Oil and Gas
Muthu Palanisamy Metalcare Group Inc. Fort McMurray
M
etalcare Group Inc. provides consulting and inspection services to the oil sands, oil and gas, petroleum and petrochemical, power generation, and pipeline industries through five divisions: non-destructive testing, geotechnical, geomatics, in-service inspection and project support services. The company slogan, “driven by innovation, powered by people,” is at the heart of their service. CEO Muthu Palanisamy considers the Metalcare team to be the pillar of the company’s success. He is proud of his people for their dedication, hard work and commitment. Are entrepreneurs born or made? Dealing with people around me shaped me into an entrepreneur. Lessons of leadership can be imparted to anyone, but having the intelligence to connect oneself to those lessons is something else all together. It takes seeing through the results, and more importantly, having the ability and passion to implement these lessons. What would you say are the top skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Have focus, passion, motivation and innovation. It’s also important to welcome challenges, be proactive and connect with people. What does being a finalist mean to you? Being an EOY finalist is a great recognition for our employees’ hard work and dedication. It gives inspiration and excitement to our employees to do more for the team and our clients. What is your passion other than entrepreneurship? Helping people has always been my passion. Where do you want to be in the next 10 years? Leveraging my experience, contacts and influence to create a much larger visionary organization or foundation for a cause that I believe in. How do you define success? Feeling proud of yourself for what you have accomplished and having a hunger to achieve more. My advice for entrepreneurs is that backup plans help people sleep easier at night and can also create an easy out when times get tough. Personally, I will work a lot harder if my primary plan simply has to work because there is no other option. Total commitment without a safety net will drive me to work harder than I ever imagined possible. As long as I keep working hard and keep learning from my mistakes, I will find a way to succeed.
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EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014