Management

Dr Gunatilake has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture (Sri Lanka), Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Agriculture (Norway), Masters in Natural Resources Management (Norway), and PhD in Resource Economics (United States). and served as Professor and the Head, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (1986 – 2004).

The notable training he has undergone includes training on Environmental Economics and Policy Analysis at Harvard University, USA, in 1993, and a programme on Leadership for Sustainable Development, Cambridge University, UK, in 2011.

He joined ADB as an environment specialist and served as natural resource economist, economist, and energy economist in different departments. He was also Director of the Environment and Safeguards Division in the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department of ADB. He has published more than 50 journal articles; about 25 ADB publications; and five books on energy, natural resources, and environmental economics. His recent publications are on economics of biofuel, hydropower development and economic growth, impact evaluation of energy sector investments, private sector participation in infrastructure provisions, assessing and unbundling demand for water and electricity, energy trade and regional cooperation, and transport sector investments, economic growth and poverty reduction.
Dr. Gunatilake was a former member of the Board of South Asia Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Policy Studies Colombo, Visiting Professor at Kelaniya and Peradeniya Universities, Member of Agricultural Economists Association, and Member of Research and Training Committee in Hector Kobbekaduwa Research and Training Institute.

Karin has a Master’s in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, USA. She has over 15 years’ experience in implementing Development and Environmental Management projects with NGOs and multilateral agencies. Karin has in-depth knowledge and expertise in Sustainable Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Facilitation and Training.  She has carried out many research assignments, consultancies, generated and contributed to many knowledge outputs. Karin is also a Qualitative Researcher. At CEPA, she heads the Sustainable Development Thematic Programme that concentrates on building evidence and generating a dialogue on sustainable systems in order to integrate this knowledge into development policy and practice at local and global levels. Over the past 12 years at CEPA, she has led and managed multiple research projects that cover numerous topics related to the environment and climate change, estate sector, labour, education, infrastructure, and resettlement.

Areas of interest: Sustainable Development, Environmental and Natural Resource Management and Impact Monitoring. 

Munas obtained his PhD from Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands. His doctoral research looked at the complexities of diaspora engagement in post-war communities of Sri Lanka. Munas received his Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Colombo and Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture at the University of Peradeniya. Munas’s research and publications focus on transnationalism, migration and development, transnationalism and diaspora engagement in post-war recovery, using alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for sustainable peace, reconciliation and social cohesion, poverty and conflict and fisheries sector issues.

Munas has extensive experience in carrying out evaluations and assessments of development interventions, including peacebuilding projects for development agencies and government of Sri Lanka using OECD-DAC evaluation criteria. He also conducts training in qualitative research methods and qualitative data collection using computer assisted qualitative analysis software such as NVIVO. Munas currently leads the Labour Migration Thematic at CEPA.

Areas of Interest: Poverty and Conflict, Post-War Development and recovery, Post-development, Transnationalism and Religious Identities, Diaspora Engagement, Evaluations.

Hemanthi is a Fellow Member the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and also a Fellow member of the Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. She had worked at KPMG Sri lanka in the capacity of Tax Manager and Audit Manger during her stay from 1996 to 2002.While at KPMG She has gained extensive exposure to Taxation and related issues and also Auditing and Accounting relating to Quoted Companies, Limited liability Companies, etc. Further She had served as the Director Finance of Urban Development Authority. Her working experience includes Government Sector Institutions like Outer Circular Highway Project under Road Development Authority, Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital in the capacity of Accountant. Also had worked at Altair as the Finance Manager to Special Authorized Officer, the Institute of Chartered Accountants as the Head of Finance, Chief Financial Officer of CIFL, Finance Manager at Ceylinco Ltd, Overseas experience includes working as the Accountant for A& P Dominion and Export Packers in Toronto Canada and Finance Manager at KGL Investments in Kuwait.

With 26 years of   post-qualified experience, had gained exposure in Investment Appraisals, Tax Planning Treasury Management, Auditing and Accounting which covers different business sectors such as Regulatory Authorities, Service Providers, Hospitals, Professional Institutes, Real Estate, Pharmaceuticals, Finance Companies and Construction

Rajindra Rohitha has a B.Sc. (Agric.), University of Peradeniya, and a  M.Sc (Aquaculture), Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand. He also has a Postgraduate diploma in Regional Industrial Development from NIBM Sri Lanka. Additionally, he has followed some advanced courses in environmental and resource economics, affiliated to international networks.

He is an experienced development practitioner worked as an expatriate in International Organizations and INGOs in several countries such as Zambia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. His areas of interests are Food & Nutrition Security, Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction and Livelihoods. During his career, he has notable innovations; some of them are forest market gardens as a climate smart cropping system, farmers field school in climate change adaptation, threshold level investment methodology in livelihood development and use of analytical hierarchy process in vulnerability analysis.  He is also an expert in result based planning process.

He works at CEPA as the Programme Development Specialist

Nayana has obtained Bachelor’s of Commerce degree and Master’s  of Business Administration from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. She is Postgraduate Diploma holder of CIM(UK) and has obtained part qualifications in Chartered Accountancy.

She is having exposure in Human Resources & Administration, Procurement, Customer Service and Quality Management.  She has served in multiple sectors such as Telecommunication, Health Care, Manufacturing and Micro Finance sectors.