brand logo

Sri Lanka should be managed like a business: Kamaj Silva

20 Apr 2022

  • Sri Lanka-born, Canada-based entrepreneur Kamaj Silva on moving through adversity
BY JENNIFER ANANDANAYAGAM  Sri Lankan-born Kamaj Silva was on his way home in a taxi with the last $ 700 in his bank account more than six years ago. “I wanted to build something for myself rather than going for interviews and trying to prove myself to people that I'm worthy enough to work for them,” he shares.  Today, he is the Founder/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MILK Sneaker Boutique based in Dupont St, Toronto, Ontario. He is also the brainchild behind Sneakertub, the world’s first and only sneaker subscription service.  Silva was born in Sri Lanka and lived here until he was 22. He is no stranger to the civil war that plagued our nation for almost 30 years.  “Forget about past racial, religious, and political disputes, and move on as one nation, because division never leads to anything better; pointing fingers at each other is an infinite rollercoaster,” he shares.  Silva feels that every government that has been in power since 1948 is responsible for the crisis Sri Lanka is facing today.  “The only way to get out of the economic crisis is to restructure debt. However, Sri Lanka needs young, innovative, and fresh leadership to carry the country forward. Any situation can be managed with proper structure and discipline,” he offers.  Silva was educated at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia. “I never wanted to settle for the status quo and was a very rebellious kid,” he thinks back. After his Ordinary Levels, he decided to do his London Advanced Level examinations and was left with choosing between the cookie-cutter education paths. Eventually, he moved to England for his Bachelor’s degree at the age of 22.  This week, we caught up with Silva to talk about his life in Canada, and his thoughts about his birth land.  Here are some excerpts from the chat:  When and why did you move to Canada?  I moved to Canada in 2010 for my postgraduate studies. I basically followed my heart around my girlfriend at the time Roshani (who is now my wife) and moved permanently to Canada from the US. I was looking to go back to England for my postgraduate studies but later decided to do my postgraduate studies in Canada because of her. I’m based in the Greater Toronto area.  Tell me about Sneakertub – how it all began and what the company is currently up to?  In 2016, I was laid off from my Marketing Manager job at eOne, which is one of the biggest film studios in Canada. I was on my way home in a taxi with the last $ 700 in my bank account. I wanted to build something for myself rather than going for interviews and trying to prove myself to people that I’m worthy enough to work for them.  I married two of my favourite things – subscription boxes and sneakers – and Sneakertub was born. Sneakertub turned six this year and is still a very relevant and innovative platform. Subscription commerce is widely praised currently and most companies are adopting some kind of subscription model on their platforms. Right now, Sneakertub is a million-dollar company with a chain of four other businesses.  What are your thoughts on the current economic crisis Sri Lanka is facing?  Sri Lanka is one of the best countries in the world, rich with natural resources, beauty, and hardworking people; however, Sri Lanka has been severely mismanaged by those who were in power for the past 70-something years. I believe the country should be managed and run like a business – reinvesting profits in infrastructure and development. The population should be treated like shareholders, where they reap the benefits like any business. The only way to get out of the economic crisis is to restructure debt.  However, Sri Lanka needs young, innovative, fresh leadership to carry the country forward. Any situation can be managed with proper structure and discipline. A lot of little things added up to create this crisis. The mismanagement of funds and handing over extensive control to one family are the two main reasons behind this crisis.  However, it didn’t start with the Rajapaksa regime. Post-Independence, we heavily relied on export-oriented crops. Exports have heavily decreased, and imports have drastically increased. Every government that has been in power since 1948 is responsible for the crisis we are facing today.  How has your experience in Canada been different from your experience here in Sri Lanka, particularly concerning race relations?  I think in Sri Lanka particularly it didn’t make any difference because I studied at a multicultural school and S. Thomas’ College always instilled equality in us. However, in Canada, major cities are very multicultural but, in my experience, there is a little bit of a difference in how immigrants are treated. You may not sense it at first but there have been a few occasions where I have felt like an outsider. Racism is a global issue and there is no easy straightforward answer for the issues that derive from it. Education in other cultures and making yourself open to new experiences is a great start.  If given a choice, would you come back to Sri Lanka and live here?  Unfortunately, not right now, because my kids and family are here. However, I always wanted to create and run businesses and live in Sri Lanka and Canada at the same time. I’ve attempted to do that a few times, however, regulation, red tape, and trying to move the needle around bureaucracy have been a waste of my time and energy.  Simple things in other countries, such as import taxes, have been major headaches in Sri Lanka. Bribing customs officers to import goods into the country is not the best use of my time. I want to come back to Sri Lanka and start investing in the country as soon as things settle down. I plan to retire in Sri Lanka because there is no place on earth like Sri Lanka. There was a plea from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, asking Sri Lankan expats to send money home to support the nation during this difficult time. What are your thoughts on this?  I don’t disagree with his plea; however since he took office, the country has nose-dived into bankruptcy. If that’s his only plan to get out of debt, the country definitely needs new leadership who understands financial management. As Sri Lankans living abroad, we definitely should follow through with the request to help out. However, the Government hasn’t provided a proper plan out of this crisis. Some officials have come out publicly and denied there is a crisis going on.  As a Sri Lankan living abroad, I will do my utmost to help Sri Lanka in any way possible. Again, heavy mismanagement of funds has caused this shortage of foreign reserves. The Rajapaksa children have spent millions of public funds to send satellites to space for no reason. Ministers are caught on tape accepting bribes but aren’t disciplined.  Without a proper system, this country cannot function. Depending solely on foreign workers to solve the debt crisis is another terrible short-term decision by the people in power.  If you could change three things about Sri Lankan society, what would those three things be and why? One: Forget about past racial, religious, and political disputes and move on as one nation, because division never leads to anything better, pointing fingers at each other is an infinite rollercoaster. We have all made mistakes when it comes to ethnic issues and race issues but it’s about time we put those issues behind us and create a multicultural society where we respect each other.  In the end, we are all human and the same blood runs through our veins. Governments have to take responsibility again for creating division. By separating us, they can keep polluting society and robbing people. It’s about time we stood up for our rights. Two: To have mutual respect for all occupations, whether you’re a garbage collector or a doctor, every job entails hard work. We should not ridicule or look down upon anyone doing a different job. Value every life without prejudice and treat every sexual orientation fairly. Sri Lanka has a long way to go on this issue. Love is love. Equality is a major key for development.  Even in the Western world, equality is a major topic of conversation. We can only change and shape minds through education. Values must be instilled at a very young age. Education is not just from textbooks, what makes a respectable human is a mixture of values and knowledge. Three: Digitising government services and creating easily accessible services to the general public. Digital government transformation is the application of modern technology to improve government services. You can easily set digital protocols, provide mobile access, and target the end-to-end customer experience to reduce the bottlenecks we face with traditional government services.  Deploying intelligent automation tools to complement human workers can reduce the amount of manual, repetitive work and will lead to a higher level of productivity.  Jennifer Anandanayagam is a journalist and editor with over 15 years of experience in Sri Lanka’s print and digital media landscape. She is also a freelance contributor with the SaltWire Network in Canada. She spends her time between both countries.


More News..