I was born in Sri Lanka and was educated there up to university level, where I graduated in law. Thereafter, I qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the United Kingdom, where I worked for 12 years. I am a Bachelor of Laws of the University of Sri Lanka and am a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.
My work experience is wide and encompasses two geographies in the developed and developing world, two career paths, in accounting (at EY London) and banking. I was employed as CEO twice, with a multinational bank (Citibank) and a local banking group (National Development Bank) in Sri Lanka. I have benefited immensely from the exposure to different environments and corporate cultures and from the leadership experience over many years.
My key strengths include linking changing political , economic and competitive conditions to long term business strategies, managing change , risk management, optimizing institutional networking opportunities particularly in Asia , working with multilateral agencies (including ADB,IFC, CDC , FMO and KFW), as well as regional commercial banks and managing key stakeholders (such as boards, senior management , employees, shareholders , funding agencies and the government ) across complex matrix relationships.
I was appointed as Treasurer in 2018, a position which I continue to hold. During this period I have been an active participant in the work of the Council, the Bureau and the Finance and Audit Committee in particular, as well as numerous other committees, including the Task Force on financial strategy and the DG Search Committee. I have devoted considerable time to working with the President, Vice Presidents and the Secretariat, to whom I strive to provide independent, professional and constructive advice.
Going forward, IUCN is well positioned to help alleviate the environmental problems facing our planet.
My particular interest is in helping IUCN achieve it mission goals, by ensuring its long term financial sustainability in a challenging environment. I hope to achieve this by assisting it in formulating and implementing its risk adjusted financial strategy and linking it with its mission and its operational plan.
