A strategist with a knack for transforming economies, industries and even a restaurant

From oil and gas to economic diversification projects – plus a personal venture into retail – Larvin Rengasamy has amassed 20 years of experience in project management and a commitment to delivering transformational targets.

As an Executive Vice President and Partner at PEMANDU Associates, Larvin has extensive experience working with both public and private sector clients in implementation and process management. He has taken the lead in managing transformational projects in countries like Malaysia, Oman and Djibouti and is currently responsible for all business development activities in the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) for the firm.

One of his first projects at the firm was leading the second wave of Malaysia’s Government Transformation Programme (GTP) to deliver implementable programmes for six National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) and implement the Ministerial Key Results Areas (MKRAs). The GTP encompassed 30 ministries within the Malaysian government, 131 entry point projects and 60 new business opportunities.

While the Malaysia project was challenging, Larvin credits the Tanfeedh transformation programme to diversify Oman’s economy as one that truly tested his capabilities as a project lead. Drawing on his prior experience in the region, he was responsible for the design and implementation of the programme. In order to develop a more diverse economy, Larvin and team worked with the Omani government to unlock the potential of the non-oil sector, focusing on eight crucial sectors – manufacturing, logistics, financial services, human capital development, tourism, fisheries, mining and energy. The Tanfeedh programme, and the involvement of the PEMANDU Associates team, has been recognised as a catalyst for development, where in 2019, it was lauded by the International Monetary Fund for its role in enabling economic diversification and job creation.

Prior to joining PEMANDU Associates, Larvin worked in the oil and gas sector, specialising in both downstream and upstream business as well as implementing innovation-based projects.

Larvin holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from University Science Malaysia.

Areas of Expertise

Implementation, change management and governance:

• Led the Tanfeedh programme in Oman – leading a team to implement and oversee the county’s economic diversification plan
• Ensured delivery by successfully inculcated a problem-solving mindset in the Delivery Unit – this was done by streamlining the escalation process and conducting weekly problem-solving meetings
• His leadership resulted in an average achievement of 71% of all projects and initiatives in 2017

Government transformation:

• Lead consultant on the National Transformation Programme (NTP) in Malaysia – facilitating the delivery of all initiatives in the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and implementing and managing a structured performance management system for all 30 Ministries

Strategy development:

• Led the way forward for Oman’s economic diversification through leading the strategy development and implementation planning for the Sultanate’s non-oil sectors. Six sectors were focused on: manufacturing, logistics, finance, labour, tourism and fisheries
• Headed five major labs under the NTP that discussed solutions on issues such as subsidy rationalisation, public service delivery and government transformation

Energy

• Led the Oman Energy Lab seeking to reduce reliance on gas as a source of energy and holistically govern the energy sector. Under his leadership, the team identified 10 projects in natural gas management and electricity, with the aim to achieve 11% energy diversification by 2023
• Responsible for the delivery of an operational excellence framework and key performance indicators to help Petronas achieve the set targets and oil production delivery

Features

Articles:

• “Why Stakeholder Management is Not Science”, PEMANDU Associates, February 2018, Article.
• “PEMANDU: A MODEL FOR THE SULTANATE’S FUTURE”, Muscat Daily, November 2016, Interview.
•  “Can a Malaysian Economic Model Transform Oman?”, Muscat Daily, November 2016, Interview.

Video:

• PEMANDU Associates, “Training on Project and Portfolio Management in Malaysia’s Perspective” (December 18, 2019).

Podcast:

• BFM 89.9 – The Business Station, “PEMANDU GTP 2.0 – Understanding the Lab” (November 27, 2012).