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Powering ahead
Mr Ranjan hopes to play a part in maintaining Singapore's worldclass electricity network performance.
PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
IT WAS the promise of a wellrounded career with varied learning experiences that attracted Mr Thiruchelvam Ranjan to a scholarship with Singapore Power (SP).
The company has a management associate scheme, in which its scholars are attached to different departments within the SP Group of companies for their first two years, to gain comprehensive working knowledge of the company's operations.
Mr Ranjan says: "It wasn't hard to make a decision. SP is one of the leading energy utility companies in the Asia Pacific, and that especially pleased my father, who is an engineer by training. He felt reassured that with my scholarship, I was guaranteed a good career with a reputable company after graduation."
After receiving his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the National University of Singapore, he joined SP in 2007 and is now a management associate with the group risk management division.
The 27-year-old says: "So far, it's been extremely rewarding. In less than two years, I have been attached to three different departments. For example, I have worked in operations, maintenance and technical services. However, I have also been involved in other areas such as group risk and finance- related areas.
"My exposure has been with both the technical and non-technical operations, and this gives me a good understanding of the business."
His integration into the company began before his first day at work. He underwent a 12-week internship during his university break and also joined in staff activities such as family day.
Mr Ranjan says: "This way, the bonds with the company were strong even before I started my career. The people I met and got to know have been extremely instrumental in imparting knowledge and sharing experiences. It makes working here extremely pleasant."
The learning process has been challenging, he says, but SP has been supportive in helping him along and sent him for various workshops including report and minutes writing, and business presentation.
His personal interests and development also received attention. Mr Ranjan, a former national hockey player with a keen interest in sports, now organises social and competitive events for the company's staff club.
Mr Ranjan says: "I also receive dedicated mentorship from senior staff and have the opportunity to be involved in management meetings and retreats. The exposure is immense and extremely valuable to me."
"It's by interacting with them that I learn more about the company, for example, which direction it is headed towards, and the vision that my superiors have for the company's growth. When they exchange and share experiences, you gain wisdom that can't be found in any other way."
His main goal is to keep up with the steep learning curve. He says: "I will make every effort to learn as much as I can in as short a time as possible. In future, I hope to play a part in maintaining Singapore's world-class electricity network performance and leveraging technology to enhance the quality of power delivered to customers.
"At the end of the day, it's all about working hard now and looking forward to reap the harvest of my efforts in future. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the ride, and I'm having fun!"