When GuySuCo observed International Women’s Day last Tuesday by placing its female employees to head major departments for the day, it was Rama Persaud who was assigned to lead the corporation as acting Chief Executive Officer. It was not a surprising choice as Persaud, who joined the male-dominated corporation in 1983 as a junior bookkeeper, has been able to climb the ladder of success and secure her spot as an acting estate manager – the only female estate manager in the company.
Persaud said being an estate manager is a hectic and challenging job but it is something she loves. She said an estate manager gives more than 18 hours per day focusing on the job.
She recalled that in 2017, when she was first placed to manage Skeldon Estate, an operating estate at that time, her daughter would often tell her that she had to make an appointment to meet her since she was extremely focused on “getting the job done.”
However, she noted that while Skeldon is not an operating estate now there is still a lot that is being done there and she spends her days “listening to workers and staff helping them with their problems.”
“I spend some of my time meeting workers, staff and helping them overcome their challenges, guiding them, some of them are even concerned about the future and they come to me for advice”, she stated. She then deemed herself fortunate that the company’s CEO, Sasenarine Singh, saw that she was capable and so she was placed to act at the other estates in Berbice while the estate managers at those locations were on leave, “and that opportunity I was really grateful for and I really enjoyed it because it was exposing me to other estates.”
She acted at Blairmont Estate for four weeks, Rose Hall Estate for one week, and Albion Estate for two weeks last year. She said she was met with support, friendliness, and cooperation at all the locations, before noting that some of the best practices she noticed she brought back to Skeldon to improve the work there.
Persaud described being CEO for one day as “awesome,” explaining that she started off the day by calling up at all the women acting across the industry from estates to head office to check in on them. She also visited, the training department and assisted with creating GuySuCo’s training plan for 2022.
She also attended a meeting with the team for aircraft occupational health and safety (aerial spraying), assisted two others in putting together a paper about the crisis GuySuCo is facing due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, and given the increase of fuel and fertilizer prices, and formed a women’s focus group for the corporation. She said, “We are going to meet once a month and deal with projects and activities, train youths to ensure the corporation is prepared for the future.”
Persaud in the interview told Stabroek Weekend, that there are “equal rights” at GuySuCo, stressing that male and female employees are treated the same. “Yes, they should not be afraid of challenges and we are all treated fairly and equally. No bias in terms of workload, we all share, it’s a team effort in decision making”, she said as she touted GuySuCo as one of the best places to work although the corporation is the only place she has ever worked.
Gaining experience
Persaud’s own journey at the corporation began on Saturday, July 1, 1983, when, straight out of high school, she secured a job interview at the Enmore Estate. She recalled that at that time it was extremely difficult to gain employment, however, she believes she got the job because she pluckily asked he Human Resources Manager who interviewed her how she would gain any experience if no one hired her.
After a few years, she was promoted to payroll supervisor/senior bookkeeper and then to the accounts supervisor/cashier. “I gained a lot of experience working in the Enmore office, but one point that stands out clearly is that during the time I started the office was predominantly all male, they were only three ladies and myself, so there was just four of us but within five to six years there was this complete change. All the male staff, they either retired or went out to the field and the office became predominantly female; that was around the late 80s – early 90s.”
At that time, Persaud was satisfied with her job and did not have any intention of furthering her studies. However, GuySuCo was sponsoring a course, and her Office Manager, Mr. Hussain, questioned asked where her application was for the course. “I said I’m not applying and he said, ‘Listen, I’m going for lunch and when I get back I want to see your application on my desk.’ And during lunchtime, I sat down and wrote my application, and that started my academic career in the sense of furthering my studies.” Reflecting now, she noted that if Mr. Hussain had not forced her to write her application then her journey might have been different. “That was my turning point although I didn’t know it at the time.”
According to her, eight of them initially started the programme but she was the only one to finish and with that qualification, she was then sent for training at the head office and at the Rose Hall Estate in 1995.
In early 1996, Persaud was placed as the Assistant Office Manager at the LBI Estate “and that’s when my career took off as manager”, she said.
She then served as Assistant Finance Manager and then Assistant Stores Manager.
About two years later she was then sent back to the head office to work with the Finance Director as a project accountant.
Meanwhile, it was then that there was an opening for a finance manager at the Skeldon Estate, but initially Persaud was unaware of this. However, her immediate boss at the time then questioned her about why she was not applying thus making her aware of the position.
With his encouragement, Persaud submitted her application one day before the closing date. She was told that many persons applied and she would be called after the other interviews were concluded. However, to her surprise, the next day she was the first to be called and after the interview, she was selected to be the Finance Manager and then sent to Skeldon to work in 2003.
It was a life changing advancement for Persaud, who said her academic studies really took off at the Skeldon Estate as she did several programmes. In 2014, she started her Master’s with the first batch of students at the Nations University. She recalled that it was one of the most challenging period of her life as she would have to drive to Georgetown from Skeldon on the weekends to attend classes, then return to work bright and early Monday morning. “The difficult part was the exams because the exams were always on a Thursday evening at 9 in the night.”
But she did not let that stop her, she said, recalling that she would leave Skeldon around 4 pm in the afternoon on Thursdays then drive to Georgetown to write her examination and return the same night to work on Friday morning at 7 am. “I did that for almost a year, what kept me going is the fact that I knew this was not forever and so I did it,” she said.
Balance
According to Persaud, she had to find a balance between her work, home, and studies and had to prioritise what she could do and when. As a result, during the early part of her studies she put a lot of social engagements on hold. “I did not attend birthdays and weddings and parties… I made that sacrifice and my family also sacrificed with me; if I wasn’t going, they didn’t. When everybody was out celebrating holidays and various functions, I stayed home and studied and because of that I was able to complete my studies,” she noted, before adding that one of her sacrifices was using her vacation time to study as well.
Looking back, Persaud believes that she did not make the right decision at that time as according to her she would now advise working persons furthering their studies to be mindful of the saying “everything in moderation.”
Persaud admitted that during that period she was somewhat angry, frustrated and even moody at all times. As she took time to study and while she was at work, all she could think about was spending time with her family. “I was angry; I was frustrated. All of that.”
She said she was making life miserable for her family as she was often on edge. Something had to change. “I sat down and I told myself that this cannot continue and the way I dealt with it I developed a calm, focused approach,” she explained. She said, she then put everything into compartments, leaving home at home, and work at work “and with that the anger disappeared, the frustration disappeared and with that I became calm and relaxed and can deal with any situation.”
A man’s world
She also had the experience of being a woman working in a male-dominated company, which also required Persaud to surmount several challenges.
She mentioned the casual use explicit language, which was the norm at that time, as one such issue. She explained that it was often said by male managers that if you don’t curse at the workers then nothing would get done. However, she was determined never to adopt that approach, “never to curse people or abuse people, and the one way I managed to get that done was to develop a thick skin and they could curse how much they want and then eventually it came about that whenever I’m around the guys don’t curse.”
According to her, even in some offices “colourful words” were used but she instead decided to be firm with the workers. “I believe in treating people well, make sure they feel welcomed at work, they feel good and they work in a relaxed, comfortable, calm environment and you get the best out of staff,” she stressed, while noting that she has sought to build a respectful working relationship with her staff.
She explained, that her approach has been successful so far as her staff always produces timely and accurate work.
Another unique challenge was the culture of the industry which involved socialising as it was a norm for most male managers to engage over a few drinks after work. Persaud could not. “Because after work the guys would meet and have a drink and discuss issues and things happening and I would not be there in a rum shop having a drink, not that I don’t socialize but not to that extent, so I had to overcome that,” she said.
Another challenge was the fact that she grew up not being allowed to wear pants. However, after working in a male-dominated environment she “just changed over from a female attire to more of a male attire and on to today I’m still stuck with it.”
She said she’s extremely comfortable in her clothing choices and she would add her own twist to her outfits.
Skeldon Heritage Resort
Meanwhile, the Skeldon Heritage Resort is the brainchild of Persaud and was started after the estate was closed in 2018. She explained, that she saw the need to keep the building and other infrastructure maintained and so decided to write to the then Special Purpose Unit (SPU) head and asked that the houses are made into a resort for tourism purposes and she was given approval for this. The Skeldon Heritage Resort “is what saved Skeldon” she opined, noting, that the infrastructure returning back under the Skeldon Estate is in good condition and properly maintained.
The houses are being rented at the estate while cash crops are being grown since the estate is not in operation. “We have watermelon, we plant some other cash crops, like ochro, we have the nursery, which is five hectares. We reaped it out and now we are replanting,” she said, while explaining that this is part of an effort to be self-sufficient for their kitchen.
Despite being the estate manager, Persaud noted that she enjoys putting on her long boots and checking the fields, drainage, etc., so as to gather first-hand information. She said, she also enjoys putting on her helmet and going to the factory while in the office she plays a mother-like role to workers with difficulties.
Persaud is a notable role model for many females within the corporation. She said, “I have to continuously be aware that people are looking at me and I have to always be in a situation where I can live up to whatever standard I would have set.”
She said, she finds the task of working as an estate manager interesting, challenging, and exciting all balled up together with never a dull moment.
Support system
She then gave praises to her husband, daughter, and brothers for their support throughout her journey. Her dad, who was a field superintendent, would also advise and encourage her even to this day she said.
She also noted that despite the fact that thy never had any get-together during her years of studies, her daughter never became angry with her.
Persaud, who holds an MBA (Finance) and FCCA, believes she’s now able to perform at a higher level and operate in a mature way because of the experience and knowledge she has gained.
She also spoke highly of the team at GuySuCo which she said has offered her support as well.
She described herself as a simple, humble, and approachable person. “I love to be creative, I enjoy cooking, doing gardening, sewing even, lots of reading and another thing I enjoy very much is to take care of my parents. I enjoy spending time with them.” She also enjoys looking after animals.
In terms of advice to younger women, she said, “Do not be afraid of challenges; do not be afraid of living your dreams.” She advised them to make a plan to determine “where you are and where you want to be.”
“Stay focused, make sacrifices and do whatever you have to do to achieve your goals and never give up… Be focused, be brave to take on challenges and you can achieve anything once you put your mind to it, don’t waiver your plan, stay with your plan,” she stressed.
Persaud she sees herself in the future offering training to young workers at the corporation –the end goal for her. “I am very happy where I am… I see myself as a mentor and coaching GuySuCo, taking part in mentoring younger staff, help them with training and all…,” she stated.
