Amaresh Ramlugan : Going the Extra Mile

During his 19-year-long career, he has been part of the leadership teams of several organizations and has held senior executive management positions. Amaresh Ramlugan, CEO of the Concreate Agency since May 2018, also has considerable international exposure in the Indian Ocean region, Africa, Dubai, Europe and India. He shares with News on Sunday his professional journey and how he is looking forward to building the future.

Married and father of two kids, Amaresh Ramlugan is a Management professional with 19 years’ of work experience. Holder of a Masters in International Business, an MSc in Marketing Management, an MBA Financial Management as well as an MPhil in Development Finance from the University of Stellenbosch Business School, Amaresh has held senior key positions including Head of Corporate Affairs at Barclays Bank Mauritius, Head of Marketing & Communications at State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) as well as Executive Director at CREAD.

Since May this year, Amaresh Ramlugan has been appointed CEO of The Concreate Agency, which is a full service marketing and communications agency. The agency offers services in the fields of strategy, branding, advertising and communication consultancy. The CEO explains that the agency helps brands inventively connect with people through print, film, social, identity, technology, digital, love and pride.

“The Concreate Agency uses creativity and technology to create multi-channel communication strategies to influence and impact targeted audiences. Driven by talent, responsibility and humility, our team of 15 brand custodians is available at all times to provide fast, effective and concrete creative solutions, leveraging on its combined professional experience of 170 years, with an emotional flair for i&i – innovation & impact. And where yesterday’s deadlines are never an issue & extra-mile is part of the journey,” tells the CEO.

He joined The Concreate Agency as Chief Marketing Executive and then moved on to become its General Manager after a few months before been appointed CEO in May. First and foremost, he states, his responsibility, as the latter includes staying close to clients, understanding and servicing their needs. “As CEO, my duty is to keep an eye on external and internal competitive landscape, opportunities for expansion, customer base, markets, industry trends and standards, amongst others. More importantly as CEO, my role is also to take care of my team members and ensure they are happy doing what they do with a clearly defined career path.”

How is the CEO looking forward to the future? “Exciting and brilliant: doing well with a great team of people at the service of a great bunch of clients,” utters Amaresh Ramlugan.

Marketing Advertising Management

Is Corporate Communication a field which has always interested him? “Indeed”, he utters, “it is a field of great interest to me professionally although it happened ‘by default’ rather than by design. I also put the skills I have learned over the years to the benefit of other associations to which I belong on a voluntary basis.” Amaresh is, however, specialised in the Marketing Advertising Management.

He shares that he in fact came into this field by sheer coincidence. “I remember graduating back in 1999 with a Masters in International Business.  In my mind and by design, I was all set for a career in related fields, be it cargo, Freeport, import export, shipping, freight, logistics and so on. However, it was difficult back then to get a break into International Business. A month after my return, I got a call from an advertising agency which recognized the modules I had covered in my course – that’s how my first break happened! The rest is history. And today after nearly ten years in two leading banks, I find myself in the driving seat of an advertising agency.”

Achievements and challenges

Given his rich career, Amaresh has had many accomplishments. He reveals that one major achievement during his 19-year-long career is the launching of the SBM Scholarship Scheme back when he was at the SBM. “The conception, development, setting and launch from scratch of the SBM Scholarship Scheme through the SBM Education Fund with my team back then is one of my most fulfilling career achievements. It is a scholarship scheme for brilliant children coming from households with lower income.”

The biggest challenge he had to face? “The sudden death, through a terrorist attack, of the then SBM CEO, Mr Chaitlall Gunness, This meant rolling out a well-crafted major crisis communication management plan impacting various stakeholders,” he reveals. Aiming to become a professional coach in the future, Amaresh confides that the most important thing that he has learned during his career is sharing. “The value of sharing what you know and learning from others, irrespective of age, level, gender, field, skills, or know-how.”

Community work

Amaresh Ramlugan is actively engaged in community service. Dreaming of become a doctor and be at the service of people when he was a child, the latter does not hide his pride that he has realised one of them. “Being a Rotarian is my one of my biggest achievements: Rotary allows me to give back to the community and to the needy. I have been actively engaged in the community through the service organization Rotary International since 2000. I have held all offices at Rotary Club level and have served twice as President - Rotary Club of Phoenix in the years 2011-12 & 2015-16 respectively. The Club received the Gold Presidential Citation in both years.  I have also served as Assistant District Governor 9220 in the year 2016-17. I am currently Coordinator - Rotary Leadership Institute, District 9220 for 2018-20 and serve as District Officer Community Service for the year 2018/19. Being a Rotarian has just been fabulous!”