Testimonials

Shesh moved into the CEO’s role (in Miclyn Express Offshore) during the worst offshore oil & gas market downturn in history and was instrumental in guiding the Group through this business cycle with a very clear strategy on cost reduction whilst at the same time improving operational excellence and generally making the business capability more robust. I believe the key to his success was Shesh’s ability to obtain buy-in from all employees within the company and to be very dogged about company and personal goal setting and unwavering in his support for all employees to achieve these goals.

In addition to ensuring the resilience of the company during the industry downturn, Shesh continued to keep senior management focused on redefining our core business segments in order that fleet renewal related capital investments or divestures and potential M&A transactions would be more strategic and better place us for exponential growth for a future industry upward cycle.

I feel that Shesh would have a positive impact on any organisation (including goal setting) within a short amount of time based on what I have experienced working with him at MEO and his legacy that continues.

Shesh joined the Akzo Nobel team in 1995, fresh off the ship. His experience in the role we had for him at that time seemed far beyond his experience.But very soon Shesh proved all that wrong. His raw intelligence, capability for hard work and clarity of thinking , ability to unlearn and relearn made him a clearly on top of his job pretty soon.

By the time he had spent two years in the company, he could be given any role. I recall him doing various roles like running business, running factories, managing human resources, commercial and most times, a few of these in parellel. And he did all these roles fabulously. Shesh was very dependable and when you couple that with high integrity, he was my first go-to colleague.

He has the capability to both think outside the box as well as come up with lateral thoughts. His written and oral communication is excellent.

Shesh also takes a lot of interest in training and nurturing talent. He used to spend a few hours each week in meetings with the management trainees and was always available to them.

In the last two years before he left, Shesh was my most important colleague.

Shesh is a very motivational leader who has an in-depth knowledge of the Oil and Gas business and has displayed his intellectual ability in steering the company through the difficult market downturn. He is a very experienced and strategic manager who pushed Operational Excellence to the next level.

Shesh’s competency in managing and rationalizing costs is remarkable. Because of his shrewdness in cost control, MEO was able to tide over the most difficult Oil and Gas downturn in history.

Shesh is always a good listener and friend.

In the years that I have worked with Shesh, I have experienced him always as an excellent leader, good with people, warm but tough when needed and possessing a strong strategic insight in our sector. I would like to express my utmost appreciation to Shesh for his steering the company amidst one of the worst storms in the marine industry.

I have had the privilege of working with Mr. Venkatraman Sheshashayee (or “Shesh” as he is popularly known) on two occasions. First, on board Jag Padma, a Maersk Tanker acquired by GESCO in 1992, and then in Greatship (India) Limited, a green field Oil & Gas venture, in 2006 which Shesh led since inception.

Shesh always displayed a strategic mind set. He is a rare visionary and has the clarity to plan the destination and set out the deliverables and chart out the milestones before embarking on the journey. He helped create a robust operating review and brought things to the table which were important but often overlooked.

Shesh is one of the most solid business managers I have worked with. He has the critical combination of skills/talent that one looks for in a leader – the drive for innovation backed by rigorous attention to detail.

Shesh creates a vibrant environment for all his colleagues to flourish and prosper. He is a great motivator and develops a strong team spirit amongst his people. Even when sailing on board vessels he would reach out to ship mates and be available to them in times of need. He also has a solid track record of recruiting and retaining good talent and has created a huge pool of dedicated and focused professionals in the companies that he has managed. His people management skills can be rated extraordinary.

Overall it has been a pleasure working with Shesh and would love to have the opportunity to work together again.

I worked with Shesh for two years as President of the Offshore division, when he was CEO at Jaya Holdings in Singapore. His energy and expertise helped to turn around the company, which was under a scheme of arrangement when we joined. Shesh brought in a new management team and paved the way for a sale of the business at a significant premium, having paid down the bank debt and restructured the balance sheet. Shesh is an excellent mentor, a strategic thinker and a proactive leader. He plans ahead and empowers those who work with him to look at situations in new ways, he is supportive to colleagues, and creative in his problem solving.

On behalf of the Board of MEO and the sponsors, we wanted to formally thank you for all your leadership and guidance of the company during your tenure as CEO.   It has been a difficult few years for the Offshore Marine Services industry but the Board is hugely grateful and appreciative of all your efforts over the last 3 years to maintain MEO’s financial performance, guide its operations, and position the company for the challenges and opportunities ahead.    We will miss your intellect, experience and leadership skills as MEO embarks on the next stage of its voyage.

We’re sure we speak for everyone in MEO when we say that we wish you great success and happiness for the future, both in your evolving business and educational interests, as well as in your personal life. We hope you find life away from the hurly burly of executive leadership fulfilling and rewarding and look forward to staying in touch to hear what the future holds.