PROTON's Vijayaratnam Tharumartnam steps down after 2-year ride

Vijayaratnam Tharumartnam has left his role as director of group communications in PROTON. Tharumartnam (pictured) first joined the company in May 2019. Tharumartnam told A+M that his PROTON experience was everything he expected and more. "To be part of such a storied brand and one that struck a chord at a very fundamental level was both exhilarating and daunting. While I’ve worked with many strong brands, I was not prepared for how emotional Malaysians can be about PROTON. Coupled with the massive transformation that we were trying to effect, it was explosive, which as a communications person was cool," he explained. 

He also likened the twin challenges of changing external perceptions while also reinventing the company on the inside to fixing the airplane while it was in the sky. According to him, the experience was also very fulfilling to be part of the cultural callisthenics of marrying the "China way" to the Malaysian one. While it was not easy, Tharumartnam said real change never is.

One of the highlights for him was the logo refresh in 2019 and how the team framed it in the context of PROTON's transformation. "My team and I were determined to present it as more than just a ‘logo change’ and that it had to be part of a larger narrative. We had to fight hard to convince the management of that but they ultimately bought in. The result was this concept of 'The Next Chapter' which laid the groundwork for future communications," he explained.

Another big area was in internal communications. With nearly 10,000 people in a variety of locations, Tharumartnam said it was not surprising that communications was fractured. This was compounded by the fact that PROTON has a heterogeneous workforce in that not everyone is an executive with a laptop. "We set out to bridge this lacuna with a strategic focus to break silos and get people talking. While it was slow going at first, we started to see results as people became more engaged and were willing to speak up," he explained.

The cornerstone in this programme was the deployment of an Intranet system which Tharumartnam said became even more critical during the MCO as a channel of communications. "I was also extremely proud of how we stepped up at the very start of the MCO. The government was facing a tough time with getting front liners out to remote areas and so my team suggested that we loan a fleet of X70s to the Ministry of Health. The entire company rallied around this effort and we were able to turn things around in record time. This was very gratifying," he said.

On a personal level, Tharumartnam explained that he took away many management lessons. While he acknowledged that his boss might be "a tough man to work for", Tharumartnam also explained that his boss is also an individual who will help employees hone their craft because he pushes them to go beyond themselves. Tharumartnam also walked away with really fond memories of his peers who were always quick to help and support. "Most of all, I am grateful to my team without whom, I would have accomplished very little," he added.

Tharumartnam joined PROTON in May 2019 as the company's director of group communications where he held the role for slightly over two years. Before that, he was VP, marketing and communications for Multimedia Development Corporation for four years. He was also the VP of communications for HSBC Global Resourcing (UK) for eleven months, and the head of corporate affairs for BMW Group Malaysia for six years, according to his LinkedIn. Additionally, he served as a managing consultant for Text100, now known as Archetype, for three months.

Separately, PROTON renewed its creative retainer with GrowthOps in April this year for another year. It also appointed Wavemaker Malaysia early this year to manage media planning and buying duties for the company for two years. 

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