At the end of December, during KCI’s traditional ‘end of year party’, Salinda Goonewardene was somewhat surprised when called to the front of the hall by directors Sjef Roymans and Donald Wiedemeyer.
Donald used the occasion to thank Salinda for five years’ hard work at KCI Publishing, and presented him with a gift.
Sjef praised Salinda’s positive attitude in his work as exhibition co-ordinator which, he said, could be a very challenging task.
To many colleagues, Salinda is in fact often a rock in stormy waters: putting an exhibition together can be a very stressful job yet Salinda always remains calm and courteous with staff and clients alike.
Yet that is no surprise to his friends, because Salinda spent many years working as a purser on a major airline, so he knows how to deal with people in a crisis.
Commenting, Salinda said: “the build-up to an exhibition often takes two years or more. During that time, the e-mails and faxes literally fly back and forth so when the show does finally come around it is great to meet the clients face-to-face. That’s definitely a highlight of my job!”
In his leisure hours Salinda enjoys spending time with his young family and also playing sports: Salinda may be a model of politeness in the office but give him a squash racket and he turns into a committed winner!
