Anura Yapa’s Interview
Anura Yapa was interviewed by a Max Agnew, a journalist of “The Hotel Engineer” magazine recently.
The Hotel Engineer magazine published by Adbourne Publishing in Melbourne and this is one of the prestigious magazines for hospitality engineers in Australia and New Zeeland.
Click here to read his article.
Anura Yapa’s New Appointment
Anura Yapa is being appointed as the President of the Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering (AIHE) in New South of Wales chapter.
Presently, he is employed at The Menzies Sydney Hotel as the Chief Engineer.
He is an energetic Committee Member of the Sri Lankan Hoteliers and Caterers Association (SLHCA) in New South of Wales.
Read his story.....
Snapshot of a Hotel Engineer's Life: Anura Yapa
As an undergraduate engineer looking for part time work, the post of Engineering Administrative Assistant at The Menzies Sydney hotel seemed ideal. Within minutes of responding to an advertisement, I received a call from the Chief Engineer for an interview. I've been working for Mr. Anura Yapa ever since.
Working under directions of a well educated boss who is more than willing to share his experience and knowledge has been an enriching privilege. Having qualified in mechanical and industrial engineering from prestigious institutions in Sri Lanka, Anura's interesting career path has crossed continents; including working in the UAE (Dubai) for Hilton International Hotels, then as System Design and Installation Engineer in Commercial Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning sector in Sri Lanka. He later undertook extensive engineering training programs on Refrigeration & Cold Chain, Ultra-low Temperature Biomedical Equipment and on Industrial Air Conditioning in Singapore, Malaysia and in Japan. This was followed by working at Carrier Air-Conditioning in Victoria, when he migrated to Australia under the Employer Nomination Scheme. Anura rejoined hotel engineering at Hilton on the Park in Melbourne, then Novotel Langley in Perth, and is currently the Chief Engineer at The Menzies Sydney. While his last engineering studies as an Industrial Engineer at National Institute of Business Management were 13 years ago, Anura continues his education, having recently qualified for as a NABERS accredited Assessor for the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
An example of Anura's influence is presented by Doug Stemp, President of AIHE Perth: An honest and reliable colleague who has gained the respect from his fellow members and continues to impress us all with his attitude in the short amount of time that we have known him.
I have no doubt that it is Anura's exceptional personal qualities coupled with his knowledge as a technical engineer that have seen him through such an outstanding career to date. Trawling through Anura's previous employment references, certain traits remain consistent throughout, summarised by Alan Burrows (General Manager Novotel Langley), Anura is a capable, knowledgeable & dedicated engineer. This is reinforced by Goran Aleksandrovski (General Manager Sofitel Gold Coast) who describes Anura as a very capable and conscientious Manager who always welcomes a challenge as well as [ensuring his] work is always of a very high standard.
Anura's charitable activities have received commendations by the Consul General of Sri Lanka, Mrs Gothami Indikadahena, wherein Anura has taken his own initiative to send material support to help disadvantaged segments of Sri Lankan communities as an active member of SL Hoteliers and Caterers Association in NSW. Mrs. Indikadahena describes Anura as having a "true nature in helping people".
Furthermore, he does things in his own way. He's not loud or demanding, yet he still manages to get things done. Anura is an inspiration; balancing a family life of a beautiful and supportive wife and two adoring children, with a time consuming job; all while still finding time to devote to institutes he finds worthwhile - such as the Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering. Anura was one of the founding members of Victorian AIHE, Treasurer for AIHE for WA, has been elected Vice President and recently stepped up as the President of the AIHE NSW chapter.
As we all know, you can't solve the world's problems on your own, and you definitely can't run an entire hotel alone. The large engineering team of 447 room hotel complex, The Menzies Sydney is held together by Anura. His sincere concern for the wellbeing of those around him and his "open-door" policy make him both approachable and well-respected.
General Manager of The Menzies Sydney, Michael Smith appreciates that the experience and talent Anura brings to the position of Chief Engineer is just what is needed at The Menzies which is in its fifth decade. Michael recognizes that being the first international standard hotel built in the city after World War II (and having operated steadily as a landmark hotel ever since), brings its own particular problems and idiosyncrasies which require the flexibility, innovation and extensive knowledge of an engineer of Anura's caliber.
As I near the end of my degree, I hope my professional career will be as vibrant and interesting as Anura's has been, always capable of finding new challenges and winning the mutual respect of my peers and co-workers.
Natasha Ali (Und.grad. Chemical Engineer, Sydney Uni)
Engineering Administration Assistant
The Menzies Sydney
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