Lessons in enterprise - Kirpal Kaur & Freida Pilus

Kirpal Kaur (left) and Freida Pilus

SILK, the mere mention of the word creates a vision of cascading softness and elegance, and entrepreneur Kirpal Kaur knows this natural fabric like the back of her hands. “It’s one of my favourite fabrics, beautiful, luxurious, and yes, it can make you feel like a million dollar person,” she beams with pride.

This bespectacled mother of four has the kind of beauty that comes from having lived life to the fullest, of meeting challenges head on, of believing in herself and in the inherent goodness of people around her.

“I feel blessed in so many ways, being surrounded by good hearted people who believe in me and share my vision. That, coupled with hard work and my faith in God, paid off, “ she says in a matter-of-fact tone. Being surrounded by bales of exotics laces and silk fabrics from various parts of the world is not unusual for this 66-year-old grandmother of 10.

She is, after all, the founder and the main driving force behind Gulati’s Silk House, which is today one of the largest importers and retailers of fine silk fabric in the country.

Starting out as a small retail shop in the heart of Kuala Lumpur about 40 years ago, the group now has 13 outlets throughout the country with more in the pipeline. Kirpal is one two women vying for the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (women) award.

Never afraid of hard work, the soft-spoken Kirpal who is now the chairman of the family owed business, states quite plainly that she never gave up her dream of starting her own textile business when she married her husband Manjeet Singh Gulati and relocated to KL. Kirpal, the eldest of seven siblings, had a head for the textile business having learnt it first hand from her textile merchant father.

She recalls a time when she and her husband put their textiles in their van, drive north and south, visiting wholesalers to convince them to buy materials on consignment.

“That was our routine one week a month,” she says. “It was tedious but it paid off eventually.” She opened an outlet in Semua House, and as business grew, eventually bought a shoplot on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the only textile shop along that road.

“It was a challenge juggling my roles as wife, raising my young family, and managing the business.” When her husband fell seriously ill about eight years and eventually passed on, her second son, Pavitar, quit law studies to help.

“Of course, I would have preferred that he complete his studies but he was adamant. Since he had set his heart on it I took him on board and taught him the trade.”

Kirpal, who often accompanies her managers on a buying sessions overseas, beams with maternal pride when she says that with him on board, the business expanded and an upmarket segment began to take shape. So she opened Euro Moda to cater to this niche. Today it boasts royalty, politicians and the well-heeled among its customers.

Although the day-to-day running of the entire operation is left to her son, Kirpal still oversees the business. “Without my chop and signature, nothing moves!” she says, bursting into laughter.

On a more serious note she adds, “We consult each other on all major decisions and if it’s viable, I give the green light. We may be a family concern but it is run professionally.”

Her daughter-in law, Jasleen Kaur (Pavitar’s wife) is executive director attends to the purchases of high-valued clients.

Except for Wednesdays and Sundays which are devoted to temple, she’s in the office everyday from 3pm. “My mornings are reserved for prayers, taking care of the household, spending time with my grandchildren and cooking for the family,” she says.

Kirpal takes it upon herself to clear out the family’s wardrobe regularly. “I’ve got this thing about rearranging and clearing wardrobes, including mine. Old and unused are donated, or we would run out of space to put the new outfits that I buy for every member of the family whenever I go overseas,” says Kirpal, who enjoys shopping for costume jewellery, shoes and handbags.

She is also active in Gurdwara (Sikh temple) activities, where she’s often called to sing Punjabi hymns. She also plays the harmonium and violin.

Her religious beliefs, she says, play a strong role in how she manages the family business. All her employees are treated as a family. Sometimes, she personally cooks for them. She gives much of her time and makes generous donations to orthy causes.

As a member of the Sikh Welfare Society, she provides financial help to four poor families a year and helps in the annual week-long Sikh Youth Camp taking charge of cooking for close to 1,500 participants.

“Keeping the boys well-fed with five meals a day is not an easy task. Can’t serve the same things day in and out. They expect variety. But I enjoying cooking for anyone who appreciate a good meal,” says Kirpal, who is in the midst of drawing up the menu.

Every year during Vaisakhi (Sikh New Year) children of all races from several charity homes are invited to Gulati’s and treated to high tea and entertainment.

“I have always believed in bringing good cheer to those around me. It may be old school but generosity and kindness will never go out of style. Ever.”

THE ACCIDENTAL EDUCATOR

Some 26 years ago, Datin Freida Pilus single-handedly set the trend for private school education as a force to be reckoned with, VIMALA SENEVIRATNE writes

DATIN Freida Pilus is a one-woman revolutionary squad when it comes to matters regarding education. This trailblazer defied conventional wisdom 26 years ago by setting up her own private school, the Sri Cempaka school, to educate her sons.

ow, she’s concentrating all her energy on her new baby — the Cempaka International Ladies College (CILC), the country’s first all-girls boarding school located at Enstek Technology Park, near KLIA, which opened a month ago.

“This feels like an answered prayer, I have finally become a mother to not one or two, but 19 young girls,” she says laughing out loud.

“Just the other day, I got so excited looking at the dainty pink, mauve, baby blue and lilac slippers, belonging to my girls, all placed neatly in a row outside the room. I actually snapped a photo of it!”

Impeccably dressed in a rich purple and black striped jacket worn over black pants complete with a colourful silk scarf round her neck, the petite 62-year-old educator catches her breath and continues, “After living with six men — husband and five sons — for more than 30 years and seeing dirty socks, muddy football boots, sweaty T-shirts and boys’ stuff all over the house, believe me, you will get excited over pink and mauve slippers.”

Freida, now the mentor of Cempaka Schools, is one of two women in the running for the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (women’s category) award. She was the founding chairman of the Cempaka Schools and regarded by many as an authority on private school education.

Freida, born and bred in Negri Sembilan, recalls with amusement when she was told by an official in the Ministry of Education that she had to wait until her boys were at least six years old to enroll in a normal school.

“I wanted to enroll one of my boys, then aged five, because he has an IQ of 176. But he had to be six or more join the normal school. There was no provision for intelligent kids.

“I wanted them to have a holistic learning experience — challenge the mind, strengthen the body, nurture the soul. That’s what education is about, not just memorise facts and figures and pass exams. So I took matters into my own hands and did something radical. I started my own private school.”

Making hard decisions was always a feature of Freida’s life. Converting a room in a bungalow in Damansara Heights into a class room, the linguistics graduate quit her job in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rolled up her sleeves and took on the role of being a teacher to her sons and a handful of other children.

Little did she realise that her act of taking control of a neglected segment of the education industry by its scruff would eventually transform private school education into a thriving industry.

The six Cempaka schools have now become a recognised pathway to the finest universities in the world.

For Freida, who calls herself an accidental educator, the Cempaka group of schools is not just her business, it is her life, her vocation and she makes no apology that that she is totally driven when it come to matters of education.

“We have set a benchmark. I have always believed that academic excellence should exist alongside, and not in place of, a happy and enjoyable school life — busy, productive and above all, meaningful.

“I can confidently say that if I throw them in a desert, an oasis will sprout,” says Freida.

As a little girl, Freida used to wear her mother’s baju kebaya and high heeled shoes to play teacher with her friends. “My siblings used to say that all my friends would bolt from my make-believe classroom because I was such a fierce teacher,” she says bursting into infectious laughter.

Her parents, she says, were her mentors. From her policeman father, Datuk Mohd Pilus Yusoh who passed away last year, she learnt to stand up for what she believed in. “He was a very forthright person who had no tolerance for injustice. It was also from him that I learnt to think on my feet. Mum, who is 86, is a gentle person, fussing over us with our best interests at heart. Now you know why I too fuss over my students like a mother hen,” she says.

One challenge she faces is in rebuilding the image of the teaching profession. She is toying with the idea of setting up a training institute for teachers. “There was a time when teaching was a noble profession and I would like to bring it back to that level — change the mindset of teachers, retrain them.”

A consumate educator, she believes in instilling reading as a habit in all her students. Last Thursday, the students in the whole group of Cempaka schools read together for 2009 seconds. Similarly, for next year, the year 2010, it will be for 2010 seconds.

Last month, her eldest son, a doctor, quit his job to take over her position as chairman of Cempaka schools so that Freida can concentrate on the boarding school.

“He has moved from mending bones to mending minds. And he is enjoying it thoroughly. Now I can fully concentrate on the boarding school. I’m looking forward to staying with the girls as soon as my apartment at the campus is ready in a month or so.” In January the number of students is expected to hit more than 100.

Is there ever a time when she is not thinking about work? “Yes, last year I went diving in the Maldives. The underwater world is awesome and swimming with all those colourful marine fish is a wonderful experience,” says Freida.

What about retirement? She laughs. “Are you kidding? I am thoroughly enjoying what I’m doing. I get involved in the school kids’ activities — dance, music, theatre, community work, organic gardening. All these things rejuvenate, energise me. For me, education is an ongoing process, till the day you die you are still learning. There is still too much to be done for me to call it a day.”

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD

DATIN Freida Pilus and Kirpal Kaur are the only women nominees for the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award programme was created in the US in 1986 to honour entrepreneurs who have created and sustained successful, growing businesses. The programme is now held in 50 countries with awards presented to over 900 of the world’s most successful and innovative entrepreneurs.

In Malaysia, the programme was launched in 2002. The categories are Emerging Entrepreneur, Technology Entrepreneur, Master Entrepreneur and Woman Entrepreneur.

Finalists are assessed are judged on their entrepreneurial spirit, company’s financial performance, strategic direction, global impact, innovation, personal integrity and influence.

Winners of the national Entrepreneur Of The Year awards from around the world are invited to the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award celebration which will take place in May 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.