rameswurlall basant roi : “ the growing role of human resource managers in modern business organisations ” address by mr rameswurlall basant roi, governor of the bank of mauritius, at the annual congress of the association of human resource professionals of mauritius, balaclava, 5 august 2016. * * * mr areff salauroo, president of the association of human resource professionals of mauritius professor donald ah chuen professor mckenna distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen good evening i am delighted to be here with you this evening. thank you, areff, for having invited me for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the association of human resource professionals of mauritius. my warmest congratulations to you all. i understand you are also having your annual congress over two days carrying the theme “ the growing role of human resource managers in modern business organisations ” which, i believe, fits well in the current social and economic context. as you are aware i re - joined the bank as governor again after a long break of eight years which i spent mostly overseas. having seen the human resource landscape in mauritius after so many years and the quality of human capital relative to the exigencies of the day, i should express my appreciation to the association for having chosen this topic. there is an unprecedented gap between the quality of human resources we have at our disposal and the quality of human capital needed to escape the middle income trap we find ourselves in. humans are slow learners. it takes longer for humans to reach maturity as a percentage of their lifetimes than any other species. having had the experience as a director of a department at the central bank and as a governor for several years, i am more than convinced that getting human resources in the country do what needs to be done for enterprises in the private sector and institutions in the public sector to survive in an increasingly competitive world must be a daunting challenge for human resource managers. how do we get people give their best shots when the character of the modern individuals is threatened by an economic system that has shifted from capitalism to turbo - capitalism? how do we get people give their best shots when the feelings of authenticity have become more and more scarce? how do we get people give their best shots in times of individualization and a serious lack of true and sincere connection with each other within a team in an organization? how do we get people give their best shots if they lack insight, quickness and a can - do attitude? and how do we get people deliver

for having brought the olympic medal. ” the idea of someone running barefoot to catch a wild impala seems impossible. the kenyan runners make the impossible possible. the power of positive thinking, rather than getting sunk into a world of impossibilities, which allows the kenyans to go beyond what appears to be an ultimate frontier has lessons for the business world as well. 2 / 3 bis central bankers'speeches right from the day we are born, we pick up ideas, attitudes and convictions from the world around us. friends, parents, teachers and so many other agents sell to us their version of the truth. the one we accept, consciously or unconsciously, forms our belief as to what is possible and what is not. the problem is that many people end up accepting a ‘ truth ’ that limits rather than open up the frontiers of possibilities for them. what we need to hammer on our people is that, whether one is a business executive, an employee or someone running a sandwich shop, if anything extraordinary is to come out, then something extraordinary must go in. and if something extraordinary has to go in, then our people need to have extraordinary qualities. i am here reminded of the qualities of the russian woman who can stop a horse in full strides. she can walk into a house on fire and come out with the beauty of a queen. so much is the hunger for success and a bold commitment to make a difference. hunger to win, to improve and a willingness to do whatever it takes. these are the intrinsic qualities of outstanding performers. do not ruin the raw materials in people. it takes a lot for a human resource manager to get that right. bear in mind one thing : nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. may i wish you a happy 40th anniversary and plenty of success in your endeavours. thank you. 3 / 3 bis central bankers'speeches