KATHMANDU: Nirmal Raj Poudel, managing director (MD) of Welcome Advertising and Marketing P Ltd (WAM), believes that a good leader works to create a conducive environment for teamwork rather than creating barriers of hierarchy.

Though he graduated from Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus in Kathmandu in 1995, Poudel was into entrepreneurship since his school days. While in the seventh grade at the  age of 14, he got into a partnership business with an Indian businessman,

who supplied men’s swimming costumes in Kathmandu. “The only swimming pool open to the public then

was the one in Balaju and I helped screen print the swimming costumes and also managed his business. That fetched me good money,” he

recollects fondly.

Before entering the world of advertisement, he tried his hands on different types of businesses such as running a poultry farm, a garment

factory and importing readymade garments. But he believes in creativity and also actively participated in theatre besides acting in Nepali movies. “The creative faculty within me urged me to get involved in a business where I could utilise my talents and skills. Therefore, with backing from friends, I started the advertising company in 1991,” says Poudel, informing that he still passionately directs tele-

vision commercials (TVCs) besides doing radio jingles.

Also the immediate past president of Advertising Association of Nepal, chairman of Welcome Event Management and the publisher of CEO, a monthly tabloid on corporate figures and entrepreneurship, Poudel is also a central member of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries. As MD of WAM, he oversees his fully developed team. He updates the work plans of

his team at meetings held in the first hour of the day and often sets off to attend other programmes. “If you know how to assume and

disseminate responsibility, you won’t have problems with time management,” says a confident Poudel.

However, he reveals that the role of MD is not easy as he is responsible for the entire management of a company and hence constantly feels burdened, even after office hours. “Enjoying your work is a different thing,” he says. In order to retain its image in a tough world of competition, a company should constantly sharpen and strengthen its workforce, opines Poudel. As part of skill enhancement, WAM sends team members to training programmes not only within the country but also to countries like India and Japan. Equal treatment to the entire crew and instill-ation of a strong sense of ‘team’ among members are important keys to enhance performance, according to Poudel. “We might have hierarchy in terms of designations, but we all are clear that we are first an advertising team,” he says.

In today’s world propelled by science and information technology, a company runs with sound cooperation among its team members who are open to learning, says Poudel, sharing that he applies a participatory approach in important decisions. “We persistently provided facilities to the staffs, even when the company faced financial crisis,” says Poudel, adding, “If you take care of your crew, you can rest assured about the company’s future.”

Poudel thinks that the government needs to categorise advertising agencies based on their infrastructure and

capacity to promote healthy competition for robust growth of the industry.