The Postgraduate Institute of Management Alumni Association (PIMA) during it’s recently held annual general meeting, appointed Ramesh Dassanayake, a highly experienced individual with over 30 years in the Travel, Tourism & Hospitality industries in Sri Lanka, as the new president for the year 2023/2024.
As the Founder and Chairman/Managing Director of Sunway Group of companies, Ramesh has extensive experience and a wealth of knowledge on global best practices in the hospitality industry.
He holds several qualifications, including an MBA from the Post Graduate Institute of Management, a Post Graduate Degree in Planning & Management from the Cyprus Institute of Marketing, and an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from ABE (UK). Ramesh is a Fellow Member of several professional bodies such as the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) – UK, Institute of Hospitality (IoH) – UK & Association of Business Executives (ABE) – UK and is a professional member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID), Organization of Professional Associations (OPA), and Institute of Management Sri Lanka (IMSL).
Ramesh has also held several positions in various organizations such as the Founder President of ABE (UK) Sri Lanka Branch and Secretary of the National Association for In-coming Tour Operators SLAITO, and presently serves in the Executive Committees of the CMI (UK) & IH (UK) Sri Lanka Chapters.
Ramesh has been an active member of the alumni association, holding various positions such as ExCo member, Assistant Secretary, Secretary, and Vice President. He has led several critical projects, including the creation of the PIMA Portal, which strengthens bonds between members. Ramesh also coordinated and delivered the Husmata Husmak initiative with the 2021 student cohort and recently, spearheaded the launch of the PIMA branded credit card in partnership with NDB bank, providing members with savings and benefits. Members are encouraged to take advantage of this unique offering.
In his address as the newly elected president, Ramesh outlined his strategic objectives for the upcoming year, which encompass several key areas critical to the success of the alumni association. These included prioritizing membership relations to ensure open lines of communication with members and addressing their needs effectively. Ramesh emphasized the importance of business development and revenue generation to sustain the association's growth trajectory. He also highlighted the need to maintain financial stability and provide valuable educational opportunities for members. In addition, Ramesh underscored the importance of instituting relevant regulations and guidelines to ensure that the organization operates with the highest level of integrity. “We are confident that this comprehensive approach will enable us to achieve our goals and serve our members to the best of our abilities” he said.
The Executive Committee appointed for the year, comprising of several accomplished professionals from various sectors, included Mr. Shantha Katipearachchi, - Sales and Marketing and Corporate Trainer as Vice President, Mrs. Shiranthi Thewarapperuma- Managing Director Ceylon Oxygen PLC as the Immediate Past President, Mr. Saman Wimaladas, Head of IT, Ferentino Tyre Corporation (Pvt) Ltd as the Secretary, Mr. Anoj Iroshan-Group Financial Controller – Print Care PLC as Treasurer, Mr. Damitha Silva-Assistant Vice President – Digital Financial Services - National Development Bank as the Communicator, Mrs. Kanchana Boyegoda-Senior Group Manager WNS GLOBAL,as Assistant Secretary, Mrs. Mahesha Amarasuriya- Director Master Card Asia Pacific PLC as Assistant Treasurer, Mr. Chandika Kumara- Senior Manager Products & Propositions – AIA Insurance as Assistant Communicator.
Their main theme for this year is “Unleashing the collective potential of PIMA”
