhunjhnuwala graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of California in US and joined his family business in 1984.

Mrs Jhunjhnuwala, a professional painter, who we have featured in many issues, has graduate diplomas in fashion designing and textile designing from the South Delhi Polytechnic for Women and a graduate (Bachelor’s) degree in Visual Arts from AUT University. She taught painting at the ‘Artstation’ (Auckland) for several years.

The initial years were busy for his wife making a home with three growing daughters, painting classes and pursuing higher education in Visual Arts. She is now a Director involved in Conference and Banqueting of Sudima Auckland Airport Hotel.

“I am keen to promote our products and services to the Indian and other South Asian communities in New Zealand. The job is challenging and exciting,” she said.

Both seek each other’s opinion on issues but with responsibilities well defined and spelt, there is no cause for conflict.

“We are both accountable to each other. I do get a bit of stick for being the procrastinator some times,” Mr Jhunjhnuwala admitted.

Diverse interests

The couple migrated with their three daughters (Tulika, Kanika and Vedika, all graduates from US Universities) to New Zealand in 2001 to manage their family interests, with a mixture of fortunes in the property market.

“I had to get a running start looking after our troubled property portfolio. As it became stabilised and self-sustaining, I decided to buy a hotel in Rotorua and thereafter built a new hotel in Auckland. Over the years, we have created ‘Sudima Hotel’ as a brand and centralised hotel operations at one office,” Mr Jhunjhnuwala said.

As well as property interests, they own and manage Sudima Hotels in Auckland, Christchurch, Rotorua and Brisbane and manage Sudima in Hamilton.

With his wide experience and expertise and with strategies, checks and balances in place, Mr Jhunjhnuwala constantly looks for new business opportunities.

As a mother, Mrs Jhunjhnuwala places family on priority and manages her day with well-planned activities.

“I know that if I manage my time and have a plan to achieve my goal, there is nothing that can stop us from doing so. Of course, the helping hand of my understanding husband has enabled me to succeed,” she said.

Yin and Yang

Mrs Jhunjhnuwala believes that women are as good (or bad) as men and hence should have equal opportunities in decision-making and in appointment to boards and governing bodies.

“Many women stop working to start a family. I am sure that more women would continue to work and advance in their career to reach management positions if they had more understanding partners who help in raising the family.

“We are both different but like Yin and Yang (a Chinese concept which describes how seemingly opposite forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world), we complement each other. The fact that we can work together well was proved while organising the wedding of our daughter Tulika (in February in Bali, Indonesia, followed by a grand reception in Hong Kong),” he said.

Like many of us, Mr Jhunjhnuwala failed to understand how many South Asian migrants sport the ‘male superiority complex,’ and worse, how many women accept it as a part of their upbringing and culture.

“This circle has to be broken. Laxmi and I have strong feelings on this issue,” he said.

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Photo :

Laxmi and Sudesh Jhunjhnuwala