and to do, the best I can be in any environment”. With this approach, Perumal has realised phenomenal success at Aramex, an organisation that he has served faithfully for a long time now. He explains how he has managed to do this: “Always be open to change and you will continuously be learning and experiencing. Change is the only thing that is constant in business. Furthermore, your success is (ultimately) determined by your ability to grow and support all people within the business, including customers and suppliers.”

 

Bearing in mind the aforementioned factors, Perumal says his is, a challenging role where each and every reaction counts. How does he keep his sanity amidst such challenges and successfully steer his and other colleagues’ efforts in such a manner that challenges become successes for Aramex South Africa? “I believe that time, and utilising it effectively, is the biggest challenge we all face daily. In order to make my interactions and activities effective, I try to convert any ‘time wasters’ into productive opportunities. The Johannesburg traffic is a typical example of this. During this time, I spend it focusing on the planning of the day or week and focusing my thinking on my main challenges or opportunities,” he says.

 

 

Any executive will attest to how elusive it is to achieve work life balance and each individual would have their own way of doing this successfully. For Perumal, the very foundations of success are home and family. “If you find that you do not have balance all-round, you will tend to fail or, at best, become stressed in other areas. Thus for me, there are several key areas that are vital for a well-balanced life. These are family and relationships, health, spiritual wellbeing, wealth, emotional intelligence, education and recreation. From time to time, one area tends to need more focus than the next; however my self-awareness of this helps to keep it balanced.”

 

 

Undeniably, Perumal has a proven track record that has benefited his peers and Aramex. Therefore he is well-poised to offer further words of advice to anyone that desires to reach his levels of success. “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure,” he says. Perumal concludes that he is going to continue on the path of success and build on current achievements and, a few years from now, hopes to look back with a degree of pride. “On a professional level I hope to look back on being a part of a progressive and innovative business, which has developed ideas and concepts that have changed the way we live and do things. However, small or large the role I have played, I believe it will bring satisfaction. On a personal level it is about living a balanced life and enjoying every step of the journey.”