17 distinguished Chartered Accountants to nurture aspirations of young members

Some of Sri Lanka’s well known Chartered Accountants have come onboard to build the capacity and nurture the aspirations of young members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka).

The ‘Nurturing Aspirations’ Mentoring Program, organised for a third time, kicked off recently with over 100 mentees in attendance. The three month program is recognised as an important platform to help young as well as new members of the Institute to reach their full potential in the profession, develop skills, and improve performance to progress. The mentors are also expected to give guidance to the young CAs so that they can go on to be effective business partners as well as business leaders. 

Well known corporate leaders and high profile finance professionals will steer the program, to help the young CA members achieve their full potential as globally sought after Chartered Accountants. 

The mentors for the 2018 program are: Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC Director/Chief Financial Officer Anura Perera; former Singer Sri Lanka Group Chief Executive Officer Asoka Peiris; Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Ltd. Group Chief Financial Officer Dilum Bellana; Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC Executive Deputy Chairman Jayampathy Molligoda; Sierra Cables PLC Independent Director and Audit Committee Chairman M. N. Gunasekara; Lanka Ceramic PLC & Lanka Tiles PLC Managing Director Mahendra Jayasekara; Brandix Apparel Solutions Ltd. – Casualwear Chief Executive Officer Nadun Fernando; Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC Chief Financial Officer Nandika Buddhipala; Aitken Spence Group Chief Financial Officer Nilanthi Sivapragasam; BDO Consulting Limited Managing Director & First Capital Holdings PLC Independent Chairman Nishan Fernando; Dipped Products PLC Operations Director/Main Board Director Pushpika Janadheera; Seylan Bank PLC Deputy General Manager (Corporate Banking) Ramesh Jayasekara; BDO Partners Managing Partner Sujeewa Rajapakse; Finance Commission of Sri Lanka Chairman U. H. Palihakkara; Ceylinco General Insurance Ltd. Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer Upali Witharana; Sri Lankan Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Vipula Gunathilaka; and Hayleys Aviation and Projects Ltd. Deputy Managing Director Wasaba Jayasekara. 

During the three months of mentoring, the mentors will help the mentees to reach their full potential, by sharing knowledge and guidance on core areas which are important for a Chartered Accountant. This year’s program will focus on several areas, including: leadership skills, attitudes, teamwork, motivation, soft skills, career progression, ethical issues, managing difficult situations, and how to adapt to cultural changes.