OUTSTANDING CATEGORY
Dato’ Dr. Ravi Ponniah
Chairman
NAAM Group
FF2 Tingkat Atas Jeti Pelancongan,
Jalan Persiaran Putra,
07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia.
+604 963 9200
www.naam.bz
Chairman of the Naam Group Dato’ Dr Ravi Ponniah is a dynamic leader who inspires trust within his organisation and espouses change to fulfil his vision for Langkawi’s water sport industry to the next level.
As great leaders go, he knows that people are intrinsically motivated when they understand why they are doing something, and he puts the correct conditions in place to ensure his organisation gain this deeper connection to be action-oriented and goal-driven.
An articulate speaker, Dr Ravi who is also a practising doctor of integrative and rejuvenating medicine, often resort to his ‘story-telling’ skills as a powerful leadership tool as he knows a good story stays in the mind of the listener far longer than facts and numbers.
Naam is rather like a close-knit family-like business as it is largely-run by a team of competent and dedicated staff who are being personally groomed by Dr Ravi himself. And they look up to him as a visionary leader who is able to communicate in such a way as to foster enthusiasm and commitment throughout the organisation. Like other great leaders, Dr Ravi takes a personal interest in the day-to-day operations and those involved in the company structure.
To him Naam isn’t solely about business. It’s a household name in Langkawi where it complies with the tourism regulatory requirements and keeps close taps on the sustainability of the environment. He ensures that the marine operations team adhere to the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) guidelines and has training for the parasailing team twice a year by world-renowned international trainers from Customs Chutes Inc. in Florida, USA and other regulatory bodies with international standard accreditation. Guests’ safely is paramount to Naam.
When he first landed in Langkawi years ago, Dr Ravi was mesmerized by the magical allure of the island. Like many tropical islands in Asia, Langkawi’s biggest lure is the sea and its water sports activities. Resting on the beach fronting his hotel one fine day, Dr Ravi observed the robust activities on the beach where tourists were making a beeline for jet ski rides, parasailing activities and island hopping tours on boats, most of which were not equipped with safety jackets.
“I’m very spiritual, yes. I normally have my whisky on the rocks,”
The birth of Naam – a premier marine leisure water sport company, specializing in marine and nature adventures was the result of Dr Ravi’s survey. It was exactly what Langkawi needed to boost water sports tourism at the time where tourists were becoming more safety and environment conscious. A safe, licensed and insured water sport company became sought after then.
Naam comprises three division – Naam Sports, Naam Cruise and Naam World Travel & Tours – which makes it a one-stop centre catering for inbound and outbound tourists.
“We strive to provide the best for our guests and to free them from the hassle of planning their own tours and itinerary from the moment they land at the airport to the moment they board the plane for home,” Dr Ravi said.
For Dr Ravi, Naam is not just about entrepreneurial focus it is also about collaborating with the authorities to boost the local economic impacts of tourism. With his safe, licensed and insured water sports coupled with the company’s fleet of eco-friendly jet skis, jet boats, vessels and 4-Wheel, Dr Ravi has this concept of injecting wealth into the community in a variety of ways!
“The great benefit of the tourism industry is that it’s extremely labour-intensive, thus creating job opportunities for the local community and every dollar coming into the industry is directly related to a boost in local spending. “This will translate to better infrastructure and facilities such as nature parks and improved public spaces. The better the facilities, the more the visitors,” said Dr Ravi. The company differentiates itself from its counterparts by offering tours and packages with an environmental twist and supporting the conservation of Langkawi Geopark, a status awarded by UNESCO in 2007.
The plethora of investment in Naam is aimed at supplying the company with state-of-the-art, hi-tech vessels and boating equipment with maximum comfort for guests in mind and eco-friendly jet boats and jet skis to preserve the environment.
This is because he believes that bringing in tourists into the community will give Langkawi a new life and create opportunities for Naam and other supporting industries to establish new services and products as the facilities would not be sustainable if they are based on domestic arrivals or local population alone.
“Everybody takes a small share of the economic pie. We have guests who walk in to our sales hubs by themselves. Similarly, we also have local taxi drivers and local tour guides who bring in the guests to our hubs, as they know the company is reliable and puts safety above everything else. We thank our guests by providing them with impeccable service and our supporting industry players with small, meaningful incentives as a show of our appreciation for their loyalty,” he added.
Dr Ravi envisions Langkawi as the new frontier in creating new tourist attractions apart from being just a gateway to Malaysia. While Naam has the facilities, infrastructure and five-star service that the industry can offer, he knows the company needs to further develop new attractions to say ahead of this highly competitive tourism market.This led to his latest product founded on the principles of eco-based tourism with an island drop where visitors can Play, Relax and Refresh on 2.5acre. Located just 10-minutes off Telaga Harbour in Burau Bay, the island allows visitors to free themselves of any concerns as everything is provided.
Aptly named PARADISE 101, Dr Ravi has developed this unspoiled, charming island into a world class, sustainable first-tier island getaway with stunning ocean vistas for leisure and team-building visitors from across the region. Currently with watersports activities such as jetski, banana boat, swimming, boating, parasailing all ranging value to five-star – all in a safe, clean, family-oriented environment set amidst The Andaman Sea.
A healer cum entrepreneur, Dr Ravi also has a philanthropic side to him and is always quick to lend a helping hand to those in need. He is a great believer in charity and helping humanity with empathy.
The charming and highly articulate doctor likes to think in circles, an evolution of his beliefs that stemmed from principles passed down from his parents and an early education in a variety of martial arts, notably tai chi where the spiritual aspect of it left a great impact on his early days.
“I’m very spiritual, yes. I normally have my whisky on the rocks,” quipped the jovial doctor cum entrepreneur extraordinaire.
OUTSTANDING CATEGORY
Dato’ Dr. Ravi Ponniah
Chairman
Chairman of the Naam Group Dato’ Dr Ravi Ponniah is a dynamic leader who inspires trust within his organisation and espouses change to fulfil his vision for Langkawi’s water sport industry to the next level.
As great leaders go, he knows that people are intrinsically motivated when they understand why they are doing something, and he puts the correct conditions in place to ensure his organisation gain this deeper connection to be action-oriented and goal-driven.
An articulate speaker, Dr Ravi who is also a practising doctor of integrative and rejuvenating medicine, often resort to his ‘story-telling’ skills as a powerful leadership tool as he knows a good story stays in the mind of the listener far longer than facts and numbers.
Naam is rather like a close-knit family-like business as it is largely-run by a team of competent and dedicated staff who are being personally groomed by Dr Ravi himself. And they look up to him as a visionary leader who is able to communicate in such a way as to foster enthusiasm and commitment throughout the organisation. Like other great leaders, Dr Ravi takes a personal interest in the day-to-day operations and those involved in the company structure.
To him Naam isn’t solely about business. It’s a household name in Langkawi where it complies with the tourism regulatory requirements and keeps close taps on the sustainability of the environment. He ensures that the marine operations team adhere to the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) guidelines and has training for the parasailing team twice a year by world-renowned international trainers from Customs Chutes Inc. in Florida, USA and other regulatory bodies with international standard accreditation. Guests’ safely is paramount to Naam.
When he first landed in Langkawi years ago, Dr Ravi was mesmerized by the magical allure of the island. Like many tropical islands in Asia, Langkawi’s biggest lure is the sea and its water sports activities. Resting on the beach fronting his hotel one fine day, Dr Ravi observed the robust activities on the beach where tourists were making a beeline for jet ski rides, parasailing activities and island hopping tours on boats, most of which were not equipped with safety jackets.
NAAM Group
FF2 Tingkat Atas Jeti Pelancongan,
Jalan Persiaran Putra,
07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia.
+604 963 9200
www.naam.bz
“I’m very spiritual, yes. I normally have my whisky on the rocks,”
The birth of Naam – a premier marine leisure water sport company, specializing in marine and nature adventures was the result of Dr Ravi’s survey. It was exactly what Langkawi needed to boost water sports tourism at the time where tourists were becoming more safety and environment conscious. A safe, licensed and insured water sport company became sought after then.
Naam comprises three division – Naam Sports, Naam Cruise and Naam World Travel & Tours – which makes it a one-stop centre catering for inbound and outbound tourists.
“We strive to provide the best for our guests and to free them from the hassle of planning their own tours and itinerary from the moment they land at the airport to the moment they board the plane for home,” Dr Ravi said.
For Dr Ravi, Naam is not just about entrepreneurial focus it is also about collaborating with the authorities to boost the local economic impacts of tourism. With his safe, licensed and insured water sports coupled with the company’s fleet of eco-friendly jet skis, jet boats, vessels and 4-Wheel, Dr Ravi has this concept of injecting wealth into the community in a variety of ways!
“The great benefit of the tourism industry is that it’s extremely labour-intensive, thus creating job opportunities for the local community and every dollar coming into the industry is directly related to a boost in local spending. “This will translate to better infrastructure and facilities such as nature parks and improved public spaces. The better the facilities, the more the visitors,” said Dr Ravi. The company differentiates itself from its counterparts by offering tours and packages with an environmental twist and supporting the conservation of Langkawi Geopark, a status awarded by UNESCO in 2007.
The plethora of investment in Naam is aimed at supplying the company with state-of-the-art, hi-tech vessels and boating equipment with maximum comfort for guests in mind and eco-friendly jet boats and jet skis to preserve the environment.
This is because he believes that bringing in tourists into the community will give Langkawi a new life and create opportunities for Naam and other supporting industries to establish new services and products as the facilities would not be sustainable if they are based on domestic arrivals or local population alone.
“Everybody takes a small share of the economic pie. We have guests who walk in to our sales hubs by themselves. Similarly, we also have local taxi drivers and local tour guides who bring in the guests to our hubs, as they know the company is reliable and puts safety above everything else. We thank our guests by providing them with impeccable service and our supporting industry players with small, meaningful incentives as a show of our appreciation for their loyalty,” he added.
Dr Ravi envisions Langkawi as the new frontier in creating new tourist attractions apart from being just a gateway to Malaysia. While Naam has the facilities, infrastructure and five-star service that the industry can offer, he knows the company needs to further develop new attractions to say ahead of this highly competitive tourism market.This led to his latest product founded on the principles of eco-based tourism with an island drop where visitors can Play, Relax and Refresh on 2.5acre. Located just 10-minutes off Telaga Harbour in Burau Bay, the island allows visitors to free themselves of any concerns as everything is provided.
Aptly named PARADISE 101, Dr Ravi has developed this unspoiled, charming island into a world class, sustainable first-tier island getaway with stunning ocean vistas for leisure and team-building visitors from across the region. Currently with watersports activities such as jetski, banana boat, swimming, boating, parasailing all ranging value to five-star – all in a safe, clean, family-oriented environment set amidst The Andaman Sea.
A healer cum entrepreneur, Dr Ravi also has a philanthropic side to him and is always quick to lend a helping hand to those in need. He is a great believer in charity and helping humanity with empathy.
The charming and highly articulate doctor likes to think in circles, an evolution of his beliefs that stemmed from principles passed down from his parents and an early education in a variety of martial arts, notably tai chi where the spiritual aspect of it left a great impact on his early days.
“I’m very spiritual, yes. I normally have my whisky on the rocks,” quipped the jovial doctor cum entrepreneur extraordinaire.