What is the best way to define a pillar in the community?
Is it the life they have lived, the impact they have had on those around them, the trust their name invokes, or perhaps a hearty combination of all three?
The term “pillar” itself implies strength, the ability to weather any storm. These pillars often provide us with advice and guidance; without them, the community is untethered.
What we can learn from such stalwarts is endless, but perhaps most important of all is to always give a hundred percent at any given moment.
At the retirement party of Surinderpal Singh Phool earlier this month, I witnessed, through the number of people who came to celebrate this magnet, the longstanding impact one person can have on the lives of others.
Masala took a moment to chat with the man of the hour about his journey and the lessons he learned along the way.
Can you share the story of the path that led you to where you are today?
was born in 1943 in Rawalpindi. At the time of the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent, my entire family migrated to Delhi, where we became refugees.
My father initially secured a position as a government contractor in Delhi, where a fledgling India was beginning to rise, before he pursued a professional track in management consultancy.
I completed my initial schooling in Delhi and received my bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Delhi, after which I went to the UK for professional insurance training.
It was my father’s wish that I would become a success in my chosen profession.
Before I joined CHAZ Insurance, I was the Country Head of New India Assurance Company’s Bangkok branch. I had moved to Bangkok in the 1970s, and I served my tenure there for 23 years before resigning to pursue greener pastures within the world of insurance.
That was when I joined CHAZ. Back then, they were known as Chawla and Associates. I feel as though the success of a company depends on the quality and the calibre of the people who are running it.
When I started at CHAZ, the challenge I put forth for myself was to make CHAZ one of the leading insurance brokers in Thailand. I like to believe that I had a successful hand in doing so.
What prompted you to choose a career in the world of insurance?
During the 1960s, there were two new burgeoning professions on the horizon that interested the youth: banking and insurance. These were very respectable professions, which explains why people were so drawn to them.
At the time of my graduation, I was very impressed with insurance as a career. I felt as though you could learn a lot by meeting many people when going out into the field to generate new clientele.
Meeting new people was, and still is, my hobby, which is what led me to choose insurance as a career path.
What was the most challenging period in your career, and what sort of impact did it have on you?
I was successfully operating as Country Head of New India Assurance Company’s Bangkok office when I received a message from the head office in Bombay. They had decided they wanted to transfer me back to India.
At the time, my children had not yet completed their education. I realised I would have to decide between moving back to India or remaining in Bangkok for my children.
I chose the latter because I was thinking of my children, wondering how I could uproot their lives without warning, especially since they were born in Thailand and had never studied in India.
Even so, finding a new job in Bangkok was challenging. When I accepted the position at CHAZ Insurance as a marketing executive, I undertook the task of expanding my scope of work from underwriter to broker with courage.
Thanks to this challenge, I became a sort of insurance magnet. That meant whenever I got a client, our relationship became like that of magnets—they would never leave me.
This made me well-known amongst the Indian diaspora in Bangkok as an insurance man.
What would you consider your proudest achievements in the past 50 years?
Achievements are earned by setting goals. I will return to the subject of insurance.
What is insurance? Insurance is when you underwrite a risk in case a client might need it. You are then responsible for giving the client the claim.
Hard work and settlement of large claims with lower premiums upon renewals, the wide smile on the clients’ faces, and their positive remarks are my greatest achievements.
What is the most interesting insurance case that has come across your desk?
In insurance, every day is interesting because it is a very vast subject. It is not limited to just motor insurance or health insurance.
We even provide insurance to wind power and solar power plants. Wind power is generated by turbines that belong to the plant.
If the velocity of the wind is too high, the turbine can become damaged. That is what we are insuring.
Family is often our greatest strength and support. What does family mean to you?
Family consists of people who support you and love you. To me, family includes people with whom you can talk freely, express and share your thoughts, and people who care for one another.
Family is the foundation of man. It is also a thread that is woven with love and affection.
This love and affection then become a fabric that is worn upon your sleeve; you carry it with you wherever you go.
Your tenure as president of the Indian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (ITCC) must have been memorable. How did that role shape your professional journey?
As a former president of the Indian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (ITCC), I worked hard to improve operations and renovate the interior of the building.
Due to the importance of my role, I had the opportunity to meet new members and high-level executives of various corporate houses in Thailand.
When Indian ministers came from India, we organised meetings to discuss trade between India and Thailand and how we could encourage it to grow.
Whenever I met new members, I would contact them for insurance purposes. From there, we developed relationships so that when they started their own ventures, they would come to me for their insurance needs.
Beyond work, how do you like to spend your time off the clock?
Self-control is of utmost importance to me, and I highly value my time. Keeping busy the whole day is how I remain happy and alert.
I work from 8 AM to 5 PM and start my day at 8 o’clock sharp. This discipline allows me to live a full life.
In my spare time, I enjoy evening walks, playing Scrabble and other board games, and golf. I am planning to devote more time on the green, perfecting my game.
Soon, I will carve out more time to walk, sleep, and learn. The beautiful thing about learning is that there is no age barrier; you can start at any age.
Having such a storied history, what words of wisdom or advice would you like to pass forward?
The advice I’d like to impart is to be authentic, take responsibility, treat others with kindness, and never give up on your goals.
Always keep the three Cs in mind: Commitment in work, Clarity in understanding, and Care for the clients.
If you follow these principles, the sky becomes the limit.