Board of Directors

Prof. Savitri Goonesekere
Chairperson (till June 2014) 
Prof. Savitri Goonesekere is emeritus Professor of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. She was formerly Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and a member of the Expert Committee (Treaty body) monitoring the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women from 1999 to 2002. A member of several regional, national and international bodies on women’s issues, she has held fellowships in universities in the US and the UK. She served from 2005 to 2011 as a member of the UN Trust Fund for Victims of Torture. Professor Goonesekere has contributed to advocacy and law reform initiatives in Sri Lanka and has also acted as a consultant for several international agencies working on law and human rights projects in the Asian region. She was also a Member of the Editorial Advisory Committee, UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children (2005 to 2006). She has published widely on family law, women and children’s rights, human rights, law and development issues. She was a winner of the Fukuoka Asian Culture International Award (Academic), 2008.

Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy
Chairperson (from July 2014)
Director (till June 2014)
Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy was an official in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 1974-1989. He worked in the Economic Research, Statistics and Bank Supervision Divisions. During this time he was seconded to the Ministry of Finance and Planning (1981-89). The Commonwealth Secretariat from 1990-2008 employed him. During that time he held the positions, inter alia, of Director, Economic Affairs Division and Deputy-Director, Secretary-General's Office. He was subsequently Interim Director, Social Transformation Programme Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, (Jan-July 2010). Dr. Coomaraswamy completed his undergraduate degree at Cambridge University and obtained his Doctorate at the University of Sussex.

Mr. Hilmy Ahamed
Director
Mr. Hilmy Ahamed is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Young Asia Television, (YATV) Colombo, Sri Lanka which works in close co-operation with a number of television networks, United Nations Organisations, International Agencies, Non Governmental Organisations and Governments in Asia, Africa and Latin America on issues related to peace, the environment, culture and other social and sustainable development issues. He began his career in media thirty two years ago as one of the pioneers of the television medium in Sri Lanka. His professional expertise is extensive, and ranges from photography and direction to media administration and training. Hilmy is currently a board member of YAMEDIA PVT Ltd, UK, an executive committee member of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka and a board member of the Secretariat for Muslims (Formerly the Peace Secretariat for Muslims). He has also served as an EX-COM member of the Global Knowledge Partnership based in Malaysia.

Mr. Deshal de Mel
Director (from July 2014)
Mr. Deshal de Mel presently works for the Hayleys Group as its Senior Economist. Prior to joining Hayleys, he worked for the Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka. His research has been published in a number of books and journals. Along with policy research, Mr. de Mel has also represented the Government of Sri Lanka in inter-governmental trade negotiations. He has a degree in Philosophy, Political Science and Economics from the University of Oxford, UK, and a Master's in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics, UK. He serves on the Board of Directors of Sampath Bank PLC as a Non-Executive Director, and also serves on the Economic, Fiscal and Policy Planning (EFPP) Committee and Export Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Prof. Amala De Silva
Director
Prof. Amala De Silva is a Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Colombo. She graduated from the University of Colombo and has a DPhil from the University of Sussex. Her research is mainly in the area of Health Economics.

Dr. Anila Dias Bandaranaike
Director (from July 2014)
Dr. Anila Dias Bandaranaike retired as Assistant Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in October 2007. Prior to her appointment as Assistant Governor, she served as Director of Statistics and of Bank Supervision. Before joining the Central Bank, she was a post-doctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University, USA. Following her retirement, she served on the Council of the Open University of Sri Lanka. In retirement, she pursues her personal and professional interests, particularly advocating improvements to national statistics and raising awareness on socio-economic issues. She holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Colombo and an MSc in Applied Statistics from Oxford University, UK. She obtained her PhD in Statistics from Cornell University, USA.

Dr. Ramani Gunatilaka
Director (from July 2014)
Dr. Ramani Gunatilaka works as an independent consultant in Sri Lanka and the region. She is also a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo, and has published internationally, in the areas of income distribution, labour markets and subjective well-being. She holds a BSc in Economics from the University College London, UK, an MSc in Development Economics from the University of Oxford, UK, and a doctorate in Applied Econometrics from Monash University, Australia.

Mr. Asoka S Gunawardena
Director
Former Chairman of the Finance Commission of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, Mr. Gunawardena is a governance specialist with particular interest in decentralisation and sub-national government. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.), from the University of Ceylon, a Post-graduate Diploma in Development Administration from the University of Leeds, UK, and a Master in Social Science from the University of New England, Armidale, Australia.

Deshamanya, P Devasiri Rodrigo
Director
Mr. Deva Rodrigo was former Territory Senior Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. He serves on the boards of several not-for-profit organisations and as non executive director of three public listed companies since his retirement in 2006. He has held many public appointments including that of member of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the Telecom Regulatory Authority and the councils of the University of Moratuwa and the University of Colombo.

Mr. Johann Rebert
Director 
Mr. Johann Rebert has a MA in Conflict Resolution from the School of Social and International Studies at the University of Bradford, and is currently the Deputy Country Representative for The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka. He has primarily worked in the peace building and development sector, and has more recent oversight of donor policy and practice in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Dushni Weerakoon
Director (till June 2014)
Dr. Dushni Weerakoon is currently the Deputy Director and Head of Macroeconomic Policy Research at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS). Her research and publications are in the area of regional trade integration, international economics and macroeconomic policy. She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK.