A blown-up satellite photograph of Westport in Pulau Indah hangs on the wall of Ahmad Damanhury’s office.

The Westport head of technical services said the photograph helped him to focus on what he had to do.

“I am deeply involved in the 2.4km expansion of the port, which has become my main responsibility now.

“Whenever I look at the picture, I can also imagine the various possibilities of expanding without cluttering things up too much,” explained Ahmad, who is a civil engineer by training.

“I wanted to become an architect initially but my ambition changed course when I was offered a scholarship to study civil engineering in the United States.”

FAhmad, 37, has no regrets about this either because securing a job after graduation was a cinch.He was offered a job with Pengurusan Lebuhraya Bhd, a project management company for the construction of the North-South Expressway (PLUS), just three weeks after he graduated.

After a two-year stint in “highway construction”, Ahmad moved to a consultancy company involved in the turnkey development project at the old Subang Airport that included the construction of the then new Terminal 3 building.He later was a key player in helping with the design of the airport runways at the KL International Airport (KLIA). It feels good to know that you have done something worthwhile for the country.

I feel proud whenever I use the North-South Expressway or when my plane touches down at KLIA knowing that I had played a part in the hard work that had gone into their construction,” he said.

Always thirsty for knowledge, Ahmad decided to learn something new and so turned his attention to the port industry in 1995.“After gaining experience in highway and airport construction, I thought it would be good to learn something about ports,” said Ahmad, who was born in Perak but raised in Klang.

“I have acquired a business mindset since working in Westport, something which I lacked before. “Working on airport and highway projects, my primary concern was to complete the projects as quickly as possible. In Westport I know what the returns on investments are all about.

“Although we still want to get the job done as quickly and at the lowest price possible, the main agenda is to build good infrastructure and facilities to meet the business objectives of the company and in the process transform Port Klang into a major global player.

“I now have to tell myself that all projects have to meet Westport’s criterions, which include my having to plan the infrastructure ahead of time so that the port will be able to be supply-driven, as it takes about 15 months to construct a 600m berth,” said Ahmad.

As he believes in bettering himself, Ahmad is now studying part-time for his Masters of Science. It’s quite a juggling act for someone who is so busy but Ahmad said: “Having good time management is important as it allows you to do much more things in a small time-frame.

“To quote Alvin Toffler: ‘Those who will not survive in the future will not be the illiterate, but those who do not learn, unlearn and relearn.’ “For me, learning is a life-long process. Thus, as a manager, I have to expand my knowledge and expertise beyond the traditional base as well as have a sophisticated understanding of the company’s overall competitive strategy so that we can keep on growing and serving our customers better,” said Ahmad.

Apart from his degree in civil engineering, Ahmad also has a Diploma in Port Management from Cambridge University and has attended the Harvard Business School’s Senior Management Development Programme.

As his two younger sisters are both medical doctors, Ahmad’s remaining ambition is to obtain a doctorate. Ahmad is married to Juliana Abdullah, a secondary school teacher in her 30s, and they have an 11-year-old daughter.

Although he used to play every sport apart from hockey and cricket while he was still studying, these days Ahmad plays badminton with his department staff every week. He has just started to pick up golf. Ahmad also tries to bring his family on overseas trips once a year to relieve the work pressure as well as to appreciate a new culture.