Rotary
In'l 2015-16 President K.R. (Ravi) Ravindran
K.R. (Ravi) Ravindran, of the Rotary Club
of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, is the selection of the
Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International in 2015-16.
Ravindran will become the president-nominee on 1 October if there
are no challenging candidates.
Ravindran's top priority for Rotary will be
to increase membership. "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." Also, it's important for Rotarians
to speak with a consistent voice and share their stories, especially
through social media, so others can see the impact Rotary has had
in their lives, he said.
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."
K R Ravindran holds a degree in commerce and
is founder and CEO of Printcare PLC, a publicly listed company in
the tea packaging industry and the founding president of the Sri
Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association. As national PolioPlus committee
chair, Ravi headed a task force of representatives from Rotary,
UNICEF, and the Sri Lankan government and worked closely with UNICEF
to negotiate a cease-fire with northern militants during National
Immunization Days.
He chairs the Schools Reawaken project sponsored
by Rotary clubs and districts in Sri Lanka, which entails rebuilding
more than 20 tsunami-devastated schools, benefiting 15,000 children.
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. He has also served as an International
Assembly group discussion leader, district governor, Council on
Legislation representative, and zone institute chair.
A Rotarian since 1974, Ravindran has served
Rotary as a director and treasurer of RI and as a trustee of The
Rotary Foundation. A member of the Rotary Club of Colombo, Sri Lanka,
Ravi is a Major Donor and a recipient of The Rotary Foundation Citation
for Meritorious Service. He has served as a RI Director, Foundation
trustee and an RI task force and committee member. 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.
Ravi and his wife, Vanathy, who live in Kelaniya,
have two children, and are level 4 Major Donors to the Foundation.
The Nominating Committee members are Eric
E. Lacoste Adamson, USA (chair); John T. Blount, USA; Robert K.
Crabtree, New Zealand; Gerson Gonçalves, Brazil; Frederick
W. Hahn Jr., USA; Lynn A. Hammond, USA; Teruo Inoue, Japan; Paul
Knyff, The Netherlands; Peter Krön, Austria; Jorma Lampén,
Finland; Kyu-Hang Lee, Korea; Masahiro Kuroda, Japan; Michael D.
McCullough, USA; Donald L. Mebus, USA; David D. Morgan, Wales; Catherine
Noyer-Riveau, France; and M.K. Panduranga Setty, India.
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