-Beneath it all is one tough cookie!
HE comes across as a rather unassuming, simple and quiet guy. But beneath that placid veneer he is tough, assertive, and definitely knows what he wants in life, and how to get it! Meet the handsome 36-year-old Shyam Nokta, whose photographs do him no justice. Currently Advisor to the President and Head of the Office of Climate Change, he is the son of former Local Government Minister Harripersaud Nokta.
Shyam spent the first year of his life in Annandale, East Coast Demerara, after which he lived with his parents at Ogle, also on the East Coast, until 2010.
Following marriage to the lovely Melissa, he has since relocated to La Bonne Intention (LBI), ECD, where he currently resides.
As part of his job, Shyam is responsible for overseeing Guyana’s response to the threat of climate change, and implementing the country’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), including the Memorandum of Understanding between Guyana and Norway.
He is highly qualified in the field of natural resources and environmental management and tourism, and has substantial experience in environmental and social impact assessments, strategic environmental assessments, and biodiversity management, among other areas of expertise.
Shyam holds a Master of Science degree in environmental assessment and management, with distinction from the University of Oxford-Brookes, a Bachelors Degree in environmental studies, and a Diploma in tourism studies from the University of Guyana (UG).
He has professional and specialised training in project management, conservation, and protected areas; and has been the recipient of several academic awards, including the Japan-IDB Scholarship and the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.
He serves as Chairman on the Board of the Kaieteur National Park, and has worked as an independent consultant with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, as, the In-Country Project Officer for Fauna and Flora International. He is also the Project Director for World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the Technical Director at the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society.
A typical day sees Shyam rising at about 06:15hrs. After doing the necessary ablutions, he has breakfast and then gets into the office. One of the first things he does there is meet his team to discuss the day’s itinerary. Thereafter, he is off to meetings, or dealing with urgent emails.
To this day, Shyam enjoys food cooked by his mother, and makes every effort to consume on a timely basis the lunch that she provides each day. His afternoons are usually more flexible. “I would try to get an hour in my yard every afternoon, because I think it’s very relaxing. I like spending some time walking in the yard, looking at plants, maybe the fruits… I even have a pond with tilapia. That one hour is very relaxing.”

Outdoorsman
At every spare time, Shyam loves to engage in outdoor activities such as camping and boating. While at UG doing biodiversity work, he looked for a place where fellow students would be able to visit the rainforest and have a bit of relaxation.
He came up with a place called Saxacalli, located about 30 minutes’ drive from Parika in a speed boat. “So it’s close, but also fairly remote, in the sense that you are on the rim of the Amazon Basin; because, from there is where our Amazon Basin starts,” he told the Chronicle in an interview at his office located in the Office of the President. In addition to Saxacalli, Kaieteur Falls is another one of Shyam’s special places.
His interests also include fast boats, aircraft, jet skiing, taking long drives, playing cricket, travelling to different places in Guyana and overseas, meeting people, listening to different perspectives and life stories, and doing whatever he can to spend time with the important persons in his life.
“Sometimes the work can be quite demanding, and whatever little opportunity you have to spend time with your family, you always have to take those.” It’s not like Shyam to go out often, but with a small group of friends, he enjoys doing so every now and then.
He related how thankful he was that the field of work he chose not only provides him with a livelihood, but allows him to see the country and meet people from various walks of life.  “I would encourage Guyanese, especially young Guyanese, to be adventurous and go and see what our country has to offer,” he urged.
Interestingly, Shyam has started the whole exercise of getting his pilot’s licence, and intends to complete it. “It’s something I’m really interested in,” he said.
Apart from the outdoor activities, Shyam loves the arts as well. He is into music, drama, and even karaoke. “A lot of people don’t know this, but I’m very musically inclined. I used to play drums and the guitar; it’s part of what helps in having a rounded personality. And these things tend to relax you, especially when you have a high-stress job,” he said.

Qualities
Asked what he thought his strong points were, Shyam said that will have to be remaining calm under tense situations. “I try to be calm, despite whatever challenges I’m faced with, because my philosophy is: If you get stressed out and you get worked up, that doesn’t solve the problem. At the end of it, you still need to focus on the problem in a rational way, and find a solution. So I think being calm through tough situations is my strong-suit.”
Shyam also strives to be a good team player. “When you work as a team, it’s the only way you could really achieve things, because you really can’t do everything on your own. Part of working as a team means that you have to delegate people, and in doing so, it means you have to have confidence in people.”
His converse side was expressed thus: “I like to see things happen almost immediately; I like to see results. For that reason, I could be a bit pushy. Maybe it’s not always the right way, but it’s that I really want to achieve what I set out to do.”
Questioned about his political ambitions, he said: “My political ambition would be to see the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) grow and be the one for the future. I see myself working with that objective in mind, whether it is providing support to the party or otherwise.”
He intends to support the party, along with his family, because he’s observed how the PPP, throughout history, has made a significant contribution to the country’s development.
Shyam believes that everything has to be achieved through merit. “And I don’t need to blow my own trumpet, but I think my record speaks for itself, both academically and professionally.”
A lot of hard work was involved in Shyam’s becoming so accomplished. “Sometimes people forget that I grew up in the hard times of this country. My first ten years of life, I recall, were very tough times; from 1975 to 1985; very, very tough period in our country. A lot of young people these days would only hear about it. And I think growing up under those circumstances, certain principles become ingrained in you; like hard work and discipline. Those are the ingredients that helped me, and are still helping me today.”
Shyam could not readily call to mind mistakes he made in his life so far. “Life is about experiences, and each one [mistake] makes you stronger. When I look back at my academic and professional career, maybe I can say I was fortunate… through hard work and having a clear sense of what I wanted to do, and being resolute. I wouldn’t say I’ve made many mistakes in that respect.”
One of his challenges, like so many others, has to do with effective use and management of time. He related how, with all the electronic gadgets available, a person can unwittingly end up spending so much time with them, instead of spending quality time interfacing with important people. “In this age of technology, people are not necessarily closer to each other; we have to be wary of these devices.”
“Every day, I spend some time communicating with my family, my wife, because I think it’s important. Going for a walk, no matter how brief [are among some of the things that] people take for granted here, because in many parts of the world, people don’t have the luxury of stepping out of their homes and enjoying a day, because the weather may not permit it, and where they are, nature may not be so close to them. In Guyana, we have a lot to be thankful for.”

The wife, kids?
Asked where he sees himself in ten years, Shyam’s first response was that he would “definitely” like to have a couple of kids. His desire is to be a good father, being able to spend quality time with his children and family.
“Being an only child, I don’t want to have one child; maybe five or six. I have to talk to the wife,” he laughed. He settled with two as a good number. “Large families are nice, but you also have to think: Can you really spend the amount of time with each child as they deserve?”
Shyam sees himself and family still being in Guyana, helping to build the country; and he is convinced that in ten years’ time, with the rate of development being undertaken in the country, a further transformation will be seen. “And I want to be a part of it. I want to be a part of shaping how this country develops.”
He was high in praise for his wife of almost two years, who he said is the kind of woman who has been able to be professional and yet find time to manage the home. “She helps me with work. I’m very, very lucky to have someone like her as my wife. She has been very supportive in terms of my professional life and my other interests in non-professional things.”
Shyam said Melissa is also very understanding, especially when it comes to his work schedule, which includes late evenings, long weekends, and being away for long periods. “If you have to be in a stressful environment, it obviously affects your performance. I really have to give a lot of credit to her and my parents, who are supportive to me,” he said.