The power of perseveranc.., p.25
The Power of Perseverance, page 25
The CPL CEO speaks next, and as soon as he finishes to applause, Sir Mahesh Patel stands up and leaves the room, smiling warmly at the staff and shaking hands as he exits.
‘They have a huge team for planning this event,’ Mahesh notes, as he walks out of the hotel. ‘The problem is, though, as the company becomes bigger, everything becomes a little bit more impersonal.’
Saturday, 19 November 2022: 9.35 a.m.
A white CPL vehicle driven by Joe Pato enters the car park of the Stop & Shop supermarket in Konedobu. A suburb of Port Moresby, it is located in the valley between Touaguba Hill and Burns Peak. The headquarters of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary is located nearby. The vehicle stops and Sir Mahesh Patel gets out. The supermarket car park is busy, with many people coming and going.
From a white van parked in a loading zone, two workers in green shirts carry buckets of fresh flowers for sale into the supermarket. There is a staffed bilum (tote bags) counter at the entry, where people can leave their bags while they shop.
Mahesh walks to the main entry of the Stop & Shop. A smiling security guard stands at the sliding entry doors, who immediately recognizes him, and says, ‘Good morning, Sir Mahesh.’
There is no other big chain competitor to Stop & Shop in Papua New Guinea, only lots of individual operators. The supermarket looks brand-new and is extremely well-presented. Everything is neat and tidy, with wide shopping aisles. It looks like one of the larger Coles or Woolworths supermarkets seen in Australia. There is no surprise in learning an Australian consultant was used for the store design and layout. There are lots of festive Christmas decorations and flashing lights all around the store.
‘Not our biggest supermarket, but one of the biggest,’ remarks Mahesh.
At the end of one of the first aisles—a high-profile location—Mahesh stops and looks at the new galip nut range on sale. It is a local product he has been personally supporting in development and delivery, in partnership with the National Agriculture Research Institution.
‘This is quite unique to here,’ he explains. ‘We are supporting this and we will be launching it next week as a new brand.’
Walking along the aisles at the front of the store, Mahesh suddenly stops. He walks back to one of the aisles and detours up it. Some customers have been spotted acting unusually.
There are three men and one woman, all white Caucasian, holding up products off the shelves and taking photos of them. They then replace the products back on the shelves and pick up some more. One of the men is wearing the yellow staff shirt of a food manufacturer and supply company.
‘You have to buy that to take photographs,’ says Mahesh, firmly, as he approaches. The four think he is joking.
‘So, no photos?’ asks one of the men, laughing.
‘No. I’m serious,’ replies Mahesh, walking right up to them.
One of the men then recognizes who is making the request. His expression and body language suddenly change. He gestures to his colleague to put the product in his hand back on the shelf.
‘Ah, sorry about that,’ he says, apologizing.
‘I’m sure your company would not like someone from your competitor doing that,’ Mahesh continues. ‘We have a policy and we can’t have two sets of rules.’
‘Okay. Sorry,’ says the first man. ‘We know you own the place.’
Mahesh smiles, turns on his heel, and walks off along the aisles at the rear of the store.
The third man whispers, ‘Is that him?’ The first man simply nods in reply.
Mahesh continues his inspection of the supermarket.
‘These expatriates come along and think they can do anything,’ he says, shaking his head.
After the encounter, the four will have walked away impressed that the CPL Group’s company founder and current director, knighted by King Charles, does his own foot patrols of the Stop & Shop supermarkets.
Mahesh does a full loop of the store and then walks back to the cash registers at the entry doors. He stops and talks to Emmanuel Mora, the assistant store manager. There is one store manager and two assistant managers for the supermarket.
‘How are you doing?’ asks Mahesh, immediately recognizing him.
‘I’m fine,’ Emmanuel replies, with a big smile. ‘I really like it here.’
Emmanuel Mora is a perfect example of CPL’s career path optimization. He first started work with CPL as a cinema usher, when the company owned the local cinema chain. He then progressed to management level at one of the Total service stations, another chain previously owned by the CPL Group. When it was sold in 2020, he moved into Stop & Shop store management.
Emmanuel Mora is the acting store manager today, while the South African-born store manager attends the CPL management conference. Mahesh gives Emmanuel a nod and heads towards one of the checkout cashiers. Emmanuel smiles again—he will make an even greater impression on Sir Mahesh later that night at the CPL staff dinner.
Mahesh exits the supermarket and gets back into the CPL car Joe Pato has parked nearby. He gives further thought to the four people he observed in the aisle checking products and taking photos.
‘They were checking out the packaging,’ he muses, rubbing his chin. ‘All the Asian, Indonesian and Malaysian chocolates, even though they are international brands, the formula is different. The lady was holding up some sugar products. My guess is they are looking at bringing in sugar themselves, so they are checking out the competition.’
To the average person, the four people standing in the supermarket aisle looked like regular shoppers. But the experienced Sir Mahesh Patel spotted them immediately after a split-second glance.
‘It was really tongue-in-cheek when I said, “You need to buy that,”’ he smiles. ‘But we don’t normally allow people to take photos. That is the policy.’
Mahesh Patel is dropped off at home to prepare for a lunch meeting with one of his former CPL CFOs. Joe Pato drives back through Port Moresby city. There are council murals by local artists decorating the streetscape. Beautiful paintings and coloured clothes are for sale at a pop-up stand on a street corner. A couple sit under a tree with two little babies.
Joe has worked as a driver for the CPL Group for twelve years. He is Mahesh Patel’s preferred driver and he also drives for CEO Navin Raju. He previously worked as a driver for another company and applied for this job when it was advertised. The allure of working for the CPL Group appealed to him
‘Sir Mahesh is a great man,’ says Joe. ‘He looks after his staff.’
Saturday, 19 November 2022: 7.00 p.m.
The CPL Group is holding its annual staff dinner at the Crown Hotel in Port Moresby. Earlier in the day, the same conference room was filled with staff wearing their blue conference shirts. Now, everyone is back, dressed in their finest Pacific wear attire with a splash of CPL blue, as suggested on the invitation. Sir Mahesh Patel and wife Lady Usha Patel have arrived and are seated adjacent to the podium at the front of the room.
Emcee Paruru Lawrence attempts to settle the rowdy audience.
‘It is an honour to be here in front of all you handsome gentlemen and beautiful ladies,’ she says.
CPL CEO Navin Raju gets on stage to speak to his staff. He makes special mention of Sir Mahesh and Lady Usha.
‘I’ve been doing a lot of talking today,’ he says, ‘so, I am going to keep my talking now to a minimum.’
A few of the staff seated at tables chortle to themselves in reply, doubting their boss’s ability to stick to his promise. Navin mentions this morning’s message that the company is celebrating thirty-five years of business.
‘We have got the plan now,’ he says, ‘which is going to carry us forward over the next three years.’
CPL Chairman Stanley Joyce is then welcomed to the podium to speak.
‘We were at Parliament House last night,’ he says, ‘for the Pride of PNG Awards. At the dinner were some of the big companies in town, like Exxon Mobil and Steamships, and I thought to myself, This is a sign of what good looks like. When other corporate companies show that sort of respect to us, for what the views of the CPL company are, and the work that is being done, and the leadership that is being provided through the Foundation of Sir Mahesh Patel, I think the first thing to do is thank him for everything.’
The audience responds with loud, prolonged applause.
The Chairman then acknowledges all the other CPL Board members present in the room. He announces that Eddie Ruha will be replacing the retiring John Dunlop, a former chairman of the company.
‘There are times when boards change and people move on,’ says Joyce. ‘One of the first things to do tonight is pay our respects to somebody and to thank him for his service to this company, with more than seventeen years as director—and that is Mr John Dunlop.’
John Dunlop has worked in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands for forty-two years. A chartered accountant, John was always considered to be ‘a financial man’. He was CPL’s Group Chairman for two years. His corporate experience in Papua New Guinea first started with Steamships Trading Company.
‘John always dealt in the facts,’ observes Joyce.
John Dunlop walks up onto the podium and is joined by Sir Mahesh. Mahesh presents John with a commemorative award, shakes his hand and puts an arm around him warmly.
‘I was very fortunate to be asked to go on some boards,’ says Dunlop, ‘and the first one I accepted an invitation to was CPL. The reason was because I have always seen it as a very positive company and one that did things slightly differently to everybody else. I thought by coming on the board, I would learn a lot from it, and in fact that has been the case. I have really enjoyed my time with CPL.’
Mahesh Patel then steps forward. He smiles as he looks at John.
‘On behalf of Usha and me,’ he says, ‘we sincerely thank John for all his support. He looks like a nice guy, but if you do the wrong thing, he will really get on your case. I think Navin has been learning that quietly.’
Mahesh then shakes hands with John as the audience applauds.
‘We have just been so lucky over the last forty years,’ said Dunlop, sitting back down at his table, ‘to watch the country grow. We got here eight years after Mahesh, and it was still very colonial.’
After a short break, Chairman Stanley Joyce introduces a video.
‘The next part of the evening,’ he says, ‘is a tribute to what the heart and soul of what this wonderful company is all about. The culture of the business is a reflection of its values, and tonight we want to make a special recognition to the two wonderful people that this business is all about. I give you Sir Mahesh and Lady Usha Patel.’
The couple walk up onto the stage to enthusiastic applause from the CPL staff.
‘They have put it out there for Papua New Guinea every time,’ Joyce continues. ‘The way they have lived their lives is the way they have built the company, their values. I am very proud to say that the government of Papua New Guinea and Her Majesty, in their wisdom, nominated and bestowed onto Mahesh a knighthood.’
A video recording of Sir Mahesh being knighted by Prince Charles is played on the large dual video screens. The audience watches, enthralled.
Stanley Joyce sits back down at his table adjacent to the stage and surveys the room. There is a positive vibe amongst the CPL staff.
‘We have a rainbow team of people,’ he says. ‘It is amazing. You don’t pull that off unless you put a true form of company culture together. Mahesh always puts the staff above him. That is pretty unique in PNG.’
Joyce first arrived in Papua New Guinea for work in 1980. His expertise is in food, beverage, and manufacturing industries. He was the South Pacific Brewery Limited’s (SP) Managing Director for fourteen years. He now has over thirty years of management and board experience.
‘The belief he had in what could happen,’ recalls Joyce. ‘Mahesh was proven and vindicated. This business using his fundamentals has all come together. I am very proud.’
After a further break for dinner, Sir Mahesh and Lady Usha return to the stage for the presentation of awards to long-serving staff.
‘The whole value of CPL as a company,’ says Mahesh, ‘what Usha and I did, was about family. It is very heartening when you go around the room and see the people who have been with us for many, many years. They tell us it is a good environment to work in. They love the company and we love them.’
Awarded staff will receive a commemorative pin, certificate, cash bonus and a travel allowance.
Two long serving staff are not at the dinner tonight, but receive a special mention. Tuana Kamo started at CPL on 12 February 1993. She currently works in the office at the CPL warehouse. Tracey Gotele has been working for CPL for thirty-two years and is also not at the dinner. Her first job was at City Pharmacy in Boroko.
‘Usha and I have worked with both Tuana and Tracey,’ notes Mahesh, privately. ‘They both started when our kids were born. Tuana and Tracey have both been amazing employees. They started off at a very, very junior level. They have really escalated in the organization. They may not have the big titles, but the sense of responsibility and the commitment—that they have got. Tracey was seventeen when she started. She is a grandmother now. They both have real history here. It is a pity they are not here tonight, but I am sure I am going to run into them at the offices on Monday.’
After the awards for long-serving staff, awards for employees from each of the CPL Group branches are presented. Following this, there is the unveiling of a new set of CEO Awards for 2022.
‘Because I thought of a lot of people who were not getting recognized at the ground level,’ explains Navin Raju. ‘These are to recognize the people at the operational level.’
Floyd Tembon works in facility management. He has been with the CPL Group for six years. He had previously worked for a bank in their properties division.
Sitting at one of the tables to the side of the stage, he is relaxed and enjoying himself. When his name is read out for one of the CEO awards, it is totally unexpected.
‘I am surprised,’ he says, sitting back down at his table looking at his award certificate. ‘Mostly with the awards, the shops are considered. In support services, we don’t normally get anything. Because the shops are bringing in the money from which we get paid.’
‘Over the years,’ Raju later explained, ‘Floyd has been one guy who has worked very hard for the company, yet he was never recognized.’
Asked about why he enjoys working for CPL, Tembon replies proudly.
‘CPL is more like a family company,’ he says. ‘The culture of the company, the way they treat their employees. There are ups and downs; whenever there are issues, they get resolved and we move on. It comes from the top. It is a shared vision and mission. The staff drive it and make sure it happens. I have worked with a lot of other companies before and this feels different.’
Asked about the company founder, Tembon smiles widely.
‘Sir Mahesh is the guy!’ he declares. ‘Whenever there is a crisis, he steps in, he solves it all. He is there. The staff love Mahesh. The way he talks to the people and addresses them—he treats everyone on the same level. There is a difference in the way Mahesh treats people. Whenever there is a crisis, the staff ask, Where is Mahesh? He is the only one who can fix it.’
Eunice Parua is a member of the CPL Group board of directors. She made history for Papua New Guinea as the youngest lawyer to make partner at a law firm. In 2019, she joined the CPL Group as a trainee director.
‘You feel like this is one big family,’ she remarks. ‘Because of Sir Mahesh’s spirit, his leadership, the way he has driven his organization. The culture is just so good. It is quite rewarding for me. When I was approached to start training to be a director, I talked to Mahesh. I said, “Yes, I would love to be a part of CPL because of what it represents and what it is.” Everyone this evening, coming together, supporting each other and cheering each other on. You can tell it is just one big family. It gives me so much. There is happiness, joy, seeing everyone come together like this.’
Once the official presentations are completed, the music flows and the dance floor is energized.
CEO Navin Raju and his wife Seema are moving to the beat of Pitbull’s ‘Give Me Everything’, featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer.
Company Secretary Nazar Shaffee is on stage, lighting up the room with his own moves. Theatrical smoke washes across the dance floor in a sea of blue.
Emmanuel Mora, the assistant manager at the Stop & Shop supermarket in Konedobu, to whom Mahesh had spoken to earlier in the day, is on the dance floor, making a claim as the companies’ best dancer.
Emmanuel is wearing a blue island shirt and a blue flower lei around his neck. His exaggerated moves are smooth and choreographed. Clearly this is another of his many talents.
Mahesh strides out and challenges Emmanuel to a dance-off. The two are in the centre of a large group that surrounds them. After the dance Emmanuel puts his arm around Mahesh, who replies with an enthusiastic high five.
Mahesh then retreats off the dance floor. His work here is now done.
Sunday, 20 November 2022: 9.45 a.m.
Mahesh and wife Usha are being driven by Joe Pato up into the mountains east of Port Moresby. Lunch will be at the Koitaki Country Club on the Sogeri Plateau. But first, a visit has been scheduled to a nearby farm, a new business run by a long-time friend and associate of Mahesh.
Arriving in the Waigani Central shopping centre car park, Joe pulls the white CPL car over and Mahesh winds his window down.
John Wallace is tall and lean. Dressed in white shirt, blue jeans and a cap, he approaches.
‘Just follow us,’ he smiles. ‘If you get bogged, we’ve got a tow cable … Have you got your gum boots on, Usha?’
