Honesty, hard work and perseverance: Formula for success that paved the Abans way

Friday, 21 March 2025 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Aban Pestonjee

Learning about a business can come after making mistakes, because you come out stronger and armed with more knowledge than before, ready to spearhead the next big challenge waiting for you in your way, says Aban Pestonjee, whose relentless efforts have culminated in the establishment and successful continuation of one of Sri Lanka’s largest, most diversified conglomerates that have become a household name, Abans.

Speaking to the World Bank blog “End Poverty in South Asia”, compiled by experts focused on improving lives and bringing opportunities to South Asia, Pestonjee spoke on the extensive steps she had taken throughout her career that made her deserving of the title “Sri Lanka’s Top Women Entrepreneur”. Employing over 10,000 personnel and diversified into six main verticals, the winning formula lies in none other than three cornerstone principles that defined the life of Pestonjee and goes on to set a precedent for the whole conglomerate, and through that, to the whole of Sri Lanka: Honesty, hard work and perseverance.

Daring to dream big and defeating the fear of failure has become instrumental in the growth of her business, Pestonjee has stated, citing that being a woman too, ceases to become a challenge once she has mastered her line of work and had proven that she is capable of her job. According to her, success is built on a foundation of honesty and hard work and is sustained through unwavering perseverance.

Her journey of building a conglomerate for over 50 years has also become a subject of study for students, experts and business enthusiasts alike, especially with the addition of her interviews to the Creating Emerging Markets Oral History Collection of the Baker Library Special Collections at Harvard Business School. “I am a very persistent person,” she says to Prof. Geoffrey Jones, the interviewer who asked her about her principles, and how she managed to get hold of brands and banks when starting from the ground up.

Waging through decades of strife, turmoil and interventions, Abans, as one of the most renowned brands in Sri Lanka, has come a long way within its 55 years of history. Throughout this journey, the conglomerate has served over millions of Sri Lankan consumers, paved way for thousands of other entrepreneurs, and set the country decades ahead with the best electronics, home appliances and technology available in the market.

As Pestonjee mentions in her interview with Prof. Jones, “If somebody wants to go into a business—especially a lady—I think she should not think about what she is going to make out of the business. She should be interested in the business she is going in for, and about how it would help the society.” These words, epitomised by her cornerstone principles of honesty, hard work and perseverance, has become a formula for the success of not only the Abans group, but has become reality, with Sri Lankan society owing its upliftment to a brave woman that dared to defy boundaries and made dreams come true.

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