Ruwan Siriwardena, Brand Manager for Rolls-Royce, Talks Success
What are the top three things on your bucket list?
In no real order, it would be driving across Europe in something old and exotic; wholeheartedly embrace another culture (language, food, customs – the whole nine yards) and do Ed proud and give Everest a bash (a mix of the irresistible metaphor of conquering all and given that his trek falls on my wedding anniversary!).
How do you stay motivated?
Remembering that while you shouldn’t worry about things that fall well and truly out of your circle of control, know that every small step taken in the right direction will.
If you didn’t need money, what would you do?
A blend of living the simpler life of indulging in good home cooking, plenty of outdoor adventuring and carting about in a classic car.
What is the secret to success?
While I am still very much in the “exploratory” stage, I have found (on more than one occasion, in more than one set of circumstances), that simply being a genuine, honest, amiable individual goes an incredibly long way.
What is the worst mistake you’ve made and how did you fix it?
Memory suppression spares the relived memories, but outright owning the mistake at hand, and not being afraid of going through the set of hoops to stage a recovery goes an incredibly long way of putting just about any mistake right.
What is the best bit of advice, or quote, that resonates with you?
“People like dealing with people” – a recurrent quote in professional life that has stuck and directed me throughout life en masse.
What’s your favourite restaurant?
It was a struggle to delve deep to remember the name, but the Antica Osteria Ardenghi in Venice (Italy) was absolutely fabulous and I will be racing there as soon as we can all travel (properly) again – the simplest dish of Taglioni al Tartufo Bianco being an utter K.O. That or the Doppio Zero in Lecce (Italy) – let the Aperol flow a plenty, paired with some superb little pecking dishes.
How do you keep up to date with current affairs?
A combination of the BBC (via their iOS app), any miscellaneous news playing on the reception at the office and a cheeky glance on FB and Instagram.
