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Rotary
International President-Nominee K. R. "Ravi" Ravindran
K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, a member of
the Rotary Club of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, has been
selected by the Nominating Committee for President of RI in 2015-16.
Ravindran will become the president-nominee on 1 October if there
are no challenging candidates.
Ravindran said his top priority for Rotary
will be to increase membership, which he called the bedrock of any
organization.
“The emphasis on membership has to continue
with focus on the younger generation,” Ravindran said. “Additionally,
we must seek to attract the just retired and experienced people
into Rotary.”
Creating regional membership plans and realizing
that “one size does not fit all” has been a move in
the right direction, he said.
“Albert Einstein defined insanity as
‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different
results.’ In many ways this has been the story of Rotary’s
poor membership advance,” he said. “Thankfully, our
approach this time has been studied and altered. We have created
22 different membership regions so that each region would develop
and execute a plan that would suit that particular region.”
Ravindran said it’s important for Rotarians
to share their stories, especially through social media, so others
can see the impact Rotary has had in their lives. He said it’s
also important for the organization to speak with a consistent voice.
“Our identity must remain simple and be based on our core
values. It must be clear and straightforward to both our internal
and external audience.”
Ravindran holds a degree in commerce and is
founder and CEO of Printcare PLC, a publicly listed company and
global leader in the tea packaging industry. He also serves on the
board of several other companies and charitable trusts. He is the
founding president of the Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association,
the largest antinarcotics organization in Sri Lanka.
As his country’s PolioPlus chair, Ravindran
headed a task force with members from the government, UNICEF, and
Rotary and worked closely with UNICEF to negotiate a cease-fire
with northern militants during National Immunization Days.
A Rotarian since 1974, Ravindran has served
Rotary as a director and treasurer of RI and as a trustee of The
Rotary Foundation. He has also served as an International Assembly
group discussion leader, district governor, Council on Legislation
representative, and zone institute chair. He chaired the Schools
Reawakening project, sponsored by Rotary clubs and districts in
Sri Lanka, which rebuilt 25 tsunami-devastated schools, benefiting
15,000 children.
Ravindran has been awarded The Rotary Foundation’s
Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award
and the Service Award for a Polio-Free World.
He and his wife, Vanathy, have two children,
and are level 4 Major Donors to the Foundation.
K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, Rotary International
President-Nominee
Rotary International Convention, Sydney, Australia
4 June 2014
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