Ranjit Soman has had a varied career with many achievements including, holding leadership positions in operations of two of Canada’s largest companies and holding the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Indian Navy.
He is currently the owner of the Canadian Tire Dealership in St Mary’s Ontario. One of the largest retail chains and the most respected brand in Canada, Canadian Tire is the market leader in the three product divisions – Automotive, Home and Leisure. Ranjit is in fact the first Malayali and only the third person of Indian Origin to own the dealership of Canadian Tire.
“I believe that a great team is the backbone of successful operations. My strength lies in my extremely diversified experience, adaptable leadership style, analytical skills and absolute perseverance. I will tap into all these resources and will strive to develop and sustain a great overachieving team” – Ranjit Soman
It took Ranjit three years to complete the selection and approval process to own this business venture. The selection process is solely based on the qualities and competencies warranted in the individual and not on the capital that one can pump in. Ranjit did not have any retail or service experience but in the process was able to convince the Board on his leadership capabilities, transferrable skills, commitment and perseverance to own and successfully run a multimillion dollar business, and lead a large team of employees.
Ranjit immigrated to Canada in 2010. He was hired by FedEx Canada to lead the Aviation and Logistics Operations as an Operations Manager for Southern Alberta. In this position, he was tasked with turning around the operation with a focus on safety and reliability. Within a year, Ranjit reduced safety incidents to zero and operational delays to an all-time low. To achieve this, Ranjit improved employee engagement, developed trust and team members, and aligned individual goals with that of the team. Ranjit believes that the team is always above any individual and to protect its sustainability,sometimes tough decisions have to be made, and will be made.
Ranjit developed his commercial and negotiating skills and legal awareness during his time as Contracts and Relationship Manager with Suncor and Agrium. The focus at all times was on cost reduction through influencing customers and suppliers, effective change management, developing and tracking KPIs and managing expectations.
Prior to this, Ranjit’s remarkable career began in India where he graduated from the prestigious National Defence Academy, Pune and was commissioned as an Executive Officer into the Indian Navy. Ranjit specialised in Air Warfare and earned his wings as a Naval Aviator. He has more than 2000 hours of flying experience in various aircraft. His naval leadership experience reflects a mix of Aviation and Surface Warfare appointments. His career highlights include Tsunami Disaster relief operations, Anti-Piracy operations, and other training and project appointments. With 11 years of active service, Ranjit learned the basic lessons of leadership and the importance of trust and accountability in a team.
To keep his skills up-to-date, Ranjit completed his Executive MBA from the University of Calgary and University of Alberta, and then a green belt in Lean Six Sigma. His bachelor’s degree is from Jawaharlal Nehru University through National Defence Academy. His elementary schooling was done from St Josephs EMHS Thrikkakara and post secondary education at MTHSS Kaloor.
He is a native of Anickadu, Kottayam. His father, K Somanathan Nair, (cartoonist Nathan) is an acclaimed cartoonist who has worked with almost all the Malayalam dailies and periodicals, and have been the Vice President of Kerala Cartoon Academy. His mother Geetha Soman is a house wife. Ranjit has a sister, Kavitha Madhu who is working with Syncrude, and is settled in Calgary, Canada.
When he isn’t working, Ranjit loves to spend time with his family and friends, enjoys long drives, treks, and does oil paintings and cartoons and maintain a reasonable level of physical fitness. His wife Veena Ranjit, who worked long time with IBM Canada as an IT Lead is currently fully involved in the business, and is an active partner in the Corporation. The couple has two children, Nivedita Ranjit and Devika Ranjit.
Report: Jaison Mathew (CMN)
