Case Study - MAS Holdings: Global Excellence through Enlightened Management
Named after its founders –Mahesh, Ajay and Sharad Amalean – MAS Holdings was initially a small entrepreneurial venture in 1987 (MAS, 2007).By 2014, MAS Holdings has grown to a globally renowned entity producing intimate apparel, sports¬wear, performance wear and swimwear with an annual turnover of over USD 1.2 billion.
MAS has worked its way up to being one of the foremost design-to delivery solution providers in the global apparel and textile manufacturing industry. Based in Sri Lanka with 41 facilities spanning 10 countries employing over 64,000 people, the company’s foray into becoming a global apparel company led to its now impressive portfolio of working with some of the world’s leading global brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Nike, Marks and Spencer, DBA, Lululemon, Soma, Colombia…show more content… On account of the deeply entrenched patriarchal culture in the subcontinent most women find themselves in vulnerable situations, facing significant discrimination. Women are commonly forced into dependency, first by their families and then their partners who restrict them from finding their own means of employment. MAS combined on-site medical facilities, on-site banking, transport facilities and a number of gender-supportive workplace initiatives, and this made their facilities safe and secure, encouraging the largely female workforce of MAS. A significant number of women have since shifted to being the sole breadwinners in their families.
The best practices from various MAS plants were brought together under one umbrella and the MAS Women Go Beyond (WGB) program was launched in 2003. The objective was to make a difference in the lives of female employees and their families by fostering pride in their job and showcasing the em¬ployee as the true ‘value adder’.
The WGB program is structured around four