Shehara De Silva headlines Sri Lanka’s presence at EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women 2026

Shehara De Silva

EY successfully hosted the 2026 EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women Asia-Pacific annual conference in Seoul from 18 to 20 May, marking the first time the regional conference took place in South Korea.

The annual conference convened newly recognised women entrepreneurs and alumni from across Asia-Pacific to exchange strategic insights and explore cross-border collaboration. 

Hosted by EY, the program supports high-potential women entrepreneurs in accelerating global growth and strengthening regional networks.

This year’s conference welcomed more than 100 participants, including 23 women entrepreneurs selected for the Class of 2026. Proudly representing Sri Lanka in the 2026 cohort, Shehara De Silva marks a significant milestone on the global stage. 

As Managing Director of the McLarens Group, she leads a diversified conglomerate spanning shipping, logistics, manufacturing, hospitality, and more. She has driven strategic transformation across its over 45 companies, championing modernisation, diversification, and progressive leadership. She is also the founding President of WISTA Sri Lanka and the first female Chairperson of CASA.

The conference was also attended by EY representatives EY Sri Lanka and Maldives Partner - Assurance Anoji de Silva, and EY Sri Lanka and Maldives Head - Assurance Gayanthri Manatunga, as well as the EY Winning Women alumni from Sri Lanka:  IronOne Technologies and BoardPAC Co-founder and CEO Lakmini Wijesundera, and zMessenger Co-founder and CEO Jayomi Lokuliyana.

The event was designed to drive meaningful interaction and collaboration. Through key events such as the three-day Winning Women Conference and Business Leaders’ Networking Event, women entrepreneurs and global leaders exchanged insights and explored new collaboration opportunities.

It also featured a series of high-impact insight sessions led by EY professionals and external industry experts. A keynote session by a prominent economic expert provided strategies for navigating the rapidly shifting economic landscape in Asia. 

CLIO Cosmetics Founder and CEO HyunOak (Helen) Han, a 2019 alumna, delivered a compelling presentation on CLIO’s growth and global expansion, drawing strong interest. Participants also visited CLIO headquarters to gain firsthand insights into its brand strategy and international success as a leading K-beauty company.

Other sessions focused heavily on global business trends and growth strategies.

Newly appointed EY Asia East Chief Technology Officer and EY Korea AI Lead (CTO) Dr. Sooyeon Kim,  presented on AI transformation (AX) trends and operational use cases, outlining strategic frameworks to leverage AI as a core competitive advantage for business growth. Participants actively engaged in the session, sharing their own experiences and challenges in implementing AI initiatives within their organisations. Additional sessions explored macroeconomic and geopolitical trends, institutional approaches and incentives for entering the Korean market, and scale-up strategies, including capital raising and corporate financing. The conference concluded with a business leaders’ networking event, where women entrepreneurs and global leaders connected to explore future collaboration opportunities.

The Asia-Pacific program is part of the global EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women community, established in 2008, which today connects over 1,200 women entrepreneurs across more than 60 markets worldwide.