Ivan Sovis is the Managing Director and Founder of Sovis Quantity Surveying (Middle East) – the first Sri Lankan Quantity Surveying & Cost Consultancy in the GCC region – a philanthropist (http://www.sovisqs.com/csr), and a founding member of the Sri Lankan Quantity Surveyors Group. Being one of the UAE’s first expat chartered quantity surveyors and distinguished Sri Lankan pioneers in the region, Ivan Sovis has established an exceptional reputation and expertise built on successfully delivering several landmark projects over his remarkable 42-year UAE career including Dubai’s first skyscraper and at the time Middle East’s tallest building, the Dubai World Trade Centre in 1979.This article first appeared in the Sri Lankan Day 2018 commemorative book that was published on the occasion of Sri Lanka’s 70th Independence Day and 25 years of the establishment of Sri Lanka’s Consulate General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
Firstly, I wish to sincerely thank the Consulate General of Sri Lanka and organizing committee for giving me the opportunity and great honour of contributing this article for “Sri Lanka Day 2018” on this momentous occasion, celebrating its 25th anniversary (Silver Jubilee) of establishment in Dubai, as well as the 70th Independence Day of Sri Lanka.
The UAE was barely five years old when I left Sri Lanka in 1976, to gain employment as a Quantity Surveyor in Dubai. It was a very hot day when I landed at Sharjah Airport. I remember finding it difficult to look up due to the burning sun and much warmer climate compared to my home, the tropical beach town of Kalutara, southern coast of Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, I was excited by the prospect of working on landmark projects and the comradery and friendly spirit of the people working together, helped develop a strong bond and affinity to the UAE with the Emirate of Dubai becoming my second home.
Spirit of the Sri Lankan Pioneers
A teardrop-shaped island cast adrift in the Indian Ocean, my country’s history extends over 2500 years and is rich in natural beauty from the palm-fringed beaches to the lush green mountains, blessed with cultural and national treasures. Our wonderfully resilient, vibrant and hospitable people have endured periods of glorious peace and prosperity as well as times of great strife, war and violence. Over four hundred years of colonization by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British have failed to crush or diminish our indomitable spirit.
We are fun-loving people, smiling defiantly in the face of hardship and celebrating mightily during times of prosperity. It is this Sri Lankan spirit that empowered our pioneers in the UAE to overcome the challenges of working in a new and different environment, and supported the development of a strong and close-knit Sri Lankan expat community which enabled the growth of the Sri Lankan population in the region.
Over the past 40-plus years in the UAE, the Sri Lankan community has been extremely successful with several leading individuals and organizations having made important and valuable contributions. We must recognize the unity and friendship amongst the diverse Sri Lankan ethnic groups in the UAE, that has contributed greatly towards the betterment of our community. The Sri Lankan expat community from Tamil, Sinhalese, Muslim and Burgher backgrounds have exhibited the true spirit of Sri Lankans by actively engaging in community events and collectively seeking to improve the quality of our experience abroad such that we do not miss home.
The Two-Fold Evolution of Sri Lankan Professionals
In the mid-1970’s, the Sri Lankan community in the UAE consisted of only a handful of individuals, mostly of engineers, quantity surveyors and accountants.
By the 1980’s, the UAE experienced a huge construction boom, and this increased the number of engineers and quantity surveyors in the region. Additionally, the prosperous economy created opportunities for other professions such as bankers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, sales executives, hoteliers & hospitality, business, shipping and IT professionals. At the time, the key market employers were international firms and most Sri Lankan professionals were afforded only entry-level positions.
The evolution of Sri Lankan professionals occurred from a common cause of establishing industry awareness and prominence of our countrymen as highly skilled, talented and capable of performing leaderships roles in the industry. The pursuit of this common cause through diligence, dedication, technical and service excellence manifested into essentially two career paths.
In the first career path, a significant number of Sri Lankan professionals worked laboriously to develop and prove their capabilities and dedication, in long-term company roles. They revolutionised the industry by breaking the stereotype of professionals suitable for management and propelling themselves into senior management positions through success and endeavour within their respective international firms. This laid the strong foundation that attracted and increased the number of opportunities for all Sri Lankan professionals employed in the UAE. The Sri Lankan professionals established a reputation empowered by the unique Sri Lankan spirit, culture and characteristics of hard-work, intelligent, loyal, honest, fun-loving, family values whilst remaining fiercely proud of our heritage and culture.
The second career path is one that was very challenging and perilous, which was to become an entrepreneur. At the time, the industry competition was daunting and comprised of major multi-national firms. There were significant barriers to entry for new domestic entrants such as the limited knowledge of the process to establish a firm, limited funding and other matters, such as communication and other market information.
In 1995, after working 19 years for a premier UK consultancy and as the Chief Quantity Surveyor, I decided to establish my own business, Sovis Quantity Surveying (Middle East). For the first few years, I faced several significant challenges ranging from harsh competition and limited funds for growth. I also needed to gain the trust of Clients, and prove that as the first Sri Lankan Quantity Surveying firm in the GCC region, we were equally or better capable of successfully delivering projects at the highest level of quality and professionalism. Our technical expertise and Sri Lankan spirit remained resilient during these early times of difficulty times, and today Sovis Quantity Surveying (Middle East) is one of the oldest UAE-based QS and Cost Consultancy companies in the GCC as well as one of the first in the region to be accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK. As the saying goes, “behind every successful man, there is a great woman” and I am blessed to have the love and support of my childhood neighbour in Kalutara and wife, Amitha Sovis, who encouraged me to start my own business.
Since the 1990’s, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Sri Lankan entrepreneurs in the UAE and many of these Sri Lankan firms have developed into leading names in their respective industries. In 1991, as a result of this impressive growth, the Sri Lankan Business Council consisting of Sri Lankan entrepreneurs and senior professionals in the UAE was formed. Its goal is to encourage the development of Sri Lankan businesses, promote Sri Lanka as a Business Investment destination and enable the betterment of the Sri Lankan business community living in Dubai and Northern Emirates of the UAE.
Career Development of Sri Lankan Professionals
In 1988, one of the earliest Sri Lankan professional societies in the UAE, the Sri Lankan Quantity Surveyors Group, was established by 14 founding members. Our vision was: one, to develop a support network for our members and their families through social events and family gatherings; two, provide a platform for professional development and counselling; and three, increase awareness of career opportunities that would enable greater retention and recruitment of Sri Lankan quantity surveyors in the UAE. After 30 years, the vision of these 14 founding members has come to fruition. Although only three of these members remain resident in the UAE (Priyal Athapaththu, U.K.K (Deeptha) Fernando, and myself), I am delighted by the significant achievements of the Sri Lankan Quantity Surveyors Group and the fact that our membership has increased to over 1,000 professionals.
In 1996 and after 21 years in the Sultanate of Oman, Dr. Indrawansa Samaratunga (Dr. Sam) and his family moved to Dubai. A renowned quantity surveying statesman and remarkably gifted individual, Dr. Sam is one of the first Sri Lankan Chartered Quantity Surveyors (1976) and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, as well as the first Sri Lankan DIAC Arbitrator and Construction Law Expert in the UAE. With his truly exceptional quantity surveying expertise and genuine ability to teach, Dr. Sam has helped to revolutionise the Sri Lankan Quantity Surveying Group and establish it at the forefront of Quantity Surveying professional societies in the UAE and abroad. That has occurred in large part as a result of his hard work and dedication in conducting both continuous professional development seminars and courses. The empowerment of individuals to pursue both academic and career development opportunities fuelled an increase in the number of chartered quantity surveyors registered with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS), which in turn has helped Sri Lankan quantity surveyors progress in their careers and gain promotions to management positions.
Similarly, the establishment of other Sri Lankan professional societies in the UAE – such as the Institute of Incorporated Engineers of Sri Lanka, UAE (IIESL), and the Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, UAE (CA-SL) – helped cultivate the ambition and eagerness of our professionals to advance through enhancing their skills and knowledge. These organisations offer seminars, lectures, and workshops for professional development which are designed to provide a pathway for its members to develop and gain the professional qualifications the respective chartered bodies, and by doing so, accelerated their careers in the respective professions.
Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of internationally reputed universities in the UAE, in particular, the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) of University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka in 2007 and its widely-respected MBA programme; which is responsible for assisting numerous professionals gain valuable management education and this has contributed greatly to the support and expansion of their professional careers.
A common objective amongst all the Sri Lankan professional organisations is to strengthen the collaboration and network within the Sri Lankan community and empower the retention and recruitment of its respective professionals in the UAE. In this regard, and given the significant numbers of our professionals, the Consulate General, the Sri Lankan Business Council, and a group of prominent Sri Lankan professionals are in discussions to establish a Sri Lankan Professionals Association in the UAE. That entity would act as one unified umbrella organization (similar to the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA)) to leverage the synergies and strength in numbers amongst its member organizations, whilst better serving the Sri Lankan community in the UAE.
Secret to Success in the UAE
I would encourage my fellow countrymen to continue to develop themselves in their chosen fields and always look for opportunities to grow. I would advise anyone who lands in the UAE today to avoid a myopic view, particularly one focused on short-term and individual benefit only. Instead, I would advise them to embrace this country, its values and opportunities and lead a fulfilling life by engaging with the community and contributing to the vision and success of the UAE and Sri Lanka. Over time, you will find unexpected life-changing opportunities. In words similar to that of John F. Kennedy, when you come to Dubai as an expat or return to Sri Lanka, “Ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for the country”. This will give you great personal satisfaction, knowing that you worked hard and helped make a difference.
The Future of the Sri Lankan Expat community in the UAE
As I reach the swansong years of my career in the UAE, I would like to reflect on the past 42 years in Dubai. I am thankful for the strong unity and comradery amongst the Sri Lankan community, and the hard work and dedication throughout the years that helped make the UAE, a second home for all of us. I remember my lifelong friends of Dubai, some fallen (late Farook Hamidon, Thilak Bandara, Jeffrey Amit, Dayalal and Lanka Uyangoda), yet whose friendship and support I have been fortunate to have and who have helped make my time in Dubai both enjoyable and memorable.
I am happy to have experienced the Sri Lankan population grow from less than ten people in the 1970’s to currently over 300,000 people. As the first generation, we have done our best to establish a platform and breakdown barriers to help launch the careers of next generation of Sri Lankan professionals in the UAE and empower greater success. I sincerely hope that my own humble efforts have been able to inspire more Sri Lankans to pursue their ambitions while remaining true to their Sri Lankan spirit.
I wish you all a Happy Independence Day and a bright and prosperous future in the UAE.
I am today, and always, proudly Sri Lankan and proud of my fellow Sri Lankans’ achievements in the UAE.
