Emerging Businessperson For The Year
STASSHANI JAYAWARDENA
LMD’s Emerging Businessperson For The Year isn’t simply the inheritor of a legacy but a dynamic leader shaping a new chapter
She is not only the first female board member of Aitken Spence but also its first female chairperson – following in the footsteps of her father, the late businessman Deshamanya Harry Jayawardena.
Her bold assumption of this role is a sign of leadership that has earned Stasshani Jayawardena recognition as LMD’s Emerging Businessperson For The Year.
Like her father, Jayawardena is now a major stakeholder in a diversified portfolio of companies including Aitken Spence, a conglomerate with notable influence across multiple industries – particularly tourism in Sri Lanka – and with a steadily expanding footprint in the Maldives, India and Oman.
Carrying a legacy of leadership while forging her own path, Jayawardena needs no introduction: she was appointed to Melstacorp’s board in 2022, though not everything began as easily as one might presume. She brings to the table a plethora of experience shaped by years of engagement across the corporate landscape.
Beginning humbly as a non-paid trainee at Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) and Aitken Spence Travels, she progressed to a management trainee role at Aitken Spence over a decade ago.
More recently, Jayawardena has spearheaded several major strategic divisions as Chairperson of Aitken Spence Hotel Managements, as well as Lanka Milk Foods, Aitken Spence Aviation and Western Power Company.
Her international exposure began early. In 2003, Jayawardena became the youngest intern to work under former US president Bill Clinton and his wife, the former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
At only 18, she chaired the Future World Leaders Summit – a platform dedicated to nurturing youth interest in diplomacy, international relations, international law and world economics. From thereon, she pursued academic and professional development at St. James & Lucie Clayton College in London, Keele University in the UK and the Singapore based Emeritus Institute of Management.
A passionate advocate of women’s rights, Jayawardena has long championed gender equality in the workplace. She was integral to Aitken Spence becoming the first company in the world to sign the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and also represented Aitken Spence as an Ambassador for the UN Global Compact’s Target Gender Equality Accelerator initiative.
Her vision remains clear: to bring greater inclusivity and representation to traditionally male dominated businesses.
Stasshani Jayawardena is emblematic of a shift in global business dynamics and has been a forerunner of such change for quite some time. LMD’s Emerging Businessperson For The Year isn’t simply the inheritor of a legacy but a dynamic leader shaping a new chapter – one that is defined by resilience, innovation and a steadfast commitment to empowering others.
