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Interview
46 | FireFlyz
What does it take
to runMalaysia’s
only award-winning
marina? SarahRees
catches upwith the
man overseeing
operations at theRoyal
Langkawi Yacht Club,
WickySundram
.
Life
How long have you been general manager
at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club (RLYC)?
I have been with the RLYC for 17 years
now. I was seconded to RLYC from
another subsidiary of the group that
owns the yacht club. It was a completely
new environment and experience for me
but having been in the service industry
for more than 14 years at that point of
time, I decided to embark on a new
“adventure”.
What does your job entail?
My job scope is vast, from being a
“dispatch boy” to whatever needs to
be done in order to accomplish smooth
operations. On a serious note, I am
responsible for the smooth running
of the club from planning, marketing,
human development, strategic marketing
and management, financial planning,
customer relations and most importantly,
managing the workforce (whom I always
refer as the RLYC Family) and ensuring
the brand RLYC is maintained to the
highest level.
Ocean Waves
On The
What are the biggest challenges on a day
to day basis?
Ensuring the place is well-maintained,
ethical management and that staff
are well aware of their duties and
responsibilities. It all boils down to
service, service and service.
What do you enjoy about your role?
Meeting people from all walks of life, the
work environment andmost importantly,
being blessed with a good team of
‘family’ members (the RLYC family).
What has been a high point during your
time with the Yacht Club?
When RLYC was included as part of the
Integrated Coastal Development (ICD)
project in 2014 by the Prime Minister’s
department and Ministry of Finance
Malaysia to redevelop RLYC into a world
class marina with facilities to meet the
future demands of the marine industry.
What has been the biggest surprise?
Being named as the Winner of Asia’s
Best Yacht Club &Marina in 2008 at the
prestigious Asia-Pacific Boating Awards
in Shanghai, China. It was not just
recognition to RLYC, but Malaysia as
a whole. Until today, RLYC is the only
marina/marine entity in Malaysia to
have won such an accolade.
Do you get to spend all day on boats?
Hardly! “Pilots don’t manage airports.”
I ammore land based, dealing with the
day-to-day operations.
If you had unlimited money, what yacht
would you buy and where would you
sail to?
I would rather travel and charter
yachts at various destinations to enjoy
different sailing locations. That way, I
get to travel and sail on various type
of yachts.
Wicky Sundram is general
manager at the Yacht Club
The International Regatta
is the highlight of the year
for the Yacht Club