Rotary group study exchange programme to Osaka

Five energetic young professionals, representing Rotary International District 3220 Sri Lanka will fly to Osaka, Japan for a Group Study Exchange (GSE) programme in November.

Led by a Rotarian Past President Pubudu de Zoysa, a member of Rotary Club of Colombo, the team includes Rukshi Liyanage, Shamali Perera, Srikanth Selladurai and Mel Gunasekera.

The month-long GSE programme gives participants an opportunity to learn about their vocation and how it is practiced in Osaka, develop personal and professional relationships and exchange ideas.

Team members also make a short presentation on Sri Lanka, its culture and diversity to Rotary Clubs in Osaka, the Osaka Rotary District conference and the Rotary Institute.

Each GSE team member is hosted by an Osaka Rotarian family, who provides the warmth and support of a home away from home. The family stay also gives an insight into Japanese lifestyles and culture. Sri Lanka has been participating in the GSE programme since its inception in 1965.

To date over 100 people have participated in the programme, forging lasting friendships. Sri Lanka is the second country in the world to establish a Rotary Club of the Rotary Foundation Alumni (Rotary Club of Colombo Re-connections).

Rotary first made its presence in Sri Lanka in 1929 when the Rotary International District 322 South

India extended the Rotary Club of Colombo. As the movement gathered pace, Sri Lanka was separated from India and given its own district - 3220 - on July 1, 1991. To date, the movement has grown into 58 clubs, with a membership of 1,612 Rotarians, 1,500 Rotaractors and about 2,500 Interactors.

The Rotary movement in Sri Lanka is currently chaired by District Governor Rotarian Gehan Siribaddana. Rotarian Past District Governor Thariq Thulba Chairs the Rotary Foundation, while the present GSE Chairman is Rotarian Past President Mohan Abeysinghe.

This GSE programme to Osaka, was imitated during the year 2010/11 under the leadership of District Governor Rotarian Imthiaz Ismail, and then the Rotary Foundation Chairman Rotarian PDG Nihal Bogahalande and the GSE Chairman Rotarian Past President Dr. Suresh Britto. Over the years, the Rotary movement has made a name for itself in Sri Lanka building schools, shelters, sanitation facilities, providing safe drinking water, eradicating mosquitoes, promoting AIDS awareness and cancer screening/awareness programmes, promoting literacy and maternal childcare.

Following the 2004 Asian tsunami, The Rotary Foundation made a historic $13 million donation to build 22 schools along the north, east, and southern coastal belt that were devastated by the giant tidal waves. Rotarians also built a Rotary Village in the Menik Farm area, where 444 temporary shelters helped house over 3,200 war-displaced people.

Member Profiles

Rotarin Pubudu de Zoysa

A Chartered Civil Engineer by profession, Pubudu de Zoysa has been a Rotarian for the past 10 years and is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo. She has been part of the GSE programme before, having hosted visiting foreign teams. She currently serves as the Chairman Vocational Service in the Rotary movement, having previously held posts of President (Rotary Club of Colombo Mid Town), secretary and Assistant Governor.

She has also serves as the District Conference Secretary and the Chairman Service Projects. Attached to San Trading Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd., a subsidiary of Sanken Lanka Group of Companies, as the General Manager, she is also a chartered marketer, and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Colombo and a Masters Degree on Project Management from the University of Moratuwa, while studying for the Chartered Accountancy exam, she is also an active member of the Colombo Toast Masters Club, Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka and the MBA Alumni Association.

Rukshi Liyanage

A Chartered Marketer by profession, she currently heads the Account Management Team of Holmes Pollard and Stott. She has completed a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations, and is presently reading for a Masters Degree in Conflict and Peace Studies at the University of Colombo.

My interests are wide-ranging and include travelling, nature, animals, sports (especially hockey), socialising, movies, music, dancing, painting and sculpture.

Shamali Perera

A Chartered Marketer by profession, she works for the Hemas Group personal care unit as a group product manager, overlooking the marketing aspects of a range of feminine hygiene products.  She has over 15 years experience in brand management, market research and sales in the Telecom, healthcare and personal care sectors. She is currently reading for a MBA at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura. Her community work ranges from helping physically, mentally challenged, abused children, tsunami victims, disabled soldiers and sick animals.

Srikanth Selladurai

Currently based in Malaysia as the global Chief Marketing Officer for Goodhope Asia Holdings downstream fats and oil business, he was earlier attached to GSK (Glaxo) Colombo – consumer business, as a Director of Marketing.

A never-ending thirst to gather knowledge, he has studied under systems of British (MBA), Indian (B. Pharmacy) and Sri Lankan (PGDip in Psychology, MSc in IT) education.

He possess experience of a marketer, mindset of a psychologist and a scientific discipline of a pharmacist. During his spare time he has been teaching for the past 12 years, sharing knowledge with over 12,000 students.

Mel Gunasekera

A business school graduate currently following a course in digital marketing conducted by the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK, she is a professional journalist for nearly 15 years.

She currently work as a correspondent for Agence France-Presse, one of the biggest three news agencies in the world, where her work takes her from the corridors of power in Colombo to the remote islands in the Maldives.

She switched to media after dabbling in careers in management and as a toy merchandiser for Woolworth PLC in London.

She briefly worked for the Sunday Times newspaper before moving to start Sri Lanka’s first online business news portal www.lankabusinessonline.com in 2000.