Kribban Coopoosamy was recently appointed as the National Projects Manager at Pragma after a stint as a Business Area Manager in Port Elizabeth where he excelled in the area of project management and orchestrating the requirements of the public sector clients.
Kribban’s reaction to his appointment is one of excitement. “I’m honoured that I’ve been selected to manage the projects team from the Midrand office in Johannesburg. I thoroughly enjoy the responsibility that comes with the position. It gives me an opportunity to contribute at a higher level towards the company’s strategy. This promotion also allows me to explore a new direction within the group namely the Projects and Training division where I can put my management skills to use at a national level. It’s a great opportunity to move with a company that is very dynamic in keeping up with new innovation where a lot of focus and emphasis is placed on employee satisfaction by playing on personal strengths.” He jokingly adds that “getting used to the traffic here is overwhelming, but so far so good”.
His new position requires of him to oversee the projects team on a national level by transferring knowledge and skills, and building the internal capability of the project consultants, senior consultants, project managers and trainers to implement and sustain asset management improvement initiatives. Furthermore, he is required to deliver training and provide expert knowledge that will deliver bottom-line results to clients. Another facet is to assist clients to continuously improve the performance of their assets through the implementation of world class asset management best practices, processes, systems and techniques that Pragma offers. The main responsibility is to manage the projects, consulting and training delivery, tactically and operationally, in the relevant operational regions.
The key challenge to the management of Kribban’s new team lies within the constant absence of the team. “The projects team is always travelling which makes orchestrating team talks, team building and monthly meetings extremely challenging. Creating a sense of homeliness away from home for the team will become a big focus.”
Before joining Pragma in 2012, Kribban worked for Parmalat as Engineering Maintenance Planner, after which he followed his manager to Aspen to set up the planning department from 2009 to 2012.
Kribban’s tertiary education kicked off with an electrical apprenticeship through the Transnet Training Board where he passed his Electrical Trade Test in 1997. There after he obtained a Management Diploma at the Peninsula Technikon which afforded him the opportunity to do his B-Tech in Business Administration and eventually led him to complete his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
Besides having a loving, caring family, completing his MBA is one of his greatest achievements. “My one life lesson is achieving anything that you apply your mind to and this stands as a true testimony for me.”
Moving up the corporate ladder has taught Kribban that it’s not an easy task to balance work and private life. His advice to others in the same demanding position is to make a conscious commitment to separate the two. “Take time to manage your time! This frees up time for both work and personal commitments.”
In his free time, Kribban enjoys working on cars. “Whether it’s modifying, repairing or just servicing a car, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction when I get my hands dirty and start working on a car. I think it started when my dad had his old Beetle, which I could practice on.”
And his other goals for the rest of this year? “In the beginning of this year I took part in the Corporate Ironman. I was only going to cycle, but because my colleague dropped out, I had to do the run as well. The distances were not too long and although I finished, I felt unfit and didn’t want to feel like that again. I set a goal to bring my fitness level up and have started a running programme to achieve this and also dropped my sugar intake in the foods and drinks I consume.”
