<B>SEAN WHELAN</B>

Once upon a time in Ireland, there was this boy of 13 who sat enthralled, while his teacher told him and his friends about his homeland. Mauritius was then as foreign to the young boy as Martians are to us. But the passion with which the teacher spoke of his country left an impression on young Sean. Since then, every time he came across the name Mauritius, he has had a fond thought for his long-lost teacher.

This young Irish boy is today Deputy CEO of Harel Mallac. The connection with Mauritius, says Sean Whelan, started long ago and is ?a beautiful human story.? To cut a long tale short, thirty years after he last saw his teacher, Sean went to a friend?s funeral and the memories came, good and bad. Sean thought of this teacher who had then made such an impression on him and managed to get in touch with him via email. One thing led to another and? now the employees of Harel Mallac have this new boss who ?tires them with questions about how they are, how?s the family, etc.? He admits it, our Sean, but he doesn?t apologise for it. ?I am passionate about people.? He stops and then smiles his mysterious smile. Any apprehension that Sean may have had about feeling homesick fled when he realized that Mauritius? national sport was? gossip!!! ?I mean this lovingly,? adds Sean with his most charming smile before pausing and bursting out laughing.

The amount of times Sean made use of the word ?passion? throughout our conversation made me wonder if Sean was a Scorpio. I asked. He?s not. He?s just? ?a passionate Irishman!? When this Man U fan got here, little did he realise that he would meet so many fans of the Old Trafford team. But he did, and our ?proud Irishman? is happy. Can you guess one of the reasons why Sean is a Man U fan? No? Think Roy Keane? ?Not just Roy Keane! The great Roy Keane!? corrects our Irishman. Oh temper! temper! Is that another common trait Sean shares with Roy? There goes that mysterious smile again. ?Some hide it well?? I ask. Sean smiles and nods.

Because he is a workaholic (passion again), Sean hasn?t had much time to explore Mauritius. Instead, he makes the most of the sea. ?The Indian Ocean speaks to me every morning,? he tells me with a straight face. Oh? What does it say? ?It helps me plan my day because failing to plan is planning to fail.? Sean replies very matter-of-factly.

Does Sean like the local food? ?Erm? fish and chips is nice?? he tells me sheepishly. OK, OK, we won?t hold that against Sean. So he?s not very adventurous in his eating habits. One can?t have it all, huh? Sean decides to share his ?grandiose? plan with us. ?After my contract expires, I plan to spend summer (winter in Ireland) here and go to Ireland when it?s winter here (summer in Ireland),? he tells me, eyes sparkling. Clever, huh? Surprised? Oh I didn?t tell you, did I? Sean?s motto is ?hire the best, train the rest and retain them.?