CMI Sri Lanka

Tharindu Ameresekere

Tharindu Ameresekere is a Senior Lecturer at the Post Graduate Institute of Management (SJP) specializing in Finance, Marketing, Communication skills, Sustainability and Digital Disruption. Tharindu also has been coaching students for the CIMA Professional qualification for over 15 years.

He is also Founder of award winning digital agency TAC and a National Public Speaking Champion in Toastmasters being the only Toastmaster in Sri Lanka to be ranked number 1 in 3 competition categories. In 2015 he won the District 82 Table Topics championship and in 2023 the double championship in Humorous Speaking and International Speech contest.

He also hosted the weekend Business Talk Show Bisnomics on TV1. His publications in academia has been recognized in the AIB South Asian conference 2022 hosted by the Indian Institute of Management, the Global Winter Business Conference in France and the World Education summit in Malaysia. Tharindu has obtained his First degree in Computer Science with Honors from University of Staffordshire and his MBA in Marketing from University of Colombo and his Masters in Project Management from the University of Southern Queensland Australia). He has also completed the CIMA Management Accounting Qualification as well as the PQHRM qualification from CIPM and is also a Certified NLP coach from the American Board of NLP.

Ninesh D. Amirthiah FCMI

An accomplished IT professional with over 25 years of experience in management and leadership roles, specializing in ERP management and consultancy, project management, and online solution platforms. Currently serving as the Director of IT and Business Solutions for the ASEAN region at a multinational organization, acting as a global IT strategic partner to the leadership team and collaborating closely with the finance and operations departments.

Previously, held the position of Regional Manager of IT for the South Asian and Middle Eastern regions at a Fortune 500 company. Holds an MBA is a certified Management Accountant (CMA, AUS), and a Chartered IT Professional (CITP) from the British Computer Society (BCS).

Former Chairman of the Management Club of Sri Lanka and has served on the Executive Committee of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL). Member of the Project Management Institute (PMI, Sri Lanka Chapter) and currently an Executive Committee member of the Management Club of Colombo (TMC). Passionate about community service and supporting the less fortunate, and actively involved with Lions International.

Chaminda De Silva CMgr FCMI

Sales Trainer, Marketing Lecturer, Business Development Consultant and Entrepreneur – Chaminda has twenty years of Sales & Marketing experience, in which eleven years in Senior Management roles in diversified fields of Education, Retail, Healthcare, Electrical, Hospitality and HR & Management Consultancy.

Corporate Experience:

• Murphy’s Academy – Director (October 2018 to date)
• BCI CAMPUS, NEGOMBO -Chief Business Development Officer – (January 2023 to March 2024)
• OREL CORPORATION/ORANGE ELECTRIC PVT LTD – General Manager –Business Development & Marketing (April 2020 to October 2022)
• ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS PVT LTD (March 2012 to March 2020) – Head of
  Sales – Private Sector
• CASIO Electronics UK Co Ltd (June 2011 to February 2012) – London, UK – Head of Retail Marketing
• Earnest Jones (Signet Group-World’s Largest retail Jeweler)-Epsom Branch, UK -₤1.6million turnover – (February 2004 to June 2011) – Branch Manager

Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri CMgr FCMI

Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri, a leading “pracademic” with industry and academic presence, has a combination of being a Chartered Manager, Chartered HR Professional and a Chartered Electrical Engineer. He is acclaimed as a conference speaker, corporate trainer, strategy consultant, author and an academic. He is the first home-grown Senior Professor in Management of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka and was a Director / Chairman of the Board of Management of it.

He became the first Sri Lankan to lead both the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) – Sri Lanka Chapter and Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM). He is an Adjunct Professor at Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma. He was the editor of the pioneering Sri Lankan Journal of Management (SLJM). Being a Commonwealth AMDISA Doctoral Fellow, Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow, and a Commonwealth Postdoctoral Fellow, he is also an independent director of several boards. Prof. Dharmasiri likes to identify himself as one who transitioned from being an “Engineer of Electrical” to an “Engineer of Hearts and Minds.”

Farhaz Farouk CMgr FCMI

Farhaz is a Fellow member of The Chartered Management Institute, United Kingdom and The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and an Associate member of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, United Kingdom.

He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Essex, United Kingdom, and an Advanced Diploma in Islamic Banking from the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance. He is certified by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), Bahrain as a Certified Islamic Professional Accountant. In addition, Farhaz is certified as a Coach and Trainer.

He possesses over three decades of progressive and extensive work experience in audit & assurance, banking & finance, oil & gas sectors, and in training & development in Sri Lanka and Bahrain.

Dr. Thesara Jayawardane CMgr FCMI

Dr. Thesara Jayawardane is a Senior Lecturer of the Department of Industrial Management of the Faculty of Business of the University of Moratuwa. She obtained her BSc (Engineering) degree in Materials and Process Engineering from the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She is an Attorney at Law of Sri Lanka with a LLB (Honours) from the University of London and a LLM (Distinction) from the University of West of England. She possesses a Master of Arts from the University of Kelaniya in Drama and Theatre.

She obtained her PhD and MPhil in Entrepreneurship from the Aldersgate College, Philippines. She is a Chartered Manager and Fellow of Chartered Managers Institute UK, and a Chartered Marketer and a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Marketing UK. She is a Member of the Bar Association-SL, SL Institute of Marketing, American Marketing Association, Sri Lanka Institute of Service Management and an Associate member of the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka and Engineering Council Sri Lanka.

Thesara was shortlisted for Volunteer of the Year Award 2023, as a result of her voluntary work with CMI Sri Lanka. The award recognizes those who hold a volunteer position on a CMI or IC Regional board and celebrates volunteer excellence through commitment, dedication, and leadership. Thesara has been serving as a Board member of CMI-SL since 2020 as Assistant Secretary and Hon. Secretary and currently she is the 2nd Vice President of CMI-SL.

She is also serving as a Diversity and Inclusion Lead and Board member of the CMI-APAC. Thesara was a Judge of the final panel of Judges choosing the CMI Management Book of the Year 2022.

Thesara regularly writes articles to Daily News Business Section as a CMI Chartered Manager as well as APAC Newsletter on current Management issues. She is a television presenter, an award winning actress and a Karate champion. She is the World Price Winner of the Overall Best student in Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing 2012 of Chartered Institute of Marketing-UK. Dr. Thesara is an author of nine books and her latest book is on Entrepreneurship.

Ravi Jaywardena FCMI

Ravi Jaywardena is the current Group Chief Executive Officer at Maliban Group, which consists of Maliban Biscuits, Maliban Milk, and Maliban Agro Ltd. Furthermore, He is an “External Executive Director” at Cargills Bank Plc and Postgraduate Institute of Management.

Before that, he was the “Country Head of Sales at Coca-Cola Sri Lanka” where he led the Coca-Cola Sri Lanka team to win several Asian and South African “Best Practice Awards. Ravi started his professional career at Unilever Sri Lanka Ltd where he held several senior management positions in Sales and Marketing covering Home, Personnel care, and Foods.

He has been a leading MBA lecturer for the last 15 years for many universities in the UK, Australia, and in the Asian region. In 2013 Ravi was selected to deliver a speech at the prestigious world-class Cambridge University in the UK at their annual “Business & Economic Forum”.

In the year 2016, he was honored with the “People Leader in Marketing 2016” award by the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM). In the year 2018, Ravi was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the CMO Asia for his immense contribution to the society, professional and business community.

Graeme La Brooy FCMI

Graeme La Brooy is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, and has a rich diversified experience in the field of  Sales & Business Management. He started his career with Mercantile Credit Ltd who were  Principal Representative for the National Insurance Corporation. He thereafter moved to the Garment Industry for a period of 10 years with The Phoenix/Brandix Group as General Manager Sales and Marketing in the Garments Accessories sector. Thereafter he moved back into the Insurance sector with Janashakthi Insurance Plc and later had been with Asian Alliance as part of the Senior Management.

He was instrumental in setting up, growing Foresight Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers which acquired Finlay Insurance Brokers and is currently the Deputy Chairman. Graeme is also an Associate Director of Research organization RIU.

After having represented the Sri Lanka in Cricket from 1986 to 1992, he has continued with his passion for cricket by involving himself with the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket in various positions. He has been on the International Match Referee panel of the International Cricket Council from 2010 to date. He is also the President of the Sri Lankan Cricketers Association.

Rishantha Mendis FCMI

Rishantha Mendis is the Managing Director of MendisOne, Prudential Shipping, Helanka Vacations, and Premium Trading & Logistics, and Director of Ingress. In addition to overseeing day-to-day operations, he provides strategic direction for the development, expansion, and diversification of these businesses, while also managing investments. He plays a key role in overseeing corporate marketing and promotional initiatives.

Rishantha holds a Bachelor’s Degree (BA Hons) in Business Management and a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Finance and Business from Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK. He began his career at Prudential Shipping as an intern and quickly rose through four management levels before being invited to join the Board of Directors.

Rishantha is a Member (MCMI) of The Chartered Management Institute UK (CMI-UK) and currently serves as the Treasurer of the CMI Sri Lanka Branch (2022 – Present). He previously held positions as Assistant Secretary (2021-2022) and Member of the Executive Committee (2020-2021) for the CMI Sri Lanka Branch. Rishantha is also a member of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK (CILT-UK), The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors, and The National Trust of Sri Lanka. Additionally, he has been a member of YoungShip Sri Lanka since 2017, serving as Vice Chairman from 2019-2020 and Chairman from 2020-2022. He currently sits on the Executive Committee of CASA (Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents). His international experience includes working in Singapore and Dubai for short periods at Ship Owner hub offices.

Kamaya Perera FCMI

Kamaya is the Deputy Head of the Advisory practice of KPMG Sri Lanka and is the head of Management Consulting and Technology and Integration and Separation Advisory Services. She also heads the National Development Assistance Sector which focuses on the public sector, development agencies and the private sector who invest in the country’s social and economic growth priorities. She also leads KPMG Executive Services (Pvt) Ltd.

She counts over 20 years of experience in carrying out advisory engagements and implementation projects for both Government and Private sector Institutions. Her industry experience includes: FMCG, consumer markets, manufacturing, infrastructure & government, financial services, agri-business, hospitality, telecommunications and has worked in Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Kamaya has been a speaker, panelist and moderator in multiple webinars and forums on the themes of Demand Driven Supply Chain, IoT revolution in Supply Chain, Supply Chain for a Digital World, Agri Sourcing and Impacts to the Supply Chain and Supply Chain Resilience during the face of adversity.

Kamaya is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Management Institute (UK); an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ACA), an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants ACMA (UK), a Certified Practicing Accountant CPA (Australia). She also holds a BSc. (Hons.) Business from the Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

Uthpala Ranasinghe CMgr MCMI

Uthpala is an experienced professional with a proven track record in esteemed organizations over the past 15 years. She has led and managed partnership programmes and resource administration projects in the Asia-Pacific region, working at both local and international organizations. Uthpala holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, a Master of Business Studies, and a Master of Business Administration. She is a Chartered Manager accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) in the UK.

Uthpala is also an active member of several professional organizations, including the Chartered Management Institute (UK), the Institute of Chartered Professional Managers of Sri Lanka, and the Institute of Management of Sri Lanka. She has held significant roles at the UNDP Regional Center in Colombo, the International Organization for Migration, Plan International, and the World University Service of Canada. She has also served at the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology and is currently affiliated with the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology.

Chaya Ranaweera FCMI

Chaya is a strategic and analytical leader with over 20 years of experience in administration, public relations, project facilitation and human resource management; in the industries of Healthcare, Banking and Finance, Renewable Energy, E-Commerce, Retail, Hospitality and the Non-profit sector.

Currently she serves as Consultant-Head of People and Culture to the Lassana Group of Companies. During her extensive career Chaya has served in the roles of Head of Human Resources at Ceylon Hospitals PLC and Resus Energy PLC, as well as managing Human Resources at Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC. She is known for her ability to engage, motivate, and develop talent, successfully aligning HR strategies with organizational goals, optimizing manpower, and managing comprehensive HR operations. Her expertise includes HR analytics, employee relations, and talent management, demonstrating a strong commitment to fostering positive, performance-driven workplace cultures.

Chaya holds an MSc and a PgD in Labour Relations and Human Resource Management from the University of Colombo. She is also certified in Labour Law and Industrial Relations by the Employer’s Federation of Ceylon and is a Certified HR Auditor through CIPM and T.V. Rao Learning Systems. Chaya also holds certifications in General Psychology, Advanced Counseling Psychology, Computer Literacy from the University of Cambridge, and Executive Coaching from the British Coaching Foundation. 

These qualifications underpin her ability to synthesize and process information effectively, communicate complex ideas clearly, and contribute to organizational success with a well-rounded skill set.