Viven Moodley's rise to the top

From Apprentice Service Technician to Managing Director, Service Operations: 

At Survitec, we recognise that to be the best at what we do, we need the best people. This means attracting the best talent; providing training and development opportunities so colleagues can grow in their careers with us; rewarding our people for going the extra mile and living our values; and building an inclusive culture - where everyone thrives and feels empowered to be their best self.

Today, we hear from Viven Moodley, Managing Director, Service Operations, as he recounts his journey from Apprentice Service Technician to the top​​​​​​​.

“I have always had a passion for the safety business and started off my career with Landmarine Fire in South Africa as an apprentice service technician mainly focused on the installation and service of Fire equipment and systems within the land-based sector.

In 1998, I joined a safety business that was later acquired by Survitec and one of my main reasons for making this choice was that, at the time, this was one of the few companies that offered technician training on marine safety equipment (firefighting systems and equipment). I saw this as an opportunity to advance my career within the Marine Safety Business and this was the beginning of what has been a fantastic and rewarding journey.

Over the years I have attended numerous training courses (too many to list here) to develop my technical knowledge. Completing the training, alongside on-board service jobs, allowed me to become a service technician (depending on the individual’s experience this can take anywhere from 2 to 5 years).

In my case, I was fortunate to attend many on-board services on various systems and equipment which accelerated my competency development. The training received within the training academy was the foundation, and the real competency development was applying what I learnt in my daily job on board the ships. But the technical training wasn’t just helpful in progressing my career as a service technician, it also gave me a very strong foundation to move into a sales role, which I did in 1999. Roles as Service Manager, Technical Sales Manager, Technical Service Director, Global Service Operations Director then followed until I was appointed as Regional Vice President – Asia Pacific (Marine) in January 2021. Finally, in December 2021 I became the Managing Director, Service Operations, the role I currently hold.

To all of our current and future service technicians, I encourage you to take ownership of your development and the progression opportunities available to you. We are working hard to make Survitec the kind of place where you can do a job that you are passionate about, one that challenges you, and most importantly makes you feel excited to come into work every day.”

Enjoyed reading Viven's story? We have more. Click to read about Laura, the first female MES service technician!