Dilhan C. Fernando, the Chairman Dilmah Ceylon Tea, is the younger son of Dilmah Founder, Merrill J. Fernando. The names of Dilhan and his brother Malik form the ‘Dilmah’ brand, the first producer owned tea brand.

Mirroring his father’s devotion to tea, Dilhan’s mission is the fulfilment of the pledges his father made in the 1950s, as a young Tea man with a big dream. His commitment was to resist the commoditization that devastated a tea industry that was previously characterized by small, and passionate family enterprises. Merrill sought to bring quality and authenticity back to tea, and secondly, whilst doing so, to share the success of that business with the underprivileged.

Dilhan is the Director of the Dilmah School of Tea www.schooloftea.org, the first international school of tea, with sessions in Colombo, and in partnership with the Institute Paul Bocuse, also in Ecully, France. His desire to share the pleasure in tea with a new generation of tea drinkers saw the birth of the t-Series, designer gourmet teas www.teatimerocks.com and an entirely contemporary approach to a traditional beverage. He is described by Herve Fleury, Director of the Institute Paul Bocuse as, “a man who is passionate, totally supple in his expertise, simple and delicate in his approach and his words. In the very image of tea.”

In addition to his responsibilities in tea, Dilhan also manages the humanitarian and environmental outcomes of Dilmah. These are the fulfilment of his family’s commitment to making business a matter of human service. The MJF Charitable Foundation www.mjffoundation.org and Dilmah Conservation www.dilmahconservation.org utilise revenue from the global sales of Dilmah in implementing humanitarian and conservation projects in Sri Lanka. The MJF Foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in Sri Lanka and has changed the lives of thousands of underprivileged people, working in the tea sector and in the wider community. Dilmah Conservation operates on a similar principle, using revenue from Dilmah to implement conservation, environmental education, habitat restoration projects and promote sustainability. Dilhan currently chairs the Biodiversity Sri Lanka Platform which was pioneered by Dilmah Conservation together with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Shiran is the Chief Economist at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and leads the Economic Intelligence Unit which is the focal point of the Chamber for economic research and policy advocacy.

He was previously a member of the Steering Committee on Economic Policy of the CCC. Shiran previously held the role as the Lead Economist and Senior Product Head at Frontier Research. He has been part of numerous economic and business forums both locally and internationally as a speaker, panelist and a moderator. Shiran is also contributing writer to LMD’s monthly Economic Outlook Column and an alumnus of the U.S International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Shiran is also a member of the Investment Advisory Panel of the Softlogic Investment and was recently appointed to the board of Biodiversity Sri Lanka. 

Shiran holds a Bachelors in Economics and Finance from the University of London, holder of the ACMA and CGMA professional qualifications, a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) and an Executive MBA from the Post Graduate Institute of Management, Sri Lanka.

He is acknowledged for the pivotal role played in the development of sustainable tourism and especially for his leadership in developing the renowned Kandalama Hotel which has won many global accolades for its contribution to environmental management, food and beverage excellence, and service standards of a truly exceptional nature. These attributes signaled the entry of Sri Lanka’s tourism to the world map of the hospitality industry.

He also led the pioneering effort of large-scale expansion to the Republic of Maldives in the early ‘90s and this regional development contributed exceptionally to the overall profile and growth of Aitken Spence.

He is the current Chairman of the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and also chairs a rainforest initiative partnered by the private sector which bench-marks the best practices for Eco-Tourism development in Sri Lanka. He serves as a Member of the Grants Board of ICTA, and as a board member of Light House PLC, Fort Hotel Group, and Ramada Colombo.

Mr. Prema Cooray was awarded the “Legend of Tourism” by the Ministry of Tourism in 2011.

He is the Past President of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (1998-2000) also served as the Secretary-General/ CEO of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (2003- 2008)
Mr. Cooray has an MBA from the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, is a Certified Management Accountant and he is also a Member of the Institute of Hospitality, UK

A distinguished businessperson who has held managerial positions of 9 different companies. Having Joined Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) in early 2004, he serves as the Chairman/ Managing Director of (DIMO) since 2012. He has also held positions as Joint Managing Director, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer at DIMO.

Mr. Pandithage has a Diploma in Internationale Nederlanden Groep (Ing) from Germany and is also a member of the Institute of Engineers in Germany. He is also a distinguished recipient of Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and has previously occupied the position of Member of VDI Verein Deutscher Ingenieure eV and Vice President at Sri Lanka Germany Business Council.

Hasrath Munasinghe currently serves as the Deputy General Manager of Commercial Bank of
Ceylon PLC. He also serves as a Trustee of the Commercial Bank CSR Trust. He oversees Retail
Banking, Marketing, Card business, Digital Banking, Sustainability and Women Banking verticals of the Bank. He is also a Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director of C B C Finance Limited,
a fully owned subsidiary of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.
Hasrath counts over 28 years of experience including 14 years of corporate management / C-suit level experience. He is a recipient of multiple awards, the most coveted being one of the “Top 10 Outstanding Young Persons in Sri Lanka” in 2013. He was listed amongst the “100 Most Talented Global Marketing Leaders” by Chief Marketing Officers, Asia Council in 2014.
Hasrath possess 15 academic and professional qualifications including two Masters Degrees andfour fellowships. He holds a MSC in IT from University of Moratuwa. He’s also an MBA from the
University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Australia. Hasrath is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) UK, a Fellow of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and a Fellow of
Chartered Management Institute (CMI) UK. He has the distinction of being the youngest Sri Lan-kan to receive both Fellow CIM and Fellow SLIM status. Fellow of the Institute of Bankers (FIB) Sri Lanka and ACMA, CGMA of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK.
Hasrath has taken part in many local and international forums as a speaker, panelist, and moderatorand trainer in ten countries. Hasrath contributes articles and papers to journals and publications in the topics of Banking, Marketing, Corporate Social Responsibility and
Sustainability.
Apart from being a Director of Biodiversity Sri Lanka, he served as the treasurer and board member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka region (CIMSLR), a treasurer and board member of the International Advertising Association (IAA) Sri Lanka chapter, a council member of Chartered Management Accountant (CMA Australia) Sri Lanka chapter and as a council member of Association of Professional Bankers (APB), Sri Lanka, He is also a member of the Sri Lanka
Institute of Directors, (SLID).

Sayuri is the Group Chief Operating Officer of Jinasena Group of Companies – Jinasena Pvt Ltd, Jinasena Agriculture Machinery Pvt Ltd and Jinasena Infotech Pvt Ltd since August 2020.

She has more than 18 years’ experience in Banking and Financial Services, Manufacturing, Logistics companies in Project Management, Consulting, Business and Digital Transformation.

She holds a MBA in Business Administration from Anglia Ruskin University, UK and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt holder of Dr. Mikel J. Harry Six Sigma Institute.

Lasitha has over 24 years of experience with 21 years of experience in Life Insurance Operations and Sales inclusive of 07 years at AIA Insurance Sri Lanka and 03 years of Marketing and Sales exposure in London. He is the current Chief Executive Officer of HNB Assurance PLC. Prior to joining HNB Assurance PLC in 2019 he functioned as the General Manager – Life Operations and Specified Officer at Softlogic Life Insurance PLC.  Lasitha Joined HNB Assurance PLC in 2019 and served in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer and Principal Officer prior to being appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of HNB Assurance PLC.

Lasitha holds a Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA) from the University of Wales, UK and a B. A. (Hons) Degree in Business Studies from the University of Sunderland, UK. He is a Chartered Insurer and a Fellow Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute (FCII). Lasitha is also a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK (ACIM).

Lasitha is the current Secretary of the Insurance Association of Sri Lanka (IASL) and is the immediate Honorary Past President of the Sri Lanka Insurance Institute (SLII) and has been serving as a Council Member from 2011. He was also the Founder Secretary General of the Association of Chartered Insurance Professionals (ACIP) and was a Council Member until March 2021. He was the first to publish a book on Life Insurance in a local context, titled “Jeewitha Rakshanaye Asiriya”.

Sri Lanka’s leading naturalist and taxonomist of freshwater fish of Sri Lanka.

Rohan Pethiyagoda, Sri Lanka’s leading naturalist and a taxonomist of freshwater fish of Sri Lanka, won the prestigious “The Linnean Medal” award by the Linnean Society of London, which is the world’s oldest active society devoted to natural history. This medal is awarded annually by the council of the Linnean Society alternately to one or two biologists (in any field), as an expression of the society’s esteem and appreciation for service to science. Mr. Pethiyagoda is the first Sri Lankan scientist, and the second Asian scientist honored with this award since the program began way back in 1888.

The Linnean Society of London is the oldest functioning natural history society in the world. The Society takes its name from the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), whose botanical, zoological, and library collections have been in our care since 1829. It was founded in 1788 by Sir James Edward Smith (1759–1828), who served as its first President. These unique collections will continue to be vital as a key source of plant and animal naming information. They are complemented by the society’s extensive library, which has important scientific and cultural resources.

Mr. Rohan Pethiyagoda has been an employee and advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka, serving as Chairman of the Water Board in the 1980s. His 1991 monumental Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka was hailed as a landmark achievement, treating the island’s diverse ichthyofauna more comprehensively and authoritatively than ever before. Over the next decade, both Rohan and his Wildlife Heritage Trust (WHT), set up with the profits from the book, became synonymous with the exploration, discovery, and documentation of Sri Lanka’s biodiversity and the wider application of this to enhance the biogeography of the broader region. His program of original and collaborative research (both Sri Lankan and overseas) has resulted in publications on many zoological groups in addition to fishes. His impact on biodiversity research in Sri Lanka and beyond through his output and catalytic influence cannot be overestimated.”

He also won the Rolex Awards for Enterprise in 2000 for 25-hectare Agrapatana Montane Forest Restoration Initiative. Besides the restoration work, the forest was home to a conservation-breeding centre for rare species of lizards, mice, shrews and frogs. As the forest’s tendrils regrew, hundreds of long-absent wild creatures began to appear – leading to the discovery of over 200 species new to science.

Enlightening fellow Sri Lankans about the wonders of their island is a cornerstone of Pethiyagoda’s mission. He established a nature publishing house, donating books to over 5,000 schools. As awareness spread, visitors from around the world flocked to the lingering marvels of the cloud forest: visits to Horton Plains swelled from 1,000 people a year to 2.7 million by 2018. “There is a massive increase in public demand for appreciating nature,” he observes. The students he first encouraged to work on his reserves have since become professors and now bring their own students to advance the work of recovery.

He brings nearly 30 years of experience in environment and natural resource management. Before joining IUCN, Dr Shamen Vidanage served as a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Zoology and Environmental Management, University of Kelaniya. He was formally Programme Coordinator at IUCN Sri Lanka office and also, he served as Acting Country Representative of IUCN Sri Lanka for three years in his 17-year career there.

Before IUCN, he was the Head of Socio-economic and Market Research Division of NARA (National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency) and Assistant Director, Natural Resources Management Division, CEA (Central Environmental Authority). Dr Vidanage represents and contributes to the various national committees. Currently, he is the President of Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (SLAFAR) and the Editor-in-Chief of the Sri Lanka Journal of Aquatic Sciences (SLJAS) whereas he served as the President of SLAAS (Social Sciences – Section F) and Secretary to Environment Committee of SLAAS in 2021.

Shamen has a PhD in Environmental Economics and Master’s in Economics from University of Colombo, MSc in Environmental Economics from PGIA (Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya) and a Honors degree in BSc in Agricultural Sciences from University of Peradeniya.

Shiranee Yasaratne has demonstrated success in promoting environmental and social sustainability in the business sector, with a particular focus on sustainable consumption and production, strategic and environmental impact assessment and integrating environmental and biodiversity considerations into corporate practices of businesses at the local, national, and multinational levels.

She possesses a rare mix of working in international, public sector and non-profit organizations with a proven ability to apply problem-solving and team-building skills to program challenges. With leadership and management experience as Deputy Director General of the Central Environmental Authority of the Government of Sri Lanka, Country Representative of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sri Lanka and Head of the Regional Business and Biodiversity Programme of IUCN Asia, Shiranee has skills and project management experience in diverse areas of natural resources management.

She has provided vision and strategic leadership in developing the Business and Biodiversity Programme for the Asia region in keeping with IUCN’s inter-sessional programme. During a fifteen year tenure at the Central Environmental Authority of the Government of Sri Lanka, she has liaised with multi-disciplinary project teams focusing on evaluating environmental impacts of large scale development projects working with the industrial sector at national and SME levels, establishing and enforcing legal regimes for supporting the sustainable use and conservation of natural resources.

Currently serving as the Managing Director/CEO of Sustainability Agenda (Pvt.) Ltd., an organization committed to enhancing sustainability practices in Asian Businesses, Advisor to the Sri Lanka Business and Biodiversity Platform (Biodiversity Sri Lanka) and on the Advisory Board of Dilmah Conservation, Shiranee possesses considerable experience in working with national and international industry associations in promoting sustainable consumption and production practices in developing countries.

She has wide experience in fundraising, and a broad knowledge of environment and development in Asia with a special interest in South and South East Asia, with university and other teaching experience in natural resources management, SEA and EIA with significant contributions to policy and institutional reforms around Asia. She is a founder Council Member of the Institute Of Environmental Professionals of Sri Lanka and is a winner of the Zonta Women of Achievement (Environment category) Award in 2006..

Hanan holds a B.Sc. in International Relations from the University of London under guidance of London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to joining BSL, he has worked for the Presidential Secretariat and carries substantial experience in communications. He is reading for his LLB at University of London.

Before joining BSL, Akram worked at a NGO, which is an International organization, specially appointed as the Project Secretary for the Wetland Conservation Project, which was funded by Netherlands, since 1995. He followed the main tasks such as communication and field related work and helping production of large no of project outputs and reports.

He has also worked as a full time Project Procurement Officer in the Post Tsunami Reconstruction Program implemented by the federation of Canadian Municipalities, under the Canadian Municipal Program. From 2003 onwards, he held various posts at IUCN, such as the Personal Assistant to the Country Representative, Administrative Officer and Senior Administrative Officer. Akram is an officer who has demonstrated his professionalism, reliability and works with utmost integrity.

Pavithra holds a Bachelor of Science Degree with Second Class Upper Division from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura under the guidance of the Faculty of Applied Science. Prior to joining BSL, she worked for EML Consultants (Pvt) Ltd and carries substantial experience in Environmental related projects. She is in the final stages of her Master of Science degree in Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

She possesses 6+ years of professional experience specializing in the areas of Waste Management & Plastics, Natural Resources, Biodiversity, Wildlife Conservation, Climate Change, Ecotourism, Environmental Policy, Sustainability, and Environmental Impact Assessment, and skilled in Project Management. She is an excellent team player with the ability to anticipate issues and respond quickly, solving problems with flexibility and creativity.

Yoshan graduated from the University of Ruhuna with BSc. Honors in Green Technology with a concentration in environmental management and conservation. He has been working in project coordination in the Waste Management domain under several projects with different donors and multilateral organizations for more than four years. He has provided technical and administrative support for several projects and gained enormous experiences related to waste management, livelihood development, stakeholder engagement, teamwork, innovative thinking and critical thinking. Also, he has served as a motivational speaker for a voluntary organization for more than seven years that targets schoolchildren, young people, and professional teams. He has led training programs for more than 4,000 participants from different geographical locations in Sri Lanka, inspiring and guiding them as they developed their leadership, capacity, and learning skills. Yoshan is passionate about initiatives that address biodiversity conservation, climate change, environmental protection, social equality and youth empowerment.