2015-16 Rotary International President K. R. "Ravi" Ravindran
2015-16 Rotary International President K. R. "Ravi" Ravindran and his spouse, Vanathy, on stage during the closing session and banquet at the International Assembly, San Diego, California, January 23rd, 2015.
Ravindran is a business leader from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and will will be the 105th president of Rotary International starting in July 2015. His theme for the 2015-2016 Rotary year is "Be a gift to the world." Ravindran is urging Rotary members worldwide to use their talents, expertise, and leadership to be gifts to the world this upcoming 2015-16 Rotary year.
To learn more about K. R. "Ravi" Ravindran, check out his bio at the link below.
|
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 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. 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. (RGHF Members) |
|
To learn more about Ravidran's selection of his Presidential theme, click on the link below.
|
