HKIS WELCOMES
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Raman Paravaikkarasu: Please Enjoy Your Stay
Raman Paravaikkarasu joined HKIS in August 2021 as Director of Facilities overseeing the inner workings of the Repulse Bay and Tai Tam campuses. In the midst of a pandemic, Raman’s role has been critical! Taking over from his retired predecessor Pat Hall, Raman leads a wonderful team of cleaners, maintenance workers, technicians, gardeners, and security guards and oversees the construction of new development projects. This is a big job, but nothing Raman can’t handle with over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and most recently as Assistant Vice President of Engineering at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. HKIS campuses may not be a Shangri-la in the Maldives, but we do pride ourselves on top-class facilities supporting student learning. Here’s a bit more about Raman!
Raman and his family in their home.
Where are you from and what is your professional background?
Originally from India, I have been living in Hong Kong for the past 12 years with my wife and two daughters, who are in Upper Primary. Professionally, I am a mechanical engineer with a Master's in Business Administration in Facilities Management.
What is the most exciting place you've visited and why?
Seychelles, as it is an exotic island paradise with lovely people, white sandy beaches, beautiful mountain rainforests and delicious local creole food. When I first joined Shangri-La in 2008, I was the Director of Engineering, Operation, and Maintenance for their three resorts in the Maldives and Seychelles.
As a professional in the hospitality industry, what is the craziest problem you've had to solve?
The craziest problem I had to solve was when there was a complete power outage in one of our flagship hotels in Australia with full occupancy on Christmas Eve. With the team's support, I was able to troubleshoot and solve the issue with interim measures and manage Christmas Eve without any impacts to hotel guests.
If you could only have one of these for the rest of your life, would you pick noodles or bread?
I would pick noodles because it can be cooked in different formats– i.e, steamed noodles, fried noodles, noodle soup etc. Also, noodles can be prepared with different flavors by adding various types of ingredients.
Originally from India, I have been living in Hong Kong for the past 12 years with my wife and two daughters, who are in Upper Primary. Professionally, I am a mechanical engineer with a Master's in Business Administration in Facilities Management.
What is the most exciting place you've visited and why?
Seychelles, as it is an exotic island paradise with lovely people, white sandy beaches, beautiful mountain rainforests and delicious local creole food. When I first joined Shangri-La in 2008, I was the Director of Engineering, Operation, and Maintenance for their three resorts in the Maldives and Seychelles.
As a professional in the hospitality industry, what is the craziest problem you've had to solve?
The craziest problem I had to solve was when there was a complete power outage in one of our flagship hotels in Australia with full occupancy on Christmas Eve. With the team's support, I was able to troubleshoot and solve the issue with interim measures and manage Christmas Eve without any impacts to hotel guests.
If you could only have one of these for the rest of your life, would you pick noodles or bread?
I would pick noodles because it can be cooked in different formats– i.e, steamed noodles, fried noodles, noodle soup etc. Also, noodles can be prepared with different flavors by adding various types of ingredients.