Features

Making changes in a difficult time

Published

7 months ago

2025/07/6

Lessons from my career: Synthesising management theory with practice – Part 15

The previous episode detailed my first experiences as General Manager of the Ceylon Ceramics Corporation, the changes I introduced, and how I faced difficult situations arising from the ongoing insurgency at that time.

Modifying the logo

One of the first things brought to my attention by many of the officers was that the Corporation’s logo was faulty. According to traditional beliefs, the logo should be closed at the bottom. “Our logo has a hole at the bottom, and that is why all the money goes down the hole”, they said. Although I subscribed to the belief that good management was the more critical aspect to reducing waste and generating profits, I decided to give in and make these people happy.

I commissioned an advertising agency that produced several creative logos, but the Board was not satisfied with any of them. Finally, an artistic Board member made a small adjustment and plugged “the hole”. This was adopted as the standard thereafter. The Corporation started making profits, and all the credit went to the “hole” that was plugged. Very few gave me credit for the restructuring I did, including many wasteful “holes” that I plugged. The lesson I learnt was that traditional beliefs should not be dismissed but rather incorporated into strategies and work culture. Modern management techniques should be synthesized with conventional methods to make changes more acceptable.

A New Quality and a Customer-Oriented Culture

Whenever people I know or those introduced to me find out that I am the GM of Ceylon Ceramics Corporation, about half of them have a quality complaint. I discussed this at a meeting, but the answer was that they receive only a tiny percentage of complaints. If it is a factory issue, a replacement is made. I countered that all unhappy customers may not complain, but it didn’t sink in. It was mentioned that they are duty-bound to attend to actual written complaints only, and nothing more. The attitude was that we actually do our customers a great favour by making available sanitary ware and tableware at affordable prices.

The Colpetty showroom was a very popular place in that era. We also stocked Noritake products and products from other suppliers. It was the most popular place for wedding gifts. The best parking slots in the building, which housed the Head Office and the Colpetty showroom, were occupied by the Chairman and me. I instructed my driver to take the car further down the road whenever there was a shortage of parking for customers. This was a departure from the belief that the Chainman and GM were more important than the customer. Gradually, the customer-oriented culture slowly but steadily did gain ground.

Reducing Working Capital

The accounting reports showed a considerable capital, and I started investigating. At the same time, the production heads would complain that despite having a good production record for the month, some months indicated a loss or a minimal profit. The Profit and Loss statement showed that all the good work done by the factories was nullified by the heavy overdraft interest we paid the banks. Investigating further, I discovered that many unprofitable retail shops were closed, but their bank accounts remained active. All these dormant accounts had cash hidden away. If transferred it to the main account, a considerable saving on the overdraft interest could be made.

Even the closure of the shops was questionable because my investigations showed that they were making a “contribution” in accounting jargon but showed a loss after apportioning a huge portion of fixed costs. The shops were closed on the recommendation of a foreign expert, and the staff were brought to the Head Office, resulting in the loss of contributions that would have added to the income and many of the fixed overheads remaining as they were. There was no way of returning to the original situation.

It was a bad decision, but it was accepted by management because it came from a foreign expert. The moral of the story is not to ignore the advice of a foreign expert but rather to always validate such advice before taking any action.

All the obsolete accounts were closed, and the funds remaining were transferred to the main account. Next was the clearing of the stores and disposing of all the non-moving and obsolete stocks. This was expedited by the fact that our sales were very slow due to the diesel shortage during the insurgency, and dealers could not collect their requirements from the factory stores because of the lack of diesel. We were desperate. There were no funds to pay the salaries of the 4,500 employees, who were spread across the country.

The clearing of the stores at a discount was the only way out. What we found in the stores was very interesting. There was obviously no system in place to reduce prices and dispose of slow-moving stocks. We found a large stock of plates produced to commemorate the ascendancy to the Executive Presidency by J R Jayewardene. What was unsold remained in the store for several years. There was no chance of selling these plates even for a few Rupees at the height of the rebellion, and we dared not throw them away or destroy them because Jayewardene was still the executive President.

The sale was initially very successful, with queues along Galle Road to get in. However, a poster mysteriously appeared ordering that the sale be stopped immediately. My staff were scared, and we stopped the sale. However, we did pursue the system of rules for disposal.

The Imminent Disaster by stopping a lucrative export order

Wrong costing methods continued to create problems and lose opportunities. We were executing a lucrative export order for hand-painted plates for the Australian market initiated by an artistic Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He now has multiple stores in Colombo selling unique products. Halfway through the execution of the order, someone informed the Chairman that the order would result in a loss due to the high amount of overtime used. A discussion ensued, and I was against cancelling the order at that stage. I reviewed the figures and explained that the overtime cost per hour is significantly lower because the overheads, EPF, and ETF costs have already been factored in the normal hours.

My calculations revealed a profit rather than a loss, and this was finally accepted. It was another example of poor management and lack of knowledge. My qualifications in engineering, accountancy, and management services, followed by an MBA, paid off. I always recommend that the CEO should be a multidisciplinary person. Years later, serving on many Boards of Directors, I found that the subject-specific CEO often lacked knowledge of Human Resource Management, Marketing, or Accountancy and merely brings a proposal or recommendation from the Head of the particular division to the Board even without understanding the subject. Sometimes, I pick holes in the argument, and the CEO says. “I don’t know this subject, but this is what my Division Head recommended”. The CEO should be above all his subordinates unless it is a highly specialized field.

The Training Culture

Training in management and procedures had never been a forte of the Corporation. The filing system was inadequate, and procedures were often not followed, resulting in numerous lapses, mistakes, and delays. I decided to tackle this on two fronts. One was to give a briefing on a few management aspects at every regular meeting. The other was sending the staff to tailored programmes and public seminars.

One such programme was for all the office staff, which not only transformed the systems and procedures but also transformed their attitudes. It was much easier now to introduce new systems and procedures. The staff raved over the programme and thanked me profusely for providing them with this opportunity. In fact, many years later, after I had left the Corporation and was involved in an assignment on Financial Incentive schemes, I called one of the Accounts clerks for some information on the Corporation’s incentive scheme. I said that there was no hurry but to send the information to my Havelock Road residence whenever a corporation vehicle was travelling from the Piliyandala main office to Colombo. Lo and behold, he arrived at my house within one hour, and the reason was that they had learned so much from the special programme; he decided that my request had to be fulfilled without delay. I was touched.

The Rehabilitation of the Eastern Province

By now, Chief Minister Varatharajah Perumal was in control of the Eastern Province, and he was cooperating with the government. We were invited by a UN agency to a meeting regarding the rebuilding of the Province. We were asked to produce a large number of roofing tiles. We had a separate Brick and Tile Division (which is now the Ceylon Ceramics Corporation, while all the other plants were privatized as Lanka Ceramics). However, the capacity had gradually decreased because, with the declining demand for roofing tiles, the capacity was deliberately toned down. For the rehabilitation exercise, a large number of roofing tiles were required, and it was impossible to meet this demand overnight.

There was another meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office on Flower Road, where several dignitaries were in attendance. One item on the agenda was roofing tiles. The army commander asked me to send a senior official to Trincomalee to assess the requirements. He would provide a special helicopter and all the logistics for my officer’s visit. I returned to the office and inquired of the DGM (Brick and Tile), who flatly refused, as I had suspected. Trincomalee was still considered a “war zone” by most laymen and he was not ready to risk his life. I asked around, and even the second-rung officers refused. I was in a dilemma. While I empathised with my staff, I might run the risk of being seen as non-cooperative.

The following day, the Army Commander called me, and the conversation went like this:

Army Commander (AC): “Have you found someone to go to Trinco”

GM (CCC): “Unfortunately, no, because all my DGMs and the second rung are not convinced that it is safe. They are refusing to go”

AC: “Don’t ask people to volunteer. Just order someone to undertake this trip.”

GM (CCC): “Unfortunately, I don’t have the authority to give an order against their will.”

AC: “I just cannot believe this, nor can I accept this. When I give a command TURN LEFT, 30,000 soldiers turn left, but you, Mr Wijesinha, cannot make even one man undertake this trip”, and he hung up.

I never wished I had such powers. My management style was always more consultative, participative, and consensus-based decision-making. Having learnt that in Japan in 1980, I always treat people with respect and have experienced the benefits. Obviously, the military cannot adopt that style, and I accept and respect their commanding style.

The next episode will cover my final phase of serving the Ceylon Ceramics Corporation and then my appointment as Chairman of the Employees’ Trust Fund Board.

by Sunil G Wijesinha ✍️
(Consultant on Productivity and Japanese Management Techniques
Retired Chairman/Director of several Listed and Unlisted companies.
Awardee of the APO Regional Award for promoting Productivity in the Asia and Pacific Region Recipient of the “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays” from the Government of Japan.Email: bizex.seminarsandconsulting@gmail.com)

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Features

More state support needed for marginalised communities

Published

24 hours ago

2026/02/13

Thilina Walpola

A landslide in the Central Province

Message from Malaiyaha Tamil community to govt:

Insights from SSA Cyclone Ditwah Survey

When climate disasters strike, they don’t affect everyone equally. Marginalised communities typically face worse outcomes, and Cyclone Ditwah is no exception. Especially in a context where normalcy is far from “normal”, the idea of returning to normalcy or restoring a life of normalcy makes very little sense.

The island-wide survey (https://ssalanka.org/reports/) conducted by the Social Scientists’ Association (SSA), between early to mid-January on Cyclone Ditwah shows stark regional disparities in how satisfied or dissatisfied people were with the government’s response. While national satisfaction levels were relatively high in most provinces, the Central Province tells a different story.

Only 35.2% of Central Province residents reported that they were satisfied with early warning and evacuation measures, compared to 52.2% nationally. The gap continues across every measure: just 52.9% were satisfied with immediate rescue and emergency response, compared with the national figure of 74.6%. Satisfaction with relief distribution in the Central Province is 51.9% while the national figure stands at 73.1%. The figures for restoration of water, electricity, and roads are at a low 45.9% in the central province compared to the 70.9% in national figures. Similarly, the satisfaction level for recovery and rebuilding support is 48.7% in the Central Province, while the national figure is 67.0%.

A deeper analysis of the SSA data on public perceptions reveals something important: these lower satisfaction rates came primarily from the Malaiyaha Tamil population. Their experience differed not just from other provinces, but also from other ethnic groups living in the Central Province itself.

The Malaiyaha Tamil community’s vulnerability didn’t start with the cyclone. Their vulnerability is a historically and structurally pre-determined process of exclusion and marginalisation. Brought to Sri Lanka during British rule to work for the empire’s plantation economies, they have faced long-term economic exploitation and have repeatedly been denied access to state support and social welfare systems. Most estate residents still live in ‘line rooms’ and have no rights to the land they cultivate and live on. The community continues to be governed by an outdated estate management system that acts as a barrier to accessing public and municipal services such as road repair, water, electricity and other basic infrastructures available to other citizens.

As far as access to improved water sources is concerned, the Sri Lanka Demographic Health Survey (2016) shows that 57% of estate sector households don’t have access to improved water sources, while more than 90% of households in urban and rural areas do. With regard to the level of poverty, as the Department of Census and Statistics (2019) data reveals, the estate sector where most Malaiyaha Tamils live had a poverty headcount index of 33.8%; more than double the national rate of 14.3%. These statistics highlight key indicators of the systemic discrimination faced by the Malaiyaha Tamil community.

Some crucial observations from the SSA data collectors who enumerated responses from estate residents in the survey reveal the specific challenges faced by the Malaiyaha Tamils, particularly in their efforts to seek state support for compensation and reconstruction.

First, the Central Province experienced not just flooding but also the highest number of landslides in the island. As a result, some residents in the region lost entire homes, access roadways, and other basic infrastructures. The loss of lives, livelihoods and land was at a higher intensity compared to the provinces not located in the hills. Most importantly, the Malaiyaha Tamil community’s pre-existing grievances made them even more vulnerable and the government’s job of reparation and restitution more complex.

Early warnings hadn’t reached many areas. Some data collectors said they themselves never heard any warnings in estate areas, while others mentioned that early warnings were issued but didn’t reach some segments of the community. According to the resident data collectors, the police announcements reached only as far as the sections where they were able to drive their vehicles to, and there were many estate roads that were not motorable. When warnings did filter through to remote locations, they often came by word of mouth and information was distorted along the way. Once the disaster hit, things got worse: roads were blocked, electricity went out, mobile networks failed and people were cut off completely.

Emergency response was slow. Blocked roads meant people could not get to hospitals when they needed urgent care, including pregnant mothers. The difficult terrain and poor road conditions meant rescue teams took much longer to reach affected areas than in other regions.

Relief supplies didn’t reach everyone. The Grama Niladhari divisions in these areas are huge and hard to navigate, making it difficult for Grama Niladharis to reach all places as urgently as needed. Relief workers distributed supplies where vehicles could go, which meant accessible areas got help while remote communities were left out.

Some people didn’t even try to go to safety centres or evacuation shelters set up in local schools because the facilities there were already so poor. The perceptions of people who did go to safety centres, as shown in the provincial data, reveal that satisfaction was low compared to other affected regions of the country. Less than half were satisfied with space and facilities (42.1%) or security and protection (45.0%). Satisfaction was even lower for assistance with lost or damaged documentation (17.9%) and information and support for compensation applications (28.2%). Only 22.5% were satisfied with medical care and health services below most other affected regions.

Restoring services proved nearly impossible in some areas. Road access was the biggest problem. The condition of the roads was already poor even before the cyclone, and some still haven’t been cleared. Recovery is especially difficult because there’s no decent baseline infrastructure to restore, hence you can’t bring roads and other public facilities back to a “good” condition when they were never good, even before the disaster.

Water systems faced their own complications. Many households get water from natural sources or small community projects, and not the centralised state system. These sources are often in the middle of the disaster zone and therefore got contaminated during the floods and landslides.

Long-term recovery remains stalled. Without basic infrastructure, areas that are still hard to reach keep struggling to get the support they need for rebuilding.

Taken together, what do these testaments mean? Disaster response can’t be the same for everyone. The Malaiyaha Tamil community has been double marginalised because they were already living with structural inequalities such as poor infrastructure, geographic isolation, and inadequate services which have been exacerbated by Cyclone Ditwah. An effective and fair disaster response needs to account for these underlying vulnerabilities. It requires interventions tailored to the historical, economic, and infrastructural realities that marginalized communities face every day. On top of that, it highlights the importance of dealing with climate disasters, given the fact that vulnerable communities could face more devastating impacts compared to others.

(Shashik Silva is a researcher with the Social Scientists’ Association of Sri Lanka)

by Shashik Silva ✍️

Features

Crucial test for religious and ethnic harmony in Bangladesh

Published

2 days ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

A political protest that led to governmental change in Bangladesh mid last year. (photograph: imago)

Will the Bangladesh parliamentary election bring into being a government that will ensure ethnic and religious harmony in the country? This is the poser on the lips of peace-loving sections in Bangladesh and a principal concern of those outside who mean the country well.

The apprehensions are mainly on the part of religious and ethnic minorities. The parliamentary poll of February 12th is expected to bring into existence a government headed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist oriented Jamaat-e-Islami party and this is where the rub is. If these parties win, will it be a case of Bangladesh sliding in the direction of a theocracy or a state where majoritarian chauvinism thrives?

Chief of the Jamaat, Shafiqur Rahman, who was interviewed by sections of the international media recently said that there is no need for minority groups in Bangladesh to have the above fears. He assured, essentially, that the state that will come into being will be equable and inclusive. May it be so, is likely to be the wish of those who cherish a tension-free Bangladesh.

The party that could have posed a challenge to the above parties, the Awami League Party of former Prime Minister Hasina Wased, is out of the running on account of a suspension that was imposed on it by the authorities and the mentioned majoritarian-oriented parties are expected to have it easy at the polls.

A positive that has emerged against the backdrop of the poll is that most ordinary people in Bangladesh, be they Muslim or Hindu, are for communal and religious harmony and it is hoped that this sentiment will strongly prevail, going ahead. Interestingly, most of them were of the view, when interviewed, that it was the politicians who sowed the seeds of discord in the country and this viewpoint is widely shared by publics all over the region in respect of the politicians of their countries.

Some sections of the Jamaat party were of the view that matters with regard to the orientation of governance are best left to the incoming parliament to decide on but such opinions will be cold comfort for minority groups. If the parliamentary majority comes to consist of hard line Islamists, for instance, there is nothing to prevent the country from going in for theocratic governance. Consequently, minority group fears over their safety and protection cannot be prevented from spreading.

Therefore, we come back to the question of just and fair governance and whether Bangladesh’s future rulers could ensure these essential conditions of democratic rule. The latter, it is hoped, will be sufficiently perceptive to ascertain that a Bangladesh rife with religious and ethnic tensions, and therefore unstable, would not be in the interests of Bangladesh and those of the region’s countries.

Unfortunately, politicians region-wide fall for the lure of ethnic, religious and linguistic chauvinism. This happens even in the case of politicians who claim to be democratic in orientation. This fate even befell Bangladesh’s Awami League Party, which claims to be democratic and socialist in general outlook.

We have it on the authority of Taslima Nasrin in her ground-breaking novel, ‘Lajja’, that the Awami Party was not of any substantial help to Bangladesh’s Hindus, for example, when violence was unleashed on them by sections of the majority community. In fact some elements in the Awami Party were found to be siding with the Hindus’ murderous persecutors. Such are the temptations of hard line majoritarianism.

In Sri Lanka’s past numerous have been the occasions when even self-professed Leftists and their parties have conveniently fallen in line with Southern nationalist groups with self-interest in mind. The present NPP government in Sri Lanka has been waxing lyrical about fostering national reconciliation and harmony but it is yet to prove its worthiness on this score in practice. The NPP government remains untested material.

As a first step towards national reconciliation it is hoped that Sri Lanka’s present rulers would learn the Tamil language and address the people of the North and East of the country in Tamil and not Sinhala, which most Tamil-speaking people do not understand. We earnestly await official language reforms which afford to Tamil the dignity it deserves.

An acid test awaits Bangladesh as well on the nation-building front. Not only must all forms of chauvinism be shunned by the incoming rulers but a secular, truly democratic Bangladesh awaits being licked into shape. All identity barriers among people need to be abolished and it is this process that is referred to as nation-building.

On the foreign policy frontier, a task of foremost importance for Bangladesh is the need to build bridges of amity with India. If pragmatism is to rule the roost in foreign policy formulation, Bangladesh would place priority to the overcoming of this challenge. The repatriation to Bangladesh of ex-Prime Minister Hasina could emerge as a steep hurdle to bilateral accord but sagacious diplomacy must be used by Bangladesh to get over the problem.

A reply to N.A. de S. Amaratunga

A response has been penned by N.A. de S. Amaratunga (please see p5 of ‘The Island’ of February 6th) to a previous column by me on ‘ India shaping-up as a Swing State’, published in this newspaper on January 29th , but I remain firmly convinced that India remains a foremost democracy and a Swing State in the making.

If the countries of South Asia are to effectively manage ‘murderous terrorism’, particularly of the separatist kind, then they would do well to adopt to the best of their ability a system of government that provides for power decentralization from the centre to the provinces or periphery, as the case may be. This system has stood India in good stead and ought to prove effective in all other states that have fears of disintegration.

Moreover, power decentralization ensures that all communities within a country enjoy some self-governing rights within an overall unitary governance framework. Such power-sharing is a hallmark of democratic governance.

Features

Celebrating Valentine’s Day …

Published

2 days ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, romance, and affection, and this is how some of our well-known personalities plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day – 14th February:

Merlina Fernando (Singer)

Yes, it’s a special day for lovers all over the world and it’s even more special to me because 14th February is the birthday of my husband Suresh, who’s the lead guitarist of my band Mission.

We have planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day and his Birthday together and it will be a wonderful night as always.

We will be having our fans and close friends, on that night, with their loved ones at Highso – City Max hotel Dubai, from 9.00 pm onwards.

Lorensz Francke (Elvis Tribute Artiste)

On Valentine’s Day I will be performing a live concert at a Wealthy Senior Home for Men and Women, and their families will be attending, as well.

I will be performing live with romantic, iconic love songs and my song list would include ‘Can’t Help falling in Love’, ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Burning Love’, ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, ‘The Wonder of You’ and ‘’It’s Now or Never’ to name a few.

To make Valentine’s Day extra special I will give the Home folks red satin scarfs.

Emma Shanaya (Singer)

I plan on spending the day of love with my girls, especially my best friend. I don’t have a romantic Valentine this year but I am thrilled to spend it with the girl that loves me through and through. I’ll be in Colombo and look forward to go to a cute cafe and spend some quality time with my childhood best friend Zulha.

JAYASRI

Emma-and-Maneeka

This Valentine’s Day the band JAYASRI we will be really busy; in the morning we will be landing in Sri Lanka, after our Oman Tour; then in the afternoon we are invited as Chief Guests at our Maris Stella College Sports Meet, Negombo, and late night we will be with LineOne band live in Karandeniya Open Air Down South. Everywhere we will be sharing LOVE with the mass crowds.

Kay Jay (Singer)

I will stay at home and cook a lovely meal for lunch, watch some movies, together with Sanjaya, and, maybe we go out for dinner and have a lovely time. Come to think of it, every day is Valentine’s Day for me with Sanjaya Alles.

Maneka Liyanage (Beauty Tips)

On this special day, I celebrate love by spending meaningful time with the people I cherish. I prepare food with love and share meals together, because food made with love brings hearts closer. I enjoy my leisure time with them — talking, laughing, sharing stories, understanding each other, and creating beautiful memories. My wish for this Valentine’s Day is a world without fighting — a world where we love one another like our own beloved, where we do not hurt others, even through a single word or action. Let us choose kindness, patience, and understanding in everything we do.

Janaka Palapathwala (Singer)

Janaka

Valentine’s Day should not be the only day we speak about love.

From the moment we are born into this world, we seek love, first through the very drop of our mother’s milk, then through the boundless care of our Mother and Father, and the embrace of family.

Love is everywhere. All living beings, even plants, respond in affection when they are loved.

As we grow, we learn to love, and to be loved. One day, that love inspires us to build a new family of our own.

Love has no beginning and no end. It flows through every stage of life, timeless, endless, and eternal.

Natasha Rathnayake (Singer)

We don’t have any special plans for Valentine’s Day. When you’ve been in love with the same person for over 25 years, you realise that love isn’t a performance reserved for one calendar date. My husband and I have never been big on public displays, or grand gestures, on 14th February. Our love is expressed quietly and consistently, in ordinary, uncelebrated moments.

With time, you learn that love isn’t about proving anything to the world or buying into a commercialised idea of romance—flowers that wilt, sweets that spike blood sugar, and gifts that impress briefly but add little real value. In today’s society, marketing often pushes the idea that love is proven by how much money you spend, and that buying things is treated as a sign of commitment.

Real love doesn’t need reminders or price tags. It lives in showing up every day, choosing each other on unromantic days, and nurturing the relationship intentionally and without an audience.

This isn’t a judgment on those who enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day. It’s simply a personal choice.

Melloney Dassanayake (Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2024)

I truly believe it’s beautiful to have a day specially dedicated to love. But, for me, Valentine’s Day goes far beyond romantic love alone. It celebrates every form of love we hold close to our hearts: the love for family, friends, and that one special person who makes life brighter. While 14th February gives us a moment to pause and celebrate, I always remind myself that love should never be limited to just one day. Every single day should feel like Valentine’s Day – constant reminder to the people we love that they are never alone, that they are valued, and that they matter.

I’m incredibly blessed because, for me, every day feels like Valentine’s Day. My special person makes sure of that through the smallest gestures, the quiet moments, and the simple reminders that love lives in the details. He shows me that it’s the little things that count, and that love doesn’t need grand stages to feel extraordinary. This Valentine’s Day, perfection would be something intimate and meaningful: a cozy picnic in our home garden, surrounded by nature, laughter, and warmth, followed by an abstract drawing session where we let our creativity flow freely. To me, that’s what love is – simple, soulful, expressive, and deeply personal. When love is real, every ordinary moment becomes magical.

Noshin De Silva (Actress)

Valentine’s Day is one of my favourite holidays! I love the décor, the hearts everywhere, the pinks and reds, heart-shaped chocolates, and roses all around. But honestly, I believe every day can be Valentine’s Day.

It doesn’t have to be just about romantic love. It’s a chance to celebrate love in all its forms with friends, family, or even by taking a little time for yourself.

Whether you’re spending the day with someone special or enjoying your own company, it’s a reminder to appreciate meaningful connections, show kindness, and lead with love every day.

And yes, I’m fully on theme this year with heart nail art and heart mehendi design!

Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine’s Day, but, remember, love yourself first, and don’t forget to treat yourself.

Sending my love to all of you.