Professional Experience:
I have managed development programs and led projects in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the South Pacific, as well as domestic projects in Australia. My work spans sectors including climate change adaptation and finance, disaster management, environment, infrastructure, digital platform development, and parliamentary research projects. These experiences have equipped me with extensive program management leadership and proposal development skills, particularly in low-capacity, economically, socially, and politically challenging contexts.
Passionate about creating equitable systems that provide a voice and access to those who are often overlooked, drives me to be a results and impact oriented professional. This commitment is demonstrated by the substantial effort invested in growing the Federation of Environmental Organisations (FEO) Sri Lanka. The ‘Strategic Grant’ from TAF South Asia Grants, supported by the Department of State that I secure allowed me to execute an operational and programme strategy, successfully expanding FEO's capacity. The organisation is now financially and programmatically sustainable beyond the grant funds.
Being a results oriented professional, I have both an interest in and experience in monitoring and evaluation. I led a major review of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Disaster Management’s Legal and Institutional Framework, outlining a strategy to tackle administrative and accountability bottlenecks. I also led a mid-term review of the UNFPA Sri Lanka country program, providing strategic program and output-level recommendations that was well received by both staff and the Country Director.
I gained multi-country partner delivery experience as a senior policy officer supporting the rollout of the $32 million Pacific Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning Programme (PACCSAP). Under this program, I oversaw the tracking delivery and expenditure of the $12 million CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology contract.
My evidence based, analytical approach is also a result of working in the research sector in Sri Lanka. I have led a research project into air quality in Sri Lanka with the aim of shifting public perception on the danger to public health. More recently I have shifted my research interest into the space of Climate Finance where I researched and drafted the Pre-Feasibility report for the Blue Bond initiative with the lead legal advisor, incorporating a blended finance approach to support sustainable growth of Indonesia's blue economy under the GCF funded BEAM and Blue Halo S Support Facility consortium. I am also expanding my research interest to Sri Lanka, commencing analysis on sovereign debt instruments and a feasible blended finance approach suitable for the country’s current context.
I have also developed a specialization in designing and development digital platforms for social and environment good. This extends from working from developing user requirement documentation, contributing to wireframe designs, IT contract negotiations, and overseeing site development and navigating site design issues through to deployment. I also manage platform messaging and launch events as well managing ongoing site engagement strategy and designing projects to engage users and the public. I have conceptualized, secured funding for and implemented two platforms – Mihidora.lk (knowledge hub and digital outreach portal for Sri Lanka’s environmental community) and AirQuality.lk (near-real-time air quality data and insights to the public), as well as supported the management of Manthri.lk (parliamentary and MP activity data and insights to the public).
Broad-based experience in program strategy and governance, team management, combined with my analytical skill set working in economically and politically challenging contexts, has shaped me into a highly adaptive, results-based and solutions-oriented professional.