WRITERS

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SRI LANKA

Randima Attygalle The writer is an attorney-at-law, an award-winning freelance journalist and a corporate communications specialist. She is a recipient of several accolades for feature writing, social issues reportage and medical journalism. Randima is a product of the Sri Lanka Law College and University of Colombo.

Dinesh Chandrasena Dinesh is an acclaimed fashion designer who brings an international flavour to numerous global projects. From lecturing at a higher education institute to creative directing events, and product development for fashion lines in Singapore, Kuwait and Paris, Dinesh’s passion for the creative also encompasses creative writing and watercolour painting. A humourist by nature, Dinesh is an unabashed foodie and lover of wicked wit!

Wijith DeChickera Wijith is a former Editor of LMD. For him, writing has been a passion that’s become a journalistic pastime.

Kiran Dhanapala Kiran is a sustainability professional with over 20 years’ experience at country and global levels. A member of an international sustainability network, she adds value to individuals, companies and the planet through consulting.

Shiran Fernando Shiran is an economist working in the private sector and a member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Steering Committee on Economic Policy (for comments contact shiranfdo.10@gmail.com).

Goolbai Gunasekara She is a Director and former Principal of a leading international school in Colombo.

Pia Hatch Pia is a full-time mother of two, and a part-time ghostwriter and PR consultant. Her areas of expertise include princesses, superheroes and finding things that no one else can.

Nirupa Homer-Vanniasinkam The writer is a housewife and a mother of three, engaging in a home-based business which specialises in cakes and desserts. She focusses on traditional and modern recipes, using natural ingredients with a healthy twist.

Jayashantha Jayawardhana The columnist is a Senior Creative Writer/Project Leader – Marketing Content at a leading digital marketing solutions company in Sri Lanka. He’s a Business Management graduate from Wayamba University and is deeply interested in creative entrepreneurship.

Archana Law Archana is an Emotional Intelligence and Performance Coach. She also practises psychometrics, teaches neuro linguistic programming and focusses on behavioural psychology for building competencies.

Amantha Perera Amantha is a journalist and a foreign correspondent based in Sri Lanka.

Janaka Perera A senior journalist and a former News Editor of two newspapers, Janaka was also an Information Assistant at the American Embassy in Colombo.

Dr. Jehan Perera An Executive Director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka, he holds a Doctor of Law deg­ree from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard College. He is a political columnist for a daily newspaper and contributes regularly to international publications.

Hasitha Premaratne Chief Financial Officer at Brandix Lanka, Hasitha is also a senior lecturer in business subjects at a leading educational institute and visiting lecturer at the University of Kelaniya. He holds an MBA in International Finance and a BSc, is a Fellow of the ACCA (UK), and an associate member of CIMA (UK) and ASCMA.

Ayesha Reza Rafiq A freelance journalist with over a decade of experience in news and feature writing, Ayesha also contributes to leading INGO publications.

Sashan Rodrigo Sashan is a researcher in water resources reuse, allocation and management. He holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from University of Texas; and an MSc in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy.

Savithri Rodrigo Savithri is Benchmark’s and LMD’s Special Correspondent. She is a freelance electronic and print-media journalist who has won Presidential and Zonta Women of Achievement awards. She has been a news presenter for state television and radio, and is a Fellow of ICSA (UK).

Carlton Samarajiwa He is an English Language and Literature teacher, and a freelance journalist.

Dion Schoorman A veteran in the media field, Dion is a former Head of Reuters Sri Lanka – he has media in his DNA. A Rotarian for the last 30 years, Dion is a recipient of the prestigious Service Above Self Award – Rotary International’s highest honour for individual Rotarians who have demonstrated exemplary humanitarian service. An old boy of Royal College, he is an avid cricket fan.

Dyan Seneviratne Dyan heads his own training and development company specialising in 21st-century business communications. As one of his many interests, Dyan reports on the latest cars and SUVs.

Yamini Sequeira Yamini is one of LMD’s Contributing Editors and a regular columnist in the magazine.

Nicola Walsh Nicola is an educational consultant working internationally, inspecting and advising schools in South Asia, the UAE and the UK. She is on contract to Ofsted in the UK as a schools inspector.

Tanya Warnakulasuriya Tanya is an award-winning media specialist from the UK and managed the worldwide business operations for the world’s largest news corporation for 15 years. She trains organisations in corporate communication and message delivery.

Akila Wijerathna Akila is a graduate in Agricultural Biotechnology from Wayamba University.

Mihiri Wikramanayake Mihiri heads Hype, a PR firm. She writes about her travels and is one of LMD’s Contributing Editors.

Vijitha Yapa He is the Chairman of Vijitha Yapa Group of Companies, and was the Founder Editor of three newspapers.

AUSTRALIA

Sandip Hor Based in Australia, Sandip – who is also a photographer – enjoys travelling. He has visited over 65 countries, across five continents. His travel tales are also published in newspapers and magazines in Australia, Singapore, Dubai and India.

Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha MBBS (Ceylon), MSc (Oxford), FRCS (Edin.) and FRACGP is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University in Melbourne.

INDIA

Suganya Manivannan Suganya is a full-time marketing professional and part-time writer. She tries to balance her love for words and the English language, by contributing to magazines and news publications.

Sandhya Ramachandran Sandhya is a freelance filmmaker and writer who describes herself as “a square peg that shot out of a round hole, into the multiverse.” Passionate about cinema, she believes that art is the greatest leveller. When not happily lost in the world of film, Sandhya is talking philosophy or experimenting with cooking.

JAPAN

Sanjeewaka Kulathunga The writer is a training and development researcher at Japan’s Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT). He is a graduate in HRM of the University of Kelaniya and has postgraduate qualifications in International Business Management from Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS) in New Zealand.

MALAYSIA

Pallavi Pinakin Pallavi holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College, one of India’s premier educational institutions. After working with companies like IBM and McKinsey & Co., she founded her own communications firm in New Delhi. Pallavi is a travel enthusiast and a self-confessed bookworm. She has lived in India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Thailand. Pallavi now resides in Malaysia.

NEW ZEALAND

Priyan Rajapaksa An accountant by profession, Priyan has worked mainly in the corporate sector. He was a Finance Director of two public companies in Sri Lanka, and he runs an accountancy practice in Auckland serving SMEs.

SINGAPORE

Mat Ranasinghe An avid car enthusiast, Mat is an architect who shuttles between Singapore and Australia on work.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Melani Fernando Based in Dubai, Melani is a fragrance designer and trainee perfumer. She is currently in the process of founding a new niche perfume brand. In her leisure time, Melani enjoys playing the piano and travelling.

Yasmin Helal An Egyptian journalist who has a special interest in postcolonial studies, the writer follows an anthropological approach to journalism, with an emphasis on fieldwork. Yasmin returned to Dubai, following a stint in Sri Lanka where she was based for over a year – she worked as a correspondent for LMD during this time and investigated the impact of tourism on rural areas in the Deep South.

Praveen Jaiswal Praveen is a senior oil and gas professional with multinational multicultural experience. He is currently based in the UAE.

Gloria Spittel Gloria is a research enthusiast dabbling in various topics including development, sustainability, business management, technology, ICT, education, gender and communications. She lives in Dubai and has worked as a Research Associate at the Institute of South Asian Studies – National University of Singapore.

UNITED KINGDOM

Samantha Amerasinghe Samantha is a global economist, based in London. She holds a Masters in Finance degree from the University of London.

Monita Pesumal Monita resides in Wales, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in magazine journalism. She has over 20 years’ experience in the retail banking sector in Sri Lanka and the Gulf – with credit card product management and corporate communications being her fortes – and a passion for discovering the world.

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne An accountant and banker-turned-wildlife expert, Gehan is a lobbyist for progress.

UNITED STATES

Aaron Fernando Aaron Fernando lives in Ithaca, New York, where he works with a local currency and marketplace app. He is also a freelance writer focussing on local movements, behavioural economics and sustainable economic initiatives (you can follow Aaron on Twitter: @00AaronFernando).

Angelo Fernando Angelo has been writing for LMD since its inception in 1994 (he blogs at hoipolloireport.com and can be reached on angelo@publicradius.com).

Tharindra Gooneratne The writer is an MBA candidate at the Yale School of Management with experience in research and strategy.

Rajika Jayatilake A journalist and former diplomat, Rajika is experienced in international strategic communications, and media relations and advocacy.

Dr. Jan Prins Dr. Jan Prins has been involved with the Exercise Sciences for the past 35 years. He is currently on the faculty at the University of Hawaii, where he teaches Biomechanics and Anatomical Kinesiology, and is the Director of the Aquatic Research Laboratory. He is the head swimming coach at the University of Hawaii and was an Olympic coach for Sri Lanka in 1984.

Saashya Rodrigo Saashya is an educator and researcher in Special Education. She holds a BSc in Education, and an MEd in Multiple and Severe Disabilities from Georgia State University, Atlanta. Apart from writing for LMD and Living, she is also an artist and avid traveller, and enjoys playing several musical instruments.

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