WRITERS

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SRI LANKA

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 at a leading business chamber in Sri Lanka.

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.

Brian Kerkoven Following a stint as a model for Ramani Fernando Salons, Brian launched a modelling agency (Walk With Brian Kerkoven) and is one of Sri Lanka’s leading choreographers today. Brian is also a fashion designer, and his designs have been showcased on catwalks in the US, Spain and Malaysia.

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.

Ranjan Mellawa The author of Winds Behind the Willows, Ranjan pens the sports column in Living. In 2017, he was named Author of the Year at the SLT Silk Sports Awards.

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.

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

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.

Nicola Walsh Nicola is an educational consultant with over 30 years’ experience teaching, and leading schools in primary and early years. She currently inspects and advises schools in the UK, Middle East and South Asia.

Akila Wijerathna The writer holds a postgraduate qualification in agricultural sciences from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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.

BAHRAIN

Monita Pesumal Monita holds a Master of Arts degree from Cardiff University. She is also a qualified banker, and a public relations and marketing communications specialist. Monita has over 20 years’ experience in sectors ranging from cards and payments, to renewable energy and fintech. She currently lives and works in Bahrain.

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

Jennifer Lee Jennifer, an Australian Chinese chef and writer based in Singapore, shares her life journey and experiences around the globe through her passions – food history and cooking.

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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 STATES

Tharindra Gooneratne The writer is an investment banker based in New York and holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management (you can reach him at tharindra_is@yahoo.com).

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.

Bill and Rich Sones Bill Sones (left) is a career journalist who writes primarily on science and math. His publication credits include Gulf News (UAE), South China Morning Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Sun-Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer and many others. Rich Sones (right) is an industrial physicist who specialises in optics and image processing.

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