6 Year Flashback - Ruben Named Co-Chairman

[Macmoish]

Flashback 6 Years today - Formalizing what had been in practice recently

www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/ruben-gnanalingam-qpr-co-chairman-tony-fernandes-2492665.aspx

QPR Official site

RUBEN GNANALINGAM APPOINTED QPR CO-CHAIRMAN

image: www.qpr.co.uk/cms_images/player/ruben-tony-fernandes-64064-2492663_613x460.jpg
Ruben Gnanalingam and Tony Fernandes

PUBLISHED

09:20 15th June 2015

by @qprfc

Club announces change at Boardroom level, with Gnanalingam named Co-Chairman alongside Fernandes ...

QPR name Ruben Gnanalingham as Co-Chairman
Gnanalingham to work alongside Tony Fernandes

RUBEN Gnanalingam has been named Co-Chairman at QPR, working alongside Tony Fernandes.

The change, which is immediate, will see Gnanalingam play a more active role in the day-to-day running of the club, working closely with Fernandes across all areas of the business.

The pair will work together in conjunction with the senior management team at the club, led by newly-appointed CEO Lee Hoos and Director of Football, Les Ferdinand.

Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, Gnanalingam said: “I have come on board in a more hands-on role to provide Tony with support across various areas of the club.

“Working as Co-Chairmen allows us to commit more time to QPR both individually and as a collective unit, making decisions together, whilst focusing on our specific duties.

“We are fully aware of the rebuilding task that is required at the club. It will take time, but – as a group of Shareholders – we remain 100% committed to QPR.

“I am excited and confident about how this relationship will work, as we look to get the club back on a sound footing.

“I am eager to just get down to work. The time for talking will come later.”

Fernandes added: “I’m really pleased with the new set-up and confident our individual strengths will enable us to dovetail efficiently in the best interests of the club, providing effective leadership to Lee and Les.

“We know we have a lot of work to do in terms of re-establishing the traditions of QPR, but with two of us working at closer quarters with the senior management team that we have in place at the club, we believe we can create a positive future in the short, medium and long term.”

www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/ruben-gnanalingam-qpr-co-chairman-tony-fernandes-2492665.aspx#9bZrcwOoGYIXaZQV.99

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Year Flashback

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Ruben also investor in new MLS Los Angeles Football Team
qprreport.proboards.com/thread/40335/ruben-gnanalingam-invest-mls-team

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Year Flashback: Fernandes "Transfers up to Ruben"

qprreport.proboards.com/thread/39594/transfers-ruben-gnanalingam

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Past profile


www.therakyatpost.com/business/2014/06/13/westports-ruben-started-night-shift-intern


Westports Ruben started out
as a night-shift intern

PORT KLANG, June 13:

Becoming a chief executive officer does not happen overnight. Ruben Emir Gnanalingam says he had to work his way through the ranks before taking the reins at Westports Holdings Bhd.

His father Tan Sri G. Datuk Gnanalingam, or Tan Sri G as he is fondly known to many, devised a plan on how he could join Westports, one of the busiest ports in the country.

“What my dad did was to make sure that I understood all positions in the company, including those of the rank-and-file”, he said in an interview.

Ruben, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London in 1998, accepted the challenge as he sensed his father’s wisdom.

Tan Sri G, who is Westports executive chairman, could have passed the baton to Ruben, his eldest son and heir apparent to the throne he has successfully steered and built, on a silver platter eight years ago.

But his father, who is also a marketing guru, wanted Ruben to learn and understand the ropes of the port business.

The shrewd tycoon, who started Westports in 1994 from a barren swampy island and transformed it into the main container terminal operator in Port Klang, insisted that his son should learn the business the hard way.

“If you don’t get to the ground, you won’t understand how hard it is for them, and the limits they can take”, said Ruben, who joined Westports as a trainee in 1999 and spent the first three months familiarising with the port operations as a worker, including working the night shifts.

“It was a very good experience as it helped me understand how the port operates. I enjoyed my three-month stint”, reminisced Ruben, who also holds a diploma in port management from the University of Cambridge in 2001.

After three months, he was ready to move to the next level. Under his stewardship, Ruben formulated a five-year corporate plan for Westports and a second five-year plan upon completion of the first.

In 2000, he resigned from Westports during the dotcom era to set up Makmal Jaya Sdn Bhd, a Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status incubator to invest and nurture Malaysia’s high-tech start-ups.

Five years later, Ruben sold off his shares in the information technology firm that he co-owned with several partners, and returned to Westports.

“I think to a certain extent my dad was probably happy I made mistakes somewhere else and not in his port. Wherever you go, you learn through mistakes. The faster way to learn is through mistakes. Nothing leaves a better impression than making a mistake,” said Ruben.

In July 2005, he was appointed to Westports’ board and designated as executive director in January 2006. Ruben was promoted to CEO in 2010.

Ruben and his father believe in the same management principles and ideas.

“In essence, our management styles are very similar. I think, the key difference, if at all, is that I like to use more data, purely because of rapid technological changes. I get the benefit of more data while my father relies more in his gut feeling. Because of his experience, he has everything in his head and heart.

“We believe that companies must have the right culture, and making mistakes is the best way to learn. No one puts you down for making mistakes, but people will laugh at you if you make the same mistakes twice”, said Ruben.

“Now that I am the CEO, a lot of the people who were then my seniors before are now my colleagues and reporting back to me, which is a good thing. As they were my bosses before, they have no problem telling me when I am wrong”.

Ruben added: “People should be able to challenge you. That’s why I have a lot of people, who are my peers, who can tell me I am doing right or challenge me if I have made the wrong decision.

“They are not yes-men who are afraid to tell you when you are wrong. I am willing to accept their criticisms.”

Under his management, Ruben encourages open and healthy dialogue. “We have a very open relationship. I think, they might have been apprehensive to talk freely if they were not my bosses in the past.”

Ruben has introduced the ‘Suggestion Box’ concept as a feedback channel for the employees.

“Basically, it is for them to write to me directly. They can tell me ‘thank you’ or ‘I don’t like the food at the canteen’ and give suggestions and ideas. I read the letters first – all of them, and I understand every single one of them.

“We have other avenues, but this one is direct. They can come here directly to see me but some are too shy to bring up small things.

“I reply to all letters, but only to those who identify themselves. Some of them have proposed great ideas, and we have implemented them”, said Ruben.

Being the man at the helm, Ruben says his biggest challenge so far is formulating strategic business plans.

“Things are changing, people and company must evolve over time. I am evolving fast enough to lead the company in a certain direction. If I don’t evolve fast enough for the company, it would be obsolete.

I have to make sure the company is changing at all times. It is important to have a strategy. You can’t tell what the future is going to hold. If you know, it is easy to plan.”

Ruben stresses that he wants to ensure that improvements are taking place at every level within the company. This he does by meeting his staff very regularly.

“If you don’t meet people, you are not a leader. People working with you must be improved in their lives and career – at every level. A leader has to play a role in guiding people. If you stifle the people below you, you’re not a leader. You must make them better.

“A simple and clear definition of a leader is someone who makes people better. As long as you make their lives easier and better, they will do the same for you as they feel good about you.

“If your staff don’t really like you, you are probably not a good leader.”

Ruben says the culture at Westports is based on three tenets – family, performance and innovation. Family is the main tenet and every staff is considered part of the family.

“We want them to feel that they are part of the family”.

Second is performance. “We have explained carefully to our staff that performance is the main driving force in the company. We will not tolerate lack of performance.

“If you perform, you will get more. If you don’t perform, everything else stops. There is no preferential treatment for seniority, age or gender; everything is based on merit.”

Third is innovation. Ruben says the company is continuously innovating to avoid becoming obsolete. “We tell employees to continuously improve. There is no place for legacies. We have inculcated this among our staff from day one.”

Westports provides training for all its staff and the majority of those who join the company come in as fresh graduates. “There is no port degree or real port training outside.

“We provide training from day one, all in-house. This culture has been embedded since day one. As we train in-house, we can propagate our culture throughout. Elements of performance are tied with rewards.”

Character is what Ruben looks for in a prospective Westports employee. “Someone who can be easily embedded into our culture. We are constantly hiring people; both executives and non-executives.

“Skills are hard to find. If you are open to learning, merit-based, elements will gel well with the company. If you are a good person, we don’t mind bringing you in, especially one with a character that suits everybody else.”

In terms of job prospect and security, a typical Westports employee can look forward to all kinds of benefits, highlighted Ruben.

Westports provides among the biggest benefits in Malaysia, such as medical programmes for spouses, dependents, he said, noting that its remunerations are competitive in the market.

Ruben stressed that in-house training is one of the biggest benefits for Westports employees, from greenhorns to experienced port people.

“We have trained thousands of people, and many have come here and left to work overseas or with shipping lines or logistics providers. We are continuously training people. It is good for us. We are not shy of it.

“We now have friends all over the world, in other shipping lines and the logistics industry. In terms of career prospects, they gain extensive knowledge. We prepare them for the industry.”

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/39510/profile-owner-ruben-emir-gnanalingam#ixzz3d7Okaczn

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Post by Macmoish on Dec 20, 2013 at 3:11am
The Star (Malaysia)

Friday December 20, 2013
Co-owner of Championship leaders QPR and KL Dragons passionate about all things sport

by christina low
Mad about The Hoops: Besides managing Westports Holdings Bhd, Ruben is also a co-owner of English Championship League football club Queens Park Rangers.


ALTHOUGH many may think Ruben Emir Gnanalingam is a busy man who probably does not much time to spare on his off-days (if he happens to have any), the 39-year-old begs to differ.

Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, the CEO of Westports Holdings Berhad is not an “all work and no play” guy.

In a recent interview, he shared with StarMetro his love for sports from his school days and where it has taken him today in the business world.

Having had his early education at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, Ruben said he was active in field events such as discuss throw, softball and shot put to which he also represented the school for it.

The eldest of three went on to further his education in England where he represented his college in badminton.

“I have always been a fan of football and continued to play some form of it till a few years ago when I injured my ankle,

“Nowadays, I stick to golf which I picked up after university,” said the Eton College and the London School of Economics graduate.

Growing up, Ruben said his parents had always encouraged him and his siblings to give a shot at different kinds of sports before finally picking what they fancy.

KL Dragons co-owner Ruben Gnanalingam trying his hand on basketball, a sport he has grown to love over the years.
Proving a point: Ruben trying his hand at basketball, a sport he has grown to love over the years.

“I have always been open to numerous sports and my parents always wanted us to try everything.

“The sport I chose at various points in my life so far have been driven by what I felt I could succeed in at that point,” he said, adding that he also made sure that he would enjoy playing whatever he was competing in.

In 2010, Ruben took over locally-based basketball team, KL Dragons, with longtime friends Datuk Wira Dani Daim and Datuk Robin Tan, which led him to find new love for the sport.

“When you get involved in clubs like these, every aspect of the club will run through your veins. Every goal and every point scored is celebrated more. Every goal and every point let in hurts a lot more, too,” said Ruben, who also co-owns English football club Queens Park Rangers with his partners, aviation tycoon Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and the Mittal family from India.

Besides managing one of Asia’s top logistics company, Ruben also juggles his time carefully with the two sports franchises from time to time.

“It used to take up more time when we first got involved but this has reduced over time as we have good people running both teams so we do not have to be there as often,” he said.

When asked if sports has changed his way at managing the company his father Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam built, the sports fanatic had only positive words to offer.

“In some ways, these sports are also businesses to us. There are revenue and costs involved similar in managing any other business,

“The most important being that people are your greatest asset and that teamwork is crucial. All of us were competitive business people before getting involved. It was probably why we got involved in the first place — the joys of competing,” he said adding that getting the right mix of people was never easy.

What was more difficult for him was getting his men fight for the same goal.

“My participation in sports at a young age has instilled in me life-long values that I continuously practice till today.

“I have learned to persevere and to never give up, even when I face challenges that may seem difficult to overcome. These values have brought me far especially in my corporate journey,” he said.

With the ongoing 27th Sea Games in Myanmmar coming to an end, Ruben wants the Malaysian team to work and push themselves to achieve their dreams.

“Just like any other competition, every athlete should just go out there and give it their best shot. You may not get another chance and there is no prizes for holding back.

I am hoping Malaysia comes back with a lot of medals and personally will be rooting for the basketball team as some of our KL Dragons players will be involved,” he said.

www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2013/12/20/Sporty-by-nature-Coowner-of-Championship-leaders-QPR-and-KL-Dragons-passionate-about-all-things-spor.aspx

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/37976/owners-interest-sports#ixzz3d7R8zeRC

[Macmoish]

12:00 11th May 2013

by @officialqpr

Co-owner reveals the crucial role R’s supporters played in their takeover two years ago …

This is something we are going to be involved in for a very long time"
Ruben Emir Gnanalingam

ALONG WITH Chairman Tony Fernandes, Ruben Emir Gnanalingam and Kamarudin Bin Meranun bought into QPR in August 2011, and Gnanalingam has revealed what a crucial role the R’s supporters played in that decision.

“I like the fact that our fans are truly behind the club, no matter what,” he told www.qpr.co.uk. “That’s one of the best foundations we have at this club. When me and Tony first stepped into Loftus Road, one of the key aspects which helped us make our decision was the fact the fans were so passionate.

“We really liked that. Going forward, it’s one of the best assets we have. I have great admiration for them. Even at recent games when things have not been going well, they are still shouting, cheering, singing. It has been fantastic. I don’t see many clubs with fans doing that.”

Like Fernandes and the R’s supporters, Gnanalingam is dealing with the disappointment of relegation from the top flight.

“The reality of going down set in quite a few weeks ago,” he admitted. “I have come to terms with it and now we are just focusing on how we can come back up.

“It has been extremely difficult to accept. The season we have had has been really, really tough. There have been so many disappointments, even from day one, but we are just focusing now on how to rebuild and come back stronger.”

R’s Chairman Fernandes recently admitted mistakes had been made and the club would learn from them moving forward. His fellow shareholder Gnanalingam echoes those views.

“We have learnt a lot over the last two years,” he said. “It has been a very, very steep learning experience. I always say that people are a company’s greatest asset. And that is definitely the case in football, more so than any other business in the world. And I don’t just mean the players, I mean the
management, the fans, all of our people here.

“Going forward, we know there are some things we should not do from experience, and of course we have also learnt what we should do. We will try to apply that.”

Gnanalingam also has a word of caution for anyone who feels an immediate return to the Premier League will be achieved with ease.

“The Championship is a really, really tough league,” he added. “We are not kidding ourselves that we are going to come back up easily. It is going to be really tough but we are going to try and do some things right to see if we can return sooner rather than later.”

Last month, with QPR on the brink of relegation, the shareholders committed to the development of a multi-million-pound training complex at Warren Farm.

Gnanalingam took the opportunity to e-mail the club’s staff, telling them ‘This is a great milestone and a really important one in our long journey to rebuild this club. I am just glad to be a part of it’.

He explains his use of the word ‘rebuild’ was key.

“The club we inherited unfortunately did not have very good foundations in terms of the facilities,” he said. “The training complex is nowhere near Premier League standard, or even Championship standard.

“If you want to go far you have to have good foundations, and we don’t have that now. That’s what we need to build going forward. Warren Farm will be the first step in that direction. We will have a training ground which will at least be able to compare with some of the Championship clubs and maybe even compare to some Premier League clubs. If we want to challenge in the big league we should have at least that.”

With some predicting Fernandes and Co would walk away following relegation, Gnanalingam was keen to point out this couldn’t be further from their thinking.

“We don’t have a short-term ambition, we only have a long-term ambition,” he said. “This is not a five-year involvement or a ten-year involvement. This is something we are going to be involved in for a very long time. My family, Tony’s family, Din’s family, we are going to be involved in this business for a very long time and involved with this club for a very long time.

“We don’t see us moving away from this anytime soon. It has always been long-term for us, from day one.

“When we came in we knew about the club. We made sure we studied a lot about the club before we came in but our passion has grown tremendously. I now know a lot more and I don’t think I will support another club after this.”

Read more at www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/110513-ruben-fans-our-greatest-asset-814170.aspx#lgdV3tetsBtPgrWV.99

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/36031/ruben-fans-greatest-asset#ixzz3d7RHWcO2

[Macmoish]

09:30 6th March 2013
by @officialqpr
Major shareholder Ruben Emir Gnanalingam explains importance of academy development

This is no four-year plan, it’s more like a 40-year plan"
Ruben Emir Gnanalingam
RUBEN EMIR GNANALINGAM has spoken of the Board’s long-term plans this week following the youth department’s recent move to BA Clubs’ Concorde Club.

QPR’s under 18s right through to the under 12s will be developed at the Cranford-based complex, and Gnanalingam took time out from his busy schedule to go on a recent tour of the facility.

“This area of the football club is the one we are most interested in,” he told www.qpr.co.uk. “Definitely one of our priorities going forward is the development of our younger players.”

The Board demonstrated their determination to see QPR retain its Premier League status with their recent activity in the January transfer window which saw them twice break the club’s record transfer fee with the acquisitions of Loic Remy and Chris Samba.

But Gnanalingam - pictured presenting BA Clubs CEO Tony Dormer with a signed QPR shirt, alongside R's CEO Philip Beard - is keen to stress they are focusing on more than what occurs in the next 11 weeks.

“The rules of football are changing dramatically and you have to be able to develop your own players in order to be sustainable,” he explained, in reference to the introduction of Financial Fair Play.

“We have to make sure we can compete with other clubs in terms of the facilities we offer our younger players.”

Gnanalingam joined QPR along with chairman Tony Fernandes and fellow-major shareholder Kamarudin Bin Meranun in August 2011, and he explained: “We have always had a long-term vision from the moment we came to QPR.

“This is not short-term for us. This is no four-year plan, it’s more like a 40-year plan.

“Developing our academy and a new training ground are things we will do regardless of where we are. That has never changed.

“From day one when we arrived, we said the training ground needed to be changed, and the academy needed to be built up. And that’s what we are doing.”

Raheem Sterling came through QPR’s youth system before being sold to Liverpool in 2010, and has since gone on to feature regularly for the Merseysiders’ first team.

“He is a perfect example of why we must make sure our academy can compete with other clubs’ academies,” Gnanalingam added.

“It means a great deal for the QPR fans to see a player come through the youth system and represent the first team.

“We want to see that happen too. A moment like that will represent one of the better moments in what will hopefully be a very long time for us here at QPR.”

www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/060313-this-is-not-short-term-for-us-696833.aspx?&pageView=full#anchored

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/35336/ruben-short-term#ixzz3d7S8Ysci

[Macmoish]

Telegraph

Tony Fernandes was forced to sack Mark Hughes by QPR board

QPR chairman Tony Fernandes was outvoted by his fellow Malaysian shareholders over the sacking of Mark Hughes.

By Jason Burt12:32AM GMT 25 Nov 2012

Fernandes had fought to keep Hughes in his job but met strong opposition from Kamarudin Bin Meranun — who held talks with Hughes earlier this week — and Ruben Emir Gnanalingam. Amit Bhatia, the fourth QPR shareholder, is thought to have been less vociferous than the other two in trying to force Hughes out but agreed with the decision.

Fernandes was persuaded after Harry Redknapp, who took his seat in the Old Trafford directors’ box, set QPR a deadline of Saturday to make up their minds. Redknapp insisted that otherwise he would accept an offer to become the new coach of Ukraine.

That ultimatum, the pressure from supporters calling for a change, and a fear that QPR might fail to attract another high-calibre manager led to the decision. Redknapp has not yet signed his two-and-a-half year contract, thought to be worth around £3million a season with a seven-figure bonus should he manage to escape relegation.

He will not be given significant transfer funds to spend in the January window but will be allowed to recall Joey Barton from his loan spell at Marseilles should he wish.

Redknapp will push the club to make a renewed offer for Tottenham defender Michael Dawson but will be told to sell players to make the funds available. QPR failed to persuade Dawson to sign in August after agreeing a £9million deal with Spurs. The move broke down over personal terms.

“I don’t see us spending,” Redknapp said yesterday. “Twelve players were brought in in the summer so I think QPR have basically spent their money. You can’t keep spending.” He will, however, be able to push for loan deals and can try to move some players on. A new striker and central defender are his priorities.

The 65 year-old explained why he had accepted the post despite QPR being bottom of the Premier League. “I wanted to get back into football. It’s a big challenge but it’s Premier League football,” he said. “At the start of the week I was ready to take the job in Ukraine. I really fancied it. It was almost a done deal. I’ve not even signed my contract yet, it’s been a bit hectic.”

Redknapp is expected bring in his usual backroom staff of Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan but Hughes’ assistants Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki, who took charge of the team yesterday, have not been told they are leaving.

Redknapp called on QPR’s underperforming squad to show more fight than in recent weeks. “The players have to be at it. The buck stops with them,” he said. “There are some good players here and they really need to step up and start performing.”

Fernandes stayed away from London this week while his fellow shareholders — most notably Kamarundin — held a series of meetings. Kamarundin was at Old Trafford with QPR chief executive Philip Beard, who had been the first to express concern with Hughes.
Hughes was summoned to meet Kamarundin at Loftus Road on Tuesday and was asked whether he could improve results. Although he was not given any reassurance, Hughes left the meeting believing he would be given more time.

Two meetings with the first-team squad followed to clear the air, the most recent on Thursday evening, only hours before Hughes was dismissed. Both meetings were constructive, with players accepting that they had underperformed but also that they needed more time.
Hughes had agreed to ditch Jose Bosingwa, Esteban Granero and Junior Hoilett from the team he would have selected for yesterday’s game and to reinstate some of the old guard of Jamie Mackie, Shaun Derry and Clint Hill, along with Nedum Onuoha. They are not better footballers but they are battle. With QPR in a scrap, Hughes had to concede that things needed to change, including his management. The QPR board, who complained about Hughes’ communication skills, feared that he might be unable to do that.

There is, however, a bewildered mood at the club. Hughes did not lose the dressing room. There was no player revolt. He could not be accused of failing to work hard enough, that his teams were underprepared or that the coaching was unprofessional. QPR have advanced hugely in the past few months, particularly away from the pitch, and that has mostly been down to Hughes.

All the necessary systems were in place, including medical expertise and scouting network, and he was overseeing impressive plans for a new training ground and new stadium.
It looked like Hughes had neglected the football but he had not. Much criticism has centred on his signings but the summer spending came in at less than £14million. half what Southampton spent. The wage bill rose significantly but some of the older players acquired were there only on a short-term basis and precisely because they could stave off the possibility of relegation.

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/queens-park-rangers/9701099/Tony-Fernandes-was-forced-to-sack-Mark-Hughes-by-QPR-board.html

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/34111/tony-forced-sack-hughes#ixzz3d7SJxUW9

[Macmoish]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Gnanalingam
Gnanalingam also owns a stake in pencilmaker Pelikan and logistics firm Konsortium Logistiks.

In 2007, Forbes Asia ranked him as number 29 in their List of 40 Richest Malaysians with a personal wealth valued at US$215 million.Born in 1945, he is married with 3 children. He is said to be making way for son Ruben to eventually take over the managing of his business enterprise.

Kamarudin Meranun

investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=6222757&ticker=AIRA:MK

Kamarudin Bin Meranun co-founded Tune Group Sdn Bhd in 2001. Dato. Bin Meranun has been Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Bhd since December 2005. Prior to Airasia, Dato. Bin Meranun served at Arab-Malaysian Merchant Bank as a Portfolio Manager, from 1988 to 1993, managed both institutional and high net-worth individual clients' investment funds. He served as Executive Director of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd since 1994, a subsidiary of Innosabah ... Securities Sdn Bhd. He subsequently acquired the shares of its joint venture partner of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, which was later renamed Intrinsic Capital Management Sdn Bhd. He serves as a Director of Airspace Communications Sdn. Bhd. and AirAsia (B) Sdn Bhd . Dato. Bin Meranun has been a Director of Airasia Bhd since December 12, 2001. He received a Diploma in Actuarial Science from University Technology MARA (UiTM) and was named the 'Best Actuarial Student' by the Life Insurance Institute of Malaysia in 1983. Dato. Bin Meranun received a BSc. degree with Distinction (Magna Cum Laude) majoring in Finance in 1986, and an MBA in 1987 from Central Michigan University

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/25449/malaysian-consortium#ixzz3d7SaViI3

[Macmoish]

2012

QPR director Ruben Emir Gnanalingam calls referee 'blind and bias ...‎
Telegraph.co.uk -

Queens Park Rangers director Ruben Emir Gnanalingam could face Football ... League referees as “biased and blind” on Twitter after the dismissal of Joey ...

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/28600/qpr-director-trouble-comments#ixzz3d7Shmnjz

[Macmoish]

12:00 11th May 2013

by @officialqpr

Co-owner reveals the crucial role R’s supporters played in their takeover two years ago …

This is something we are going to be involved in for a very long time"
Ruben Emir Gnanalingam

ALONG WITH Chairman Tony Fernandes, Ruben Emir Gnanalingam and Kamarudin Bin Meranun bought into QPR in August 2011, and Gnanalingam has revealed what a crucial role the R’s supporters played in that decision.

“I like the fact that our fans are truly behind the club, no matter what,” he told www.qpr.co.uk. “That’s one of the best foundations we have at this club. When me and Tony first stepped into Loftus Road, one of the key aspects which helped us make our decision was the fact the fans were so passionate.

“We really liked that. Going forward, it’s one of the best assets we have. I have great admiration for them. Even at recent games when things have not been going well, they are still shouting, cheering, singing. It has been fantastic. I don’t see many clubs with fans doing that.”

Like Fernandes and the R’s supporters, Gnanalingam is dealing with the disappointment of relegation from the top flight.

“The reality of going down set in quite a few weeks ago,” he admitted. “I have come to terms with it and now we are just focusing on how we can come back up.

“It has been extremely difficult to accept. The season we have had has been really, really tough. There have been so many disappointments, even from day one, but we are just focusing now on how to rebuild and come back stronger.”

R’s Chairman Fernandes recently admitted mistakes had been made and the club would learn from them moving forward. His fellow shareholder Gnanalingam echoes those views.

“We have learnt a lot over the last two years,” he said. “It has been a very, very steep learning experience. I always say that people are a company’s greatest asset. And that is definitely the case in football, more so than any other business in the world. And I don’t just mean the players, I mean the
management, the fans, all of our people here.

“Going forward, we know there are some things we should not do from experience, and of course we have also learnt what we should do. We will try to apply that.”

Gnanalingam also has a word of caution for anyone who feels an immediate return to the Premier League will be achieved with ease.

“The Championship is a really, really tough league,” he added. “We are not kidding ourselves that we are going to come back up easily. It is going to be really tough but we are going to try and do some things right to see if we can return sooner rather than later.”

Last month, with QPR on the brink of relegation, the shareholders committed to the development of a multi-million-pound training complex at Warren Farm.

Gnanalingam took the opportunity to e-mail the club’s staff, telling them ‘This is a great milestone and a really important one in our long journey to rebuild this club. I am just glad to be a part of it’.

He explains his use of the word ‘rebuild’ was key.

“The club we inherited unfortunately did not have very good foundations in terms of the facilities,” he said. “The training complex is nowhere near Premier League standard, or even Championship standard.

“If you want to go far you have to have good foundations, and we don’t have that now. That’s what we need to build going forward. Warren Farm will be the first step in that direction. We will have a training ground which will at least be able to compare with some of the Championship clubs and maybe even compare to some Premier League clubs. If we want to challenge in the big league we should have at least that.”

With some predicting Fernandes and Co would walk away following relegation, Gnanalingam was keen to point out this couldn’t be further from their thinking.

“We don’t have a short-term ambition, we only have a long-term ambition,” he said. “This is not a five-year involvement or a ten-year involvement. This is something we are going to be involved in for a very long time. My family, Tony’s family, Din’s family, we are going to be involved in this business for a very long time and involved with this club for a very long time.

“We don’t see us moving away from this anytime soon. It has always been long-term for us, from day one.

“When we came in we knew about the club. We made sure we studied a lot about the club before we came in but our passion has grown tremendously. I now know a lot more and I don’t think I will support another club after this.”

Read more at www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/110513-ruben-fans-our-greatest-asset-814170.aspx#lgdV3tetsBtPgrWV.99

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/36031/ruben-fans-greatest-asset#ixzz3d7RHWcO2

[Macmoish]

www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/qpr-jersey-sponsorship-an-arms-length-deal-says-airasia/

"Fernandes and Kamarudin collectively own a 75 per cent shareholding in Tune QPR Sdn Bhd which in turn owns a 66 02 per cent shareholding in QPR Holdings Limited The remaining 25 per cent in Tune QPR is held by Westports CEO Ruben Gnanalingam."

I had no idea that's how the ownership of QPR worked. Those three combined are worth over £1bn

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32301/interesting-ownership-qoutes#ixzz3d7TB0ddp

[Macmoish]

[Bushman]

As been stated above he has been getting more involved with club on a day to day basis helping Les.

[Macmoish]

Question is what it actually means in terms of change at QPR...

Obviously less-off-the-cuff Tweets about QPR actions/views

But in terms of what he'll do differently

[Macmoish]

[sharky]

Question to those of you who wanted a new Chairman. Are you happy with this compromise?

[londonranger]

Now we have two people to blame it on, when things don't go our way.

[luckycharms]

Face-saving measure. Also the tremendous screw-ups that Fernandes has made of running QPR have not only cost him and Din money, but also Rueben's and his dad's.

My own take is that Fernandes incurring 200 million pound debts, then asking the shareholders to wipe out 60 million pounds, plus Air Asia's own financial issues over the past year or two that have led to Fernandes staying in Malaysia most of the time, means there was more leverage for the other shareholders to pressure Fernandes and outmuscle him since he still needs their money to prop up his QPR venture. Rueben and his dad probably decided 'enough is enough' with all the nonsense and won this concession from him.

And allegedly, Din and his alleged backers may have also had had enough.

[jjqpr]

Jun 15, 2015 8:36:23 GMT Macmoish said:

Year Flashback: Fernandes "Transfers up to Ruben"

qprreport.proboards.com/thread/39594/transfers-ruben-gnanalingam

If this is the case why are the TF bashers still blaming TF and now acting like Ruben will be some kind of saviour? All very strange!

[QPR Report]

Year Bump

[Macmoish]

Flashback 2 Years. I guess I'm not the only one who has to check how his name is spelt


RUBEN GNANALINGAM APPOINTED QPR CO-CHAIRMAN
QPR name Ruben Gnanalingham as Co-Chairman
Gnanalingham to work alongside Tony Fernandes

www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/ruben-gnanalingam-qpr-co-chairman-tony-fernandes-2492665.aspx#XV1eIboJjJe44qSS.99