The vision of one unique man to create quality beautiful townships and commercial centres in Malaysia some time ago has given rise to a comfortable and better quality of life to Malaysians. In a short span of time, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. MP Ramasamy, Chairman and Group Managing Director of IRDK Land Group of Companies (IRDK Land) has gone on to become one of the leading and successful property developers in Malaysia. In this issue, Top 10 of Asia gets to speaks with the affable and dynamic leader, who is the driving force behind the success of IRDK Land, about his inspirational journey and the trials and challenges he faced.

Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. MP Ramasamy is a direct, honest and decisive man. And his straight-talking brand of leadership has certainly been the driving force behind IRDK Land’s success and formidable presence in the property construction industry.

Dr. Ramasamy’s journey began when he founded the company in 1988. To him, IRDK Land’s rise as a prominent developer in Malaysia is similar to building a structure — from the foundation up. “Whatever we build in our lives, getting the foundation right is important. To become a developer, the foundation is essential knowledge in the construction field,” says the visionary.

After nearly ten years as a contractor, Dr. Ramasamy became a developer in his own right and the shift was an easy decision as he has always been driven to succeed in whatever he does.

Dr. Ramasamy did not plan to enter the construction industry initially. “When the opportunity in construction sector came, I saw that it could be a profitable business and that it is also important for the development of the country. Therefore I decided to start from the construction side of things and proceed to this level today.”

Much water has passed under the bridge since then and to date, IRDK Land is behind a number of developments in Selangor, Malaysia’s most populous state and one having the highest standard of living in the nation. Among IRDK Land’s more notable projects in Selangor are the Puncak Bukit Utama residential township in Bukit Antarabangsa, Ampang, one of the elite and classy residential suburbs in the country, and the Alam Avenue I and Alam Avenue 2 commercial shop offices development in Section 16, Shah Alam, the state capital of Selangor. Impressively, both developments were delivered ahead of schedule and it is no mean feat in an industry where late delivery of completed properties is common.

According to Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. MP Ramasamy, IRDK Land’s developments are never delivered late and all them come completed with high quality standards shining through.

Today, IRDK Land still has an excellent land bank with a gross development value in the billions. Additionally, IRDK Land has also diversified from property development into other business areas, from negotiating land deals to telecommunication operations.

Dr. Ramasamy reveals that one of the critical challenges faced by contractors was during the Asian Financial Crisis in the late 1990s. There were developers who did not release payments to the contractors and they eventually had to go to court for arbitration.

Another challenge for IRDK Land is meeting the ever increasing expectations of the buyers. To meet that challenge, IRDK goes a step further to provide more than just the product.

“I treat each and every project as if they are my own children. Therefore, our business does not stop at the point of sales but we also address the buyers’ needs during the construction stage of the properties and delivery process. This is to add value to their lifelong investments,” says Dr. Ramasamy. “As a result, IRDK Land has its own following of repeat clients.”

Dr. Ramasamy agrees that one of the most memorable high points in his life is when IRDK Land’s success paved the way for him to be honoured with the Panglima Setia Mahkota Award that carries the title ‘Tan Sri’ from the government of Malaysia. It is a rewarding validation of his hard work and contribution towards nation building over the years.

“I was pleasantly surprised when I received the letter for the award— I was the youngest, I think, at 49 years of age,” says Dr. Ramasamy. “It has given me the motivation and inspiration to continue to give my very best in whatever I undertake to develop the country further and make it better.”

Reflecting on his journey so far, Dr. Ramasamy acknowledges that the learning process as a contractor during the earlier years was tough but he is glad that it has benefited him immensely.

“We should have some pressure upon us in order for us to learn well,” says Dr. Ramasamy. “In the real business world, one has to be tough in order to take on the pressure and the challenges successfully.”

Dr. Ramasamy’s business philosophy hints at the self-discipline that this veteran industry player possesses. “Discipline applies to everything. You can be smart and intelligent but it’s worthless without discipline,” he says.

Apart from IRDK Land’s business adventures, Dr. Ramasamy is also actively involved in giving back to the community. Besides contributing to charities and welfare homes, he also consciously integrates affordable homes into IRDK Land’s developments. IRDK Land’s future expansion plans cover the education sector and also that of building hospitals, two sectors that offers it much room to help the needy.

Furthermore, IRDK Land is also looking forward to soar higher in their future projects in Malaysia especially with its highly-anticipated upmarket IRDK Leisure Mall in Section 16 Shah Alam. This trendy mall will consist of 8 digital cineplexes with a VIP lounge and a 2-tier convention centre with a seating capacity which can cater to over 1,500 people in a banquet and 4,000 people in a convention.

IRDK Land also forges ahead with its huge effort in other upcoming projects which will include building the condominium towers at the heart of Puchong Town Centre, a major township that connects Malaysia’s political capital, Kuala Lumpur with the nation’s administrative capital in Putrajaya. In the meantime, it is also aiming to produce a masterpiece of high-rise mixed development in Wangsa Maju, a thriving township in Selangor, as well.

Moreover, IRDK Land does not show any sign of slowing down its pace in the industry as it bought over a development company in Ampang which developed the trail blazing project – D’ Waterfront Ampang South that is worth billions in Gross Development Value (GDV). Covering an area of 2.931 acres in Ampang, a flourishing township in the state of Selangor, the D’ Waterfront Ampang South is a superb commercial project which consists of 3 different types of design layout that includes Sovo Suites, Boutique Shop-Offices and Designer SOVO’s, surrounded by various amenities like restaurants, banks, clinics, schools and shopping centres.

IRDK Land’s planned listing on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in the near future will certainly position Dr. Ramasamy as a master game changer of sorts in the local as well as in the Asian property industry.

It has been a wonderful and inspirational journey for Dr. Ramasamy in his contribution to nation building in the country. And as he is still young and motivated to work towards even greater heights, the sky is the limit for IRDK Land.

 “You can be what you want to be if you start with a dream, believe in the dream and live your dream,” says Dr. Ramasamy with a broad smile.