Up Close … with Sherin Naiken |09 August 2016

‘I don’t want to miss seeing my children grow’

Born on March 30, 1984 under the sun sign of Aries, Sherin Naiken is the youngest female to be appointed to the post of

chief executive at the age of 24.

This gorgeous lady, who always makes a statement with her red lips, is not only a well-respected woman in society but she is also the mother of two beautiful children like herself.

I remember seeing her on television a couple of years back standing beside the minister thinking she was Miss Seychelles and up till now I still admire her as she is the perfect example of what women can truly achieve if we work hard enough and know what we deserve.

From this piece you will also see that she is not only the face of tourism in Seychelles ‒ which she handles with great poise and elegance if I may add – but she is also very down to earth and modest.

Childhood and education

Ms Naiken grew up in Anse Royale and spent all her school life there – from primary to Polytechnic.

She followed her first year of university at Anse Royale and then joined the Manchester twinning programme. She spent two years in Manchester where she got her BA honours in economy and business studies.

“I just graduated with a masters in finance with the University of London,” she added.

Ending up in tourism

After graduating in 2006, she joined the Ministry of National Development as an industrial officer. She later on moved to the investment department after it was created where she was a principal investment officer and then got promoted to director of investment promotion.

Over a year later, which was a few months before her 25th birthday, she was appointed as chief executive (CEO) of the investment board.

“After four years there I became the principal secretary for tourism for six months. When the opportunity to take the helm at the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) came about, I think I was just at the right place at the right time. I found the position to be more exciting so I was approached by the President and offered the post,” she said.

Ms Naiken, who joined the board in July 2013, has recently celebrated her third year at the STB.

She finds that she is happy there as her personality and style of leadership is adaptable to this industry as by nature she is a diplomat.

A future without tourism

Being a flexible person who works with an open mind that tomorrow she could be working in another sector, she has accepted the fact that she will not always be in tourism.

“Along the way I’ve come to realise it doesn’t matter which industry you are in or what you are doing as long as you are somebody who is hard working, determined to succeed and want to make a difference. At the end of the day, you will always excel no matter where you end up,” she said.

Juggling family and professional life

Ms Naiken has two daughters – Elisabeth (three and a half years) and Emma nine months old ‒ with her companion Marco Francis, the former boss of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

“It’s not easy to reconcile your family life with your professional life but at the end of the day you have to be the captain of your ship and know what is important for you at this stage in your life,” she said.

She said it is partly because of her determination and willpower along with the support she receives from her surrounding family that she manages to strike a balance between the two.

“Marco, his mother Celine and sister Selma are truly my backbone. If I did not have a good family support and this dedicated working team, I would probably not survive,” she added.

Unattainable hobbies with a busy life

Her job robs her from having any hobbies that she potentially would have had.

“Right now my hobbies are taking care of my children because I do only two things, either I’m at work or I’m at home with my family,” she said.

In between she likes to read mostly literature or articles about positive outlooks on life as she is not the kind of woman who goes for novels and love stories. Her favourite reads are ‘The secrets’, ‘The power’ by Rhonda Byrne and ‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu.

She hopes that when her children are older she will have more time on her hands to indulge in more activities.

Even if she is hanging out with her friends, her children would have to be there too.

Setting rules to be able to see her children grow

Being the face of tourism, Ms Naiken is always on overseas missions to represent Seychelles in a trade fair of some sort.

And for her there are no challenges, they are only opportunities for something else but the only way that is achievable is by having principles and compromise because for her it is vital that her family does not feel like they are second best to her job.

“I don’t want to miss seeing my children grow,” she said. “So at work I have little rules set up and it’s actually these rules that get me by in life.”

For example, before going on any trip she ensures that her presence is absolutely necessary. If not, someone else replaces her.

When she does have to go, she plans everything from her breakfast to her dinner to make full use of her time so that she does not have to spend an extra day overseas.

She always makes sure she is back by Saturday morning to spend the weekend with her family and she avoids back to back travel by keeping the travelling to a maximum of twice a month.

Failure is not an option

You may think she is a very ambitious person but on the contrary she has never aspired to be where she is today.

“For me it’s always been wherever you go, whatever you do, you do it to the best of your ability and whatever rewards you deserve will come. I’ve worked very hard and I’ve been very lucky to get these opportunities which I grabbed unknowing whether I would succeed or not but I knew failure was not an option,” she said.

She made mistakes along the way but she does not dwell on them and rather learns from them and moves on.

“You always have choices, if you are not happy or not satisfied with the way things are you can stay as is or make a decision to change this aspect of your life and move on,” she said.

You will never find the perfect relationship

“Marco and I make a great pair, we complement each other in many ways, and I think we are each other’s backbone and he is my best friend as well. We have two children together which is a blessing and this has brought us even closer but it doesn’t mean we have a perfect life or relationship. We both have our flaws and at the end of the day we need to look beyond the imperfections,” she said.

A lover of Creole cuisine

Although she has travelled the world, Ms Naiken still prefers her traditional Creole cuisine above all else. When it is her turn to cook, which is usually during the weekend, she always prepares savoury dishes such as grilled fish.

Advice from a mother

Her advice to all mothers holding managerial positions is: “To have the right balance in life you need motivation. You need to want to make family life work, to succeed at work, to look good. So when the motivation is there you will find the time to be able to put it together.”

By Ralista Hortere