Photo credit: Luvo Productions Ltd.
“I would never have imagined being given this level of trust, respect and authority; at times, I have to have hard conversations with people of different genders, ages and religions and this requires empathy and professionalism. One must not see the barriers and boundaries to what the possibilities are; find your path and no matter how long it takes you, work towards getting yourself there”.
Murisa Ramkissoon, HR Manager at KS Chinpire Contracting Services Ltd. was raised by parents whose circumstances could have led to a completely different outcome; yet today, she humbly reflects on their sacrifice and determination to ensure that their children would not experience the same struggles that they did. Raised in Pranz Gardens, a community on the outskirts of the energy sector hub of Point Lisas which has not always had the most positive associations, Murisa still lives there, today with her very own family. While admitting to the community having a stigma attached to it, she feels safe and rooted there because of her strong family connections and religious upbringing - two pillars which have motivated and nurtured her success.
Her history with KS Chinpire Contracting, a construction company headed by two female Executives, began in 2003 as a store clerk in the Pooja store also owned by the family. Having graduated from Holy Faith Convent with her CXC certificate and with no prospect of accessing tertiary education, a job was a necessity. Murisa’s ability was evident, and it was less than 6 months after being employed in the Pooja Store, that Murisa would be asked to work with the contracting company. She had also enrolled at the Upper Level Institute for A’levels. She recalls that at that time, she was exposed to every aspect of the company’s operations as they weren’t organized by departments. It was the Safe to Work (STOW) programme, according to Murisa, which was instrumental in the company establishing a more formal structure with assigned titles and departments. This was the launch pad for the trajectory which her academic and professional life would take. Having been informally recognized as the ‘people person’ within the organization, with a natural inclination towards people-related issues, her plan was now to become the qualified HR professional.
Pre-Covid, Murisa completed an ABE Diploma and a degree in Business Administration. Marriage and a young family dictated her pace, and it was when life slowed a bit during COVID, that she deemed it an opportune time to pursue her MBA. While the time became available, she was still challenged, this time by a high-risk pregnancy which happened simultaneously. Not surprisingly, she was able to successfully balance and navigate both, with the support of her husband and older kids, and finally achieved her Master's in 2022. Having had to surmount many personal challenges and in her capacity as an HR professional and someone who is passionate about inspiring others to progress, she shared with us that ‘my pet peeve is coming across people who don’t push themselves to do better and bring themselves out of their circumstances”. In her view “my greatest challenge is inspiring others to improve themselves and the most rewarding aspect of my job is team-building and fostering close relationships within the organization”. She has tried to support her company’s personnel using her own life experiences as a motivation and being there even if all they need is an opportunity to vent: “my office and couch always has someone in it and even if the issues they need to address aren’t related to the company’s work, I still see my role as being there for them and supporting them through the many stages in their lives.”
In reflecting on the local energy sector. one of the issues which Murisa is deeply concerned about is the literacy challenge which many skilled workers still need overcome. She advocates for greater focus on literacy programmes which would give employees with years of experience and essential skills, access to more long-term and secure job status. From where she sits, she has been fortunate to be exposed to systems audits, which she feels could benefit other industries but has played an impactful role in keeping employees safe and creating positive work environments in the energy and construction sectors.
As our conversation concluded, Murisa confidently stated that it was her mother’s brave and outspoken nature, despite her lack of formal education, which emboldened and motivated her to excel “my mother stood up for her values and beliefs and recognized that an education and close affiliation with our religious community were essential to raising us out of the situations which surrounded us”. She also acknowledged the influence of strong female leaders in her professional life, grateful that her bosses have supported her career in a male-dominated industry.
Murisa stressed the importance of empathy and professionalism in managing human resources “I would never have imagined being given this level of trust, respect and authority; at times, I have to have hard conversations with people of different genders, ages and religions and this requires empathy and professionalism. One must not see the barriers and boundaries to what the possibilities are; find your path and no matter how long it takes you, work towards getting yourself there”.
She has done it and yet there is much more that lies ahead.