PROFILE
FABRIC OF A STRATEGIST
AND A VISIONARY
Who is Mahesh Amalean, the mild-mannered mogul of the apparel
industry? Savithri Rodrigo unthreads the warp and weft of the
man behind the successful corporate personality.

e sits surrounded by wisps of lace, bits of elastic, gossamer fabric, underwires and moulded cups. When he looks at a world-famous Victoria’s Secret model, he probably does not see the seductive curves the lingerie intends to highlight, but a product that his team has manufactured. He is not your everyday chairman of a big-league, world-class company. His soft-spoken demeanour and affable nature belie a fierce determination, machine-like stamina, talent-spotting aptitude and intuitive team leadership skills. These blend perfectly with an uncanny ability to look into the future and recognise promising business opportunities. Mahesh Amalean is many corporates’ ideal head: not a tactician, as he himself confesses; but rather, a strategist and a visionary.

Amalean is of Gujarati ancestry, but was born and bred in Colombo. His father, Dayalal, was in the family business of textile traders and merchants, H. A. Nagindas & Company. His mother Urmila, beloved for her gentleness, was compelled to be a single parent to her children at just 35, when Dayalal died unexpectedly. Amalean had just completed his ‘O Levels’ at Royal College.

“My grandfather believed in having the entire family together, so we lived with our uncles, aunts and cousins in one large compound off Havelock Road,” Amalean recalls. “This taught us invaluable lessons – like learning to live with people, to accommodate others’ needs and to be tolerant. It also strengthened relationships among the siblings… and even after we moved out, we were very keen to be close to the main house and continue to live close to each other – because we wanted our children to have that same environment, without stepping on each other’s toes.”

Not wanting to be too far away from his family after his father’s death, Amalean left for Chennai and read for a BTech degree in chemical engineering at Madras University. “All I wanted to be was a chemical engineer and a professional, because I value that professional thinking,” he says.

Back in Colombo in 1978, his grandfather requested Amalean’s help with the small garment-manufacturing unit he had set up. “I made it very clear that once my results came, I would be pursuing further studies,” reveals Amalean. “But we were losing money – and even though my results arrived, I was uncomfortable about walking away from the business, as it was somehow my responsibility.”

Subsequently, it was decided that Swastik Texiles (which was later renamed Paradigm Clothing), should close shop once existing commitments had been met. However, C&A kept giving the company repeat orders – and before long, the company turned round. Amalean then approached his grandfather and said that the business could work. “The first question my grandfather asked me was whether I would stay. By that time, the bug had bitten me – so I stayed on…”

Around this time, Amalean was facing another challenge. During his sojourn in Chennai, Shaila – who holds a masters’ degree in child development and family relations – had caught his eye. However, his family did not consider her the ideal match, because – although a Gujarati – she was from a higher caste than he.

“Being the eldest grandson, I was supposed to set an example. We never wanted to go against our family’s wishes. So it took a lot of negotiation to come to an agreement,”  he confesses. Eventually though, the then 25-year-old Mahesh married Shaila at a ceremony in Madras.

“The support, commitment and encouragement Shaila has given me throughout has made it possible for me to continue to do well. There is nothing more rewarding than returning to a happy, contented home, knowing that I can concentrate fully on the business,” he avers.

Although Amalean tried to infuse his visionary thinking into the family business, the rather conservative mindset of the rest of the family made for an uncomfortable environment. “This was their business and when we lost our father, our uncles took extremely good care of us. So I felt I was out of line,” he discloses.

Deciding to take a step back, he approached his brothers: Sharad, an accountant; and Ajay, a mechanical engineer. Pooling their savings and obtaining an SMI loan, the brothers set themselves up to manufacture labels. However, the yen spiralled and looms became very expensive.

“We had no money. We had a factory that was coming up and nothing to produce. So I approached some of my old customers and asked if we would have their support if we started manufacturing garments. The answers were very positive,” Amalean recalls. Sigma Industries began operations in Ratmalana, in August 1985.

In November of the same year, an old business partner – Martin Trust, the President of Mast Industries – visited the Amaleans’ factory. Trust proposed a joint venture and, after weighing the pros and cons, the Amalean brothers decided to take the plunge. They bought the adjoining plot of land to set up Unichéla, which was to begin manufacturing dresses. But the quota system was imposed on Sri Lanka. While apprising Trust and his team of the predicament, Amalean espied some Victoria’s Secret catalogues and promptly asked: “Why can’t we make these?”

The looks of incredulity must have been palpable. “We were told very clearly that they did not think Sri Lanka had the fine needlework skills to make lingerie,” he recalls. Characteristically adamant when he’s convinced, Amalean hotly argued his point – until Trust agreed to a meeting with Howard Gross, the President of Victoria’s Secret.

“Victoria’s Secret presented all their lingerie sourced from different parts of the world. They asked me what I could make. I pointed to the simplest design, but was unsure how I was going to execute it,” Amalean recalls.

Starting with just 50 Pfaff machines and 100 workers, MAS holdings today boasts 28 entities, employing over 32,000 people in Sri Lanka, Mexico, Indonesia and India. Amalean has remained grateful to Trust and Jack Welch of Mast, as well as Gross and Grace Nichols of Victoria’s Secret. “When they said yes to us, it was a real leap of faith. We had absolutely no experience in lingerie,” he confesses.

A firm believer in a professionally managed organisation, Amalean surrounds himself with young professionals whose dynamism and advice, he says, have been invaluable.

“While our partners gave us processes, technology and certain disciplines, the inputs of the senior management team – now members of our ‘Corporate Executive Council’ – have influenced the evolution of the culture of the business,” he affirms.

An early riser with “aspirations” of visiting a gym at least thrice a week, Amalean is a voracious reader, a Formula One enthusiast and a keen photographer. His working day is long, but weekends are for family – and this gives him time to sit down to an occasional game of Scrabble with Shaila, who is a member of the Sri Lankan scrabble team.

His success in decision-making lies in his ability to reflect on issues, eschew biases and view matters objectively. His involvement in developing the apparel industry – as well as spearheading various strategic initiatives in product development and marketing, and heading one of the task forces for TAFREN – take up a fair portion of time. Although he misses his two daughters – 21-year-old Aditi, who is studying interior architecture in North Carolina, in the US; and 18-year-old Shama, who is studying French and management in Sheffield, in the UK – his 14-year-old son, Siddharth, helps fill that void to some extent.

Amalean professes that there is no such thing as a ‘secret’ to his success: “We have been clear about what we want to do and can do, and have stayed away from what we can’t do. Sometimes, the decisions made might be far ahead of their time. But while analyses, studies and discussions are all very good, at the end of the day, you must listen to that gut feeling. It is what makes things work!”