Juggling time zones with Gaurika Gurugamage, GAC North America
Juggling different time zones is often part of the daily routine for many the logistics sector, certainly for Gaurika Gurugamage, Operations Manager, GAC North America – Logistics.
“My day begins at around 7 am with conference calls to the Middle East and ends around 8 pm with calls and correspondences with colleagues in Asia. Due to differences in time zones, it’s challenging to coordinate with other GAC locations unless I start early or take calls later – that’s the nature of a global business,” Gurugamage tells Project Cargo Journal.
In between the calls, he makes sure day-to-day tasks are attended to and operational issues are solved, among many other things.
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“Time is not enough,” says Gurugamage. “As we are going through a transition period, sometimes it is challenging to finish all the tasks I’ve planned for the day. However, things are stabilising and I foresee better work-life harmony in the months to come.”
Road to Houston
Gurugamage has been appointed to his role in June 2022 and is currently based in Houston. But his journey in the industry started back in 1996 when he was offered his first job in a freight forwarding company as an operations / documentation executive.
However, he has been with GAC for almost two decades, starting as an assistant operations manager in 2007 with GAC Saudi Arabia, and spending four years with GAC Malaysia.
Gurugamage has also extended words of gratitude towards Kairan Alenazi, who was head of oil and gas as well as branch manager – Ran Tanura/Juaymah, teaching him all things related to Saudi Arabia, and giving him the opportunity to grow during his time there.
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