CIM Sri Lanka held its third Talking Point Programme for the year titled ‘Entrepreneurs and Intrepreneurs Influencing Corporate Growth’ at Jetwing Colombo Seven recently.
Knowledgeable and distinguished speakers including Ahmed Irfan, Founder/Chief Executive, Innovation Quotient (Pvt) Ltd, Gihan Cooray, Group Finance Director, John Keells Holdings Plc, Heshan Fernando, Co-Founder and CEO at oDoc, Dr. Himesh Fernando, Director- Innovation, Hemas Holdings PLC, addressed the gathering. Graham Marshall, CEO/Consultant, CIC, Industrial Solutions was the moderator for the programme.
Dr. Himesh Fernando explained the term intrepreneurs, “Employees within companies given the flexibility and freedom to operate like entrepreneurs. Employees get to start their own business within the company. Create a unit to take things to market.”
Addressing the gathering from managerial experience in Sri Lanka’s largest conglomerate John Keells Holdings, Gihan Cooray said, “At John Keells we are on a journey. We look at both organic growth and acquisitions for corporate growth. Employees can be entrepreneurs and at the same time drive innovation as well. It is absolutely important not to constrain them but have alignment of meeting of minds.”
Commenting on promoting intrepreneurs, he said, “Intrepreneurs is an area we have been trying to push and guide the spirit from within. Employees with an idea can get together, get time off and if it reaches a certain point then come back.”
Pitching a balanced view through experience gained from working at corporates and now as an entrepreneur, Ahmed Irfan questioned the difference between entrepreneurs and intrepreneurs.
“Aren’t they both doing the same thing and creating value by doing that?” However, he said, “The fundamental difference is risk and hurdles while an intrepreneur being in an organisation faces very different challenges.”
Commenting on the role of failure among aspiring entrepreneurs, he said, “Entrepreneurs use failure while intrepreneur are not given the chance to use it as corporates fear failure. Therefore, persistence is the key.”
A vibrant and thought provoking panel discussion took place.