10 August 2022, South Africa: Seelan Gobalsamy - CEO of the diversified chemicals company Omnia Group - has been recognised as a winner of the CEO Today Africa Awards 2022. This is the second year in a row Gobalsamy has received this prestigious accolade. The award, hosted by CEO Today Magazine, celebrates CEOs who excel in the fields of leadership and entrepreneurship. It places special emphasis on leaders who are agile and innovative forward-thinkers.

Each year, a select number of business leaders across several sectors in Africa are chosen for the awards, following a robust vetting, nomination and voting process. Winners are selected by a panel of esteemed judges who are experts in their respective fields. The awards honours top leaders and celebrates the success of their companies, highlighting the achievements of the “best and brightest business leaders and the organisations at their helm”.

On receiving the award, Seelan Gobalsamy, CEO at Omnia Group said: “Decisive leadership is critical for socio-economic revival, especially in difficult unprecedented times. Business leaders must act as economic pioneers, demonstrating commitment to paving a new way for businesses to not only survive but thrive. I am honoured and humbled to be a recipient of this prestigious award. I acknowledge and dedicate this award to all the teams at Omnia and those who have been an integral part of this journey.”

Leadership in unpredictable times

Gobalsamy’s extensive career has seen him serve in senior leadership roles across emerging markets for almost two decades. He joined the Omnia Group as a non-executive Director in 2018 and then became Group Financial Director, and later took on the role of CEO. Through his decisive leadership and clear vision, he spearheaded company’s turnaround strategy - during a global pandemic. The award affirms Gobalsamy’s established record of succesfully managing complex businesses.

Gobalsamy said that receiving this prestigious award amid such an unpredictable macro-climate is welcome recognition for the steps Omnia Group has taken to become more agile and resilient.

As a natural problem solver, Gobalsamy welcomes the chance to adapt to new challenges. “The ability to be agile in turbulent times is the key to building business resilience. That same agility also enables the organisation to drive value and take advantage of opportunities in more advantageous environments.”

Focused on the future

Despite winning the CEO Today Africa Awards two years in a row, Gobalsamy is not a leader who rests on his laurels. His immediate focus is on driving growth and further deepening the group’s resilience.

“Omnia’s short-term focus is to grow the business through process, product, service and technology enhancements, supported by a strengthened supply and distribution network,” Gobalsamy said.

“Our growth strategy is linked to our environmental strategy. We are invested in consistently lowering our impact on the environment and we have ambitious sustainability and competitive goals.”

Success in numbers

Gobalsamy’s sterling leadership is reflected in Omnia’s financial success. The group’s annual results for 2022 show strong growth across the board:

  • Revenue from continuing operations increased by 30% to R21.4 billion
  • Profit after tax from continuing operations rose by 80% to R1.1 billion
  • Headline earnings per share from continuing operations is up 86%

Responding to the results, Gobalsamy says that the strong performance is evidence of the soundess of the group’s strategy and the team’s exceptional ability to excute that strategy. “Our renewed and integrated operating model, manufacturing excellence and optimised supply chain enabled increased agility and responsiveness to achieve increased sales volumes, whilst disciplined cost and working capital management further supported cash generation and enhanced profitability in a challenging macroeconomic environment.”

Going forward, steady, adaptive leadership will be critical to business success. Despite the volatile macroeconomic environment, Omnia is well-positioned to deliver further value from its businesses by supporting its customers in the primary sectors in which they operate. The Group will continue to explore organic and inorganic growth opportunities in key identified markets while targeting partnerships to reduce risk and complement the core business and its capabilities.