Alumnus of the month - May 2010
Subash Ludhra
BSc in Occupational Hygiene, 1989
Subash’s belief in his degree course despite unfounded stereotyping around what it meant has enabled him to lead a successful career. He now runs his own consultancy practice. He credits London South Bank University (LSBU) for his success.
In 2002, Subash left his position as an employee to establish his own Risk Management Consultancy - Anntara Management Ltd. His company specialises in Health & Safety (H&S), Fire Safety, Road Safety, Quality, Training, Environmental Management, Business Continuity and Loss Control. His multi-faceted business has allowed him to travel globally and work for a diverse range of clients. It has further enabled him to experience and appreciate different cultures and work ethics.
Subash’s mission statement for his company states:
We are committed to helping businesses understand the business risks from their activities so that they can better manage them in the broadest sense. In addition this helps employers in other areas including corporate social responsibility and reducing financial wastage.
Subash graduated from South Bank University (SBU) in 1989, having completed a BSc in Occupational Hygiene.
He remembers:
At the time most people did not have a clue what that meant or where it would get me (in fact most of the people I spoke to thought it was a degree to do with inspecting toilets).
He was unsure of his career path at first and chose Occupational Hygiene for its diverse syllabus. Subash felt that the breadth of the modules would provide him with ample job opportunities. A key focus of the degree was Health and Safety and upon graduating he secured his first position within a local authority. Graduating in 1989 happened to coincide with a number of new regulations in Health & Safety (H&S). This served to heighten the significance of his role in the field with employers.
Subash states:
I owe a lot of my success to the degree I completed at SBU and without it, I would probably not have been where I am today.
I would encourage all students to work to their full potential and not be inhibited by stereotypes. I had always ultimately wanted to run my own business and for me my years as an employee for others helped prepare me and provide me with the experience to achieve my dreams. The world is becoming smaller by the day – we should embrace as much of it as we can.
Having completed two years in local authority work, Subash moved into the brewing industry where he secured his second position with Grand Metropolitan / Courage Brewing Ltd. He became the H&S manager for the largest brewery in Europe and later went on to become their H&S Advisor for the South of England carrying responsibility for three breweries, as well as depots and technical centres.
In 1994, he left the brewing industry and went to work in the industrial laundry sector. It was at this time that it dawned on him that Occupational Hygiene and H&S were simply facets of the larger field of Business Risk Management. As a result, he started to diversify and further develop his career as a Risk Management Practitioner, starting with the completion of a diploma in Environmental Management.
At the same time, he was involved in other professional committees. He became a member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and achieved the distinction of Fellow of the Institute in 1998 (one of approximately 550 in the world today). His link with IOSH has continued over the years and he is currently a member of their Council.
In 1999, Subash was promoted to become a Board Director within Initial Catering Services and at the time they employed approximately 14,000 employees with a turnover of around £100 million. His responsibilities included Health and Safety for the employees, food safety, quality assurance, auditing suppliers, facility management of the Head office and the management and maintenance of the ISO 9001 quality system. The role was diverse and more importantly allowed him to further develop his management skills.