Introducing the President Mr Ramesh Dassanayake in brief, he is a well-known industry professional and an expert in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality industries with over 3 decades of expertise. He is a successful entrepreneur, and is the Founder and Chairman / MD of Sunway Group of companies. His wide international travel experience strengthens his knowledge and exposure to best international practices in the hospitality industry. Ramesh is currently reading for his Doctorate in Business Administration at the Asia e University. He holds a MBA from the prestigious Post Graduate Institute of Management, Post Graduate Degree in Planning & Management from the Cyprus Institute of Marketing & an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from ABE (UK).

He is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) UK, Institute of Hospitality (IoH) UK & Association of Business Executives (ABE) UK.

He is also a professional member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID), Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) & Institute of Management Sri Lanka (IMSL).

He has held the positions of Founder President at ABE (UK) Sri Lanka Branch & Secretary of the National Association for In-coming Tour Operators (SLAITO). Presently he serves as the Vice Chairman of Institute of Hospitality (UK) Sri Lanka Chapter and as the Senior Vice President of his alma mater, Maris Stella College OBA Colombo Branch.

Shantha Katipearachchi is an Independent Senior Management Consultant. He obtained the MBA from PIM in 2008. He is a Chartered Marketer with a Diploma in Marketing (MCIM UK) and is a Past Chairman of Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka. He has also served as a Member of Professional Advisory Group – CIM UK identified in the Top 100 World’s Most Influential Marketing Leaders in 2015. He is a Business Development Strategist, a Visiting Lecturer and a Public Speaker. Shantha specializes in Sales & Marketing Operations in both Product & Service Marketing, and has an experience of over 20 years in the Corporate Sector & 10 years as a Consultant, Coach and Trainer for top Corporates.

Shiranthi is a Finance Professional and counts for over 26 years of experience in the field of Finance and Management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Special) from the University of Colombo and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK. She obtained her Master’s in Business Administration from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayawardanapura in 2012.

Shiranthi started her career at John Keells Holdings as a Management Trainee in 1996 and was promoted as an Accountant later. After a tenure of 6 years at the John Keells Group, she joined Ceylon Oxygen Ltd (a fully owned subsidiary of the Linde group, world’s largest Gases and Engineering Company), as Head of Finance & Control and has been instrumental in coordinating 3 successful management buy-outs (all MNCs) since 2002. She took up responsibility as the Managing Director of the Company in June 2022. She’s a passionate toastmaster and is a member of the CIMA Toastmasters Club since 2018 and has served CIMA toastmasters as an Executive Committee Member (2019) and as Vice President Membership 2020 & 2021.

Shiranthi has been a member of the executive committee of the Alumni of Postgraduate Institute of Management, since 2018 and has served in the capacities of Executive Committee member (2018), Treasurer (2019) and Vice President (2020 & 2021) & President (2022).

She’s a proud product of St Joseph’s Convent Nugegoda and Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo 04.

Saman Wimaladasa is a digitalization strategist who has over 23 years of experience in the IT and Management discipline, working in both manufacturing and service sector organizations. He possesses over 13 years of experience in project and program management related to software development, IT due diligence, post-merger integration, ERP implementation and business process improvements. He received his MSc. in IT Management from Keele University (UK) in 2009. Saman is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified lean-agile enthusiast, PMP certified project manager and worked as a senior project manager for Camso global IT division at Camso Inc. which currently belongs to Michelin group. He’s also worked as a program manager for Axiata digital Labs. He is a member of the British Computer Society (BCS) and Project Management Institute (USA). He is currently serving as a Head of IT for south Asia’s largest tyre manufacturing facility; Ferentino Tyre Corporation (PVT) Ltd. He obtained his Master’s in Business Administration from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayawardanapura in 2012.

Buddika Jayaweera is an award-winning finance professional with over 18 years of experience
in the field of finance and management. Throughout his illustrious career, Buddika has achieved
significant milestones and earned numerous accolades, solidifying his reputation as a
distinguished leader in his field.

Buddika is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) and
a Fellow member of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka
(FCMA(SL)). He is also an Associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of
England & Wales (ICAEW). His academic accomplishments include a Master’s in Business
Administration from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri
Jayewardenepura, obtained in 2012, and a BSc in Business Administration (Special Degree)
from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, obtained in 2006.

Buddika began his career at KPMG Ford, Rhodes, Thornton & Co as an intern (Audit), where he
worked for three years. He then joined FedEx Sri Lanka (Mountain Hawk Express (Pvt) Ltd) as
an Accountant, a role he served in for two and a half years. Following this, he served five years
as the Chief Internal Auditor at the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) before
progressing to the position of Chief Financial Officer at Central Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd
(CESL), where he served for seven years. Currently, Buddika is the Chief Internal Auditor at the
Homelands Group of Companies.

In recognition of his exceptional leadership skills and significant contributions to his field,
Buddika was honored with the prestigious “45 under 45 Leadership Excellence Platinum Award”
in the Financial Professional category by the Global CEO Forum in 2024.
Buddika is a proud alumnus of Nalanda National College, Minuwangoda. His extensive
education and varied career experiences have established him as a respected leader in the finance
industry. His dedication and accomplishments continue to inspire many in his field.

Damitha Silva is the Assistant Vice President – Digital Financial services of the National Development Bank. He counts 25 years of Banking experience covering International Operations, Consumer Banking, Banking Operations, Remittances, Data Analytics, Project Management, Product Development and Digital Banking.

Damitha obtained his MBA(merit) PIM, University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 2008. He is a Fellow Member of CIMA – UK, a Chartered Global Management Account, and an Associated Member of Sri Lanka Institute of Bankers (AIB). He is currently acting as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka’s Digital Roadmap Monitoring Committee (Appointed by Central Bank of Sri Lanka) and an invited member for the National Payment Council, an apex body of making recommendations for the development of financial infrastructure in Sri Lanka. He is a life member of the Association of Professional Bankers (ASPB) Sri Lanka.

Damitha serves as the President of Colombo Hockey Association and also acting as the Secretary of the Royal College Hockey Advisory Committee (RCHC) since 2017.

Kanchana Boyagoda is a HR professional with over 14 years of experience in Telecommunication, Insurance and BPM sector organizations. She obtained her MBA (Merit) from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayawardanapura, in 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management from the University of Teesside (UK) and the PQHRM qualification from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM). Further, she is a certified Talent Acquisition Professional from AON Hewitt Institute and a certified Trainer who completed the Advanced Diploma in Teaching Training and Assessing Learning from the institute of City and Guilds. She has served in the field of Business Operations and Human Resources at Dialog Axiata PLC, AVIVA NDB Insurance, AIA Insurance and currently leading the HR team at WNS Global Service Private Limited in the capacity of Senior Group Manager HR. She is a HR generalist specializing in Strategic HR, HR Business Partnering, Talent Acquisition, Culture and Engagement, Training and Development, Rewards Management, Compensation and Benefits and HR transformations and systems. Kanchana is also a member of the SLASSCOM HR Forum.

Mahesha Amarasuriya is a Fellow Member of CIMA – UK , a Chartered Global Management Accountant and a Member of ACCA UK. She has a BA (Hons) from the University of Colombo and MBA from PIM University of Sri Jayewardenepura where she was 1 st  in the batch and the Valedictorian. She was awarded the Young CIMA Star in 2006 and is an Alumnus of the US Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP).

Mahesha has close to 20 years of experience in Banking and Finance including Corporate Banking, Retail and Private Banking and Cards and Electronic Payments. Presently she is working as Director for Mastercard.

Mahesha was the Chairperson of the CIMA Sri Lanka Country Network Panel (the representative body of CIMA members in Sri Lanka) in 2018 and presently serves on the Regional Advisory Panel for Middle East South Asia and North Africa (MESANA) for CIMA and AICPA.

Having completed his secondary education at Ananda College, Colombo, he graduated as a medical doctor from the Lviv State Medical Institute in the former Soviet Union. In 1990 he joined the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka in the capacity of a Medical Officer, and in  1996 joined medical administration as the Medical Superintendent of the Provincial Hospital, Badulla.

Appointed as the Deputy Director of the National Hospital in 2001, he was in charge of the Accident and Orthopedic Service, where he gave leadership in mass casualty preparedness and management as well as in formulating and implementing the Mass Casualty Management Plan at the National Hospital throughout the gruesome civil war.

During the catastrophic Tsunami disaster in December 2004, Dr Anil Jasinghe played a pivotal role in managing its impact on the lives of people. He was instrumental in establishing the Trauma Secretariat under the Ministry of Health and became its Founder Head in 2004. He was also a member of the steering committee which pioneered “The Colombo Emergency and Rescue Service” also known as “110” in 2004.

In 2012, he was appointed as Director of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, the premier medical care institute in the country, which is one of the largest hospitals in the world.

Being trained in the field of disaster management in prestigious centers in the US, Israel and Japan, he obtained his postgraduate qualifications, MSc in Community Medicine and MD Medical Administration from the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine of the University of Colombo 7 in 2011, obtained the degree of Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Post Graduate Institute of Management of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He was conferred with the Fellowship (FCMA) by the College of Medical Administrators too in 2011.

Dr. Jasinghe was elected the President of the College of the Medical Administrators of Sri Lanka in 2010.

The Cabinet of Ministers appointed him as the Director General – Health Services Sri Lanka in 2017, which is the topmost technical position in the Ministry of Health. He was instrumental in successfully managing the initial outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic in Sri Lanka for which he is greatly honored by the local and the international communities alike.

In February 2020 at the WHO assembly convened in Geneva to deliberate on the emerging COVID 19 pandemic he was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the 146th Executive Board of the World Health Organization.

In August 2020, he was promoted to the position of Cabinet Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, in which capacity he serves to date having affected major amendments to the National Environment Act, formulated a new Environment Policy of Sri Lanka and the National Environment Action Plan 2022-2030, leading Sustainable Nitrogen Management Resolution at UNEA 5 in Nairobi in 2022, which was endorsed by the member states at the Assembly.

He’s the Chairman of the Consultative Committee of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), Vice President of Asia Pacific Network on Global Change (APN) and elected Chair of the 04th Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific, held in the Republic of Korea in 2021.

He currently serves as the Member representing Asia Pacific Region in the Executive Board of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Special Program and function as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Climate Fund.

Achala Chandrasekare obtained a Merit pass in the Master of Customs Administration (MCA) program conducted by PIM jointly with the University of Canberra, Australia and awarded by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 2019. He also holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree from the University of Colombo.

He joined the Department of Sri Lanka Customs (SLC) in 1988 and currently is the Director of Customs (Central Investigations Directorate), accounting for almost 34 years of experience. He has served in most of the operational areas in various portfolios and is fairly conversant with all operational aspects of SLC.

Being a designated resource person in SLC for the past 18 years, he has conducted numerous local and international training programs on Customs matters while taking part in several local and international forums including public seminars, representing the department. He has also conducted lectures at PIM, Horizon Campus, Achievers, National Chamber of Exporters, University of Colombo, University of Moratuwa, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, SLPA and AASL for various academic programs.

He also serves as the Head of the “Subcommittee for the Implementation of the Enquiry Point in Sri Lanka Customs” and a member of; “The Steering Committee for the Implementation of Obligations under the WTO – TFA”, “The Implementation of the World Customs Organization – Revised Kyoto Convention (WCO – RKC) in SLC” and is the Nominated Member from SLC to the “World Customs Organization’s Working Group on Performance Measurement”.

Dimantha Seneviratne is the Chief Executive Officer / Director of the National Development Bank PLC [NDB]. He counts over 30 years of experience in the Banking industry, and is widely known as a transformational leader. Having joined NDB in 2017, he transformed it to one of the most agile and fastest growing banks, which is now the fourth largest listed bank in Sri Lanka. Prior to joining NDB, he was the Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC [PABC] for three years leading it to a high performing mid-sized Bank. He had spent over 15 years with the global giant, HSBC Group, where he held several senior leadership roles including Chief Risk Officer position in several jurisdictions covering Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh and Thailand.

In addition to holding several Board Director positions in NDB Group companies, Dimantha functions as a Director of the American Chamber of Commerce, and till early this year was a Director of Credit Information Bureau – Sri Lanka. He was also re-appointed to serve as a Director of Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Limited in December 2021. He is the Immediate past Chairman of the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association [Guarantee] Ltd [SLBA] and a past President of the Association of Professional Bankers [APB] Sri Lanka.

He holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayawardanapura, and B.Sc, from the same University. He is also a Post Graduate Diploma Holder in Computer System Design from the National Institute of Business Management. He successfully completed the High Potential Leadership Programme at the Harvard Business School, Boston, USA, in 2016. He is also a Senior Fellow Member [FIBs] of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka.

His strong strategic focus, ability to develop people and drive them towards sustained results have led NDB to be recognized as the best bank in Sri Lanka in numerous occasions at prestigious local and international awards. Dimantha is also the recipient of the best CEO in the Sri Lankan banking sector award, in several international awards programs.

He is a strong proponent of digitization in financial services, financing renewable and clean energy generation, financial inclusion, women empowerment and environmental sustainability.

Major General (Retd) Duminda C Keppetiwalana is a distinguished military veteran who has made significant contributions to Sri Lanka during his 35 years of service in the Sri Lanka Army. He was born on August 15th, 1964, and graduated from the prestigious Maliyadewa College in Kurunegala before enlisting in the Sri Lanka Army on 07th March 1984.

During his illustrious military career, he held various command, staff, and instructional appointments. Major General Keppetiwalana has commanded two Infantry Battalions, held GSO I (Ops) and GSO I (Staff Duties) at the Army Headquarters, and served as General Officer Commanding of 59 Division and 66 Division. He also has mission experience UN MINUTSAH in Haiti as Deputy Staff Military Personnel Officer for one year. Additionally, he has experience in civil-military cooperation, contributing to winning hearts and minds, especially during his tenure as a General Officer Commander in the Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka.

Major General Keppetiwalana is a highly educated individual with a strong academic background. He holds a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, a Masters in Defense and Strategic Studies from the National Defense University of Islamabad, Pakistan, and a Diploma in Project Management from Project Management Solutions.

During his military career, Major General Keppetiwalana was awarded the Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP) four times for his gallantry and bravery in the face of the enemy during operations. He is married to Mrs. Nirosha and has three children, two sons, and a daughter.

After retiring from the military, Major General Keppetiwalana worked as a Flight Manager in National Air Cargo (USA), a leading global freight forwarder in addition to being Head of Security at Fits Air. He is passionate about making a positive and enduring change in the lives of individuals he comes across and believes in serving the community he lives in. He enjoys traveling and sharing knowledge of best practices.

In summary, Major General (Retd) Duminda C Keppetiwalana is a highly decorated military veteran with a wealth of experience in command, staff, and instructional appointments. He has made significant contributions to civil-military cooperation and has a strong academic background. He is dedicated to serving his community and is passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of those around him.

Farzana Khan has over 20 years of experience in the private sector and the UN at Senior Level in multi-national organisations. Received extensive international exposure and training. Delivered exceptional results and enjoys a challenge. Finds great satisfaction in working with people and delivering as one. Wide experience in Marketing; Communications and Sustainability. Keen interest in environment and bio- diversity.

Farzana has worked in numerous organization holding senior management positions such as consultant, regional SUN Business Network Coordinator & Advisor for WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific, Director Sustainable Development, Communications and External Affairs in INSEE Cement, Behavior Change Specialist in UNICEF Sri Lamka, Head of Marketing and sustainability VIRTUSA, Client Servicing and Strategy Director at Q&E Advertising,  Head of Premium Category in British American Tobacco as well as Staff Officer in Banque Indosuez.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Second Upper) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and MBA (Merit) from the Post Graduate Institute of Management (PIM). In addition to that she is a Member of the Association of Business Executives (UK), and Member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS). She also works as a speech and drama teacher from the Trinity College of London.

She is a Past President and Charter Member of the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency, and Member of Zonta club 2 of Colombo. She also serves on the Board of Emerge Lanka where she works with sexually abused girls to give them a new lease of life.

Manoj Kumar Moses is a Sales, Marketing, & Operations professional. With over 24 years of management experience in Sales, Marketing, Business Development, and Operations, Manoj has a record of delivering consistent business results in a corporate career with well-reputed Sri Lankan, multinational and overseas organizations. Currently, he serves at American Premium Holdings as the Group General Manager handling Sales, Marketing & Operations. Prior to this appointment, he served as General Manager – Sales & Distribution at Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka and at Almarai Company, Saudi Arabia as a Regional Head.

Amongst the other key positions, Manoj served as the Head of Marketing at Serendib Flour Mills (part of Alghurair Group, UAE), and as the Business Manager at AB Mauri Lanka (a segment of Associated British Foods, Plc, UK). Has also contributed his services to JayKay Marketing Services (John Keells Holdings) and Darley Butler & Company Sri Lanka. In addition, Manoj acts as a multilingual trainer for leading Banks’ special projects representing PIM and as a visiting lecturer to leading international Campuses handling multiple subjects.

Manoj holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and is a Chartered Marketer at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) UK, holding a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing. He is a member of CIM UK and of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and a Life Member of the Professional Association of Sri Lanka.

Senath Jayatilake, currently holds the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Union Assurance PLC and accounts for more than 15 years of experience in several fields including Corporate finance, Business development, Logistics and Insurance. He is also a Senior Vice President of the John Keells Group and held many positions within the group since starting his career, with the group in 2007.  He was the Chief Executive Officer of John Keells Logistics (Pvt) Ltd before joining Union Assurance PLC. He earned a BA (Hon) in Finance and Accounting from the University of Nottingham (UK), an associated membership from the Chartered Institute of Management Accounting, and an MBA in International Trade and Logistics from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.