Ifthi Idris web e marketing consultant School of Business NZ

The things I love and have a passion for is I AM ALL ABOUT.

Ayubowan ("May you live longer and be healthy") This is a traditional Sri Lankan way of greeting

I am Ifthi Idris. Those who know me well describe me as an easy-going person, with a mature attitude, friendly disposition and loads of humour… after all, laughter is the shortest distance between two people. Would you not agree?

It was no laughing matter when I started my first job as an IT Programmer 22 years ago.. besides there weren’t many to even crack a joke with, as the nerdy looking majority were just glued to their monitors and punching away at their keyboards eternally. Couple of years saw me move ranks to ‘System Analyst’ by which time I grew tired of seeing the same old emotionless faces … darn….. even the smiley’s weren’t around then.

Starved of exciting human interaction I took up a role as Product Manager, in the Middle East, handling some of the world’s leading IT brands. This gave me the opportunity to turn-a-round many uneventful situations to exciting encounters as I always keep my smile on. Luckily the companies I worked for did not take my efforts lightly.. they showed their appreciation of my business approach by making me General Manager and eventually Regional Manager which allowed me to trot across the Middle East.

I got into the Internet industry in 1998 when the dot com bubble started while I was in UAE. I also had an opportunity to work with Lanka Internet Services the pioneers introducing internet technology in Sri Lanka.

I moved to New Zealand in mid 2001 and my first job was at Web Genius New Zealand Ltd a web company on the Kapiti Coast as a sales consultant and later I was promoted to Business Development Manager. I worked for the company 9 years and travelled to a number of countries promoting online marketing solutions and presenting seminars and workshops on these topics. As a Business Development Manager I introduced business partners from Sri Lanka, Maldives and the State of Bahrain.

As I saw the potential of the Internet I built a real estate business module. I saw it as a viable and dynamic alternative to the conventional newspaper advertisements. It turned out to be a success story with business enquiries mainly from the USA, UK Middle East, Australia and New Zealand and also across the globe which that the site has grown in popularity and been accepted as a trusted on-line business to sell, purchase, lease or rent property or houses. 80% of the visitors come from the top search engines.

Now I am settled in Wellington renowned for its attractive climate and lifestyle, just 15 minutes drive from the office. However I admit that I still love and miss my home and the lifestyle back in Sri Lanka. A trip monger literally from when I could barely walk, a game or two of badminton always keeps me fit and in good shape.

They say "You grow up the day you have your first real laugh at yourself." well I’ve had mine long ago…. just that I am unable to stop it!

Thank you for reading my profile and I wish you all good luck