Friday Sep 18, 2026
Friday Sep 18, 2026
Friday, 18 September 2026 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Women in Management Global Founder Dr. Sulochana Segera
Women MSME Awards 2026 Chairman Prashantha Mahadevan
NextTier Mentorship and Leadership Awards 2026 Dr. Rohantha Athukorala
UK Qualification Network Director
Tim Dawkins
By Amira Cader
“Sri Lanka must move beyond academic qualifications and domestic recognition to build the skills, leadership, innovation and international exposure needed to compete in the global economy,” Women in Management Global (WIM) Founder and Chairperson Dr. Sulochana Segera said.
She made the observation at the launch of WIM – The Business & Leadership Night 2026, which will bring together three flagship platforms focusing on women-led enterprise, next-generation leadership and responsible workplaces on 9 December.
The landmark event will unite the second Women MSME Awards 2026, the Respectful Workplace Audit & Certification and the second NextTier Mentorship & Awards 2026, as WIM seeks to connect business recognition with leadership development and internationally aligned workplace practices.
Segera said Sri Lanka needed to rethink how it develops and positions its human capital, arguing that academic qualifications alone were no longer sufficient in a rapidly changing business environment.
“A degree is important, but a degree alone cannot determine success in today’s global economy, stressing that skills, discipline, innovation, leadership, technological adaptability, international exposure and the ability to execute were becoming increasingly important.
She said Sri Lanka must also examine whether its relatively educated population was being effectively translated into greater economic productivity and global competitiveness.
“It is time for Sri Lanka to move beyond simply participating in the global economy and start competing,” Segera stressed.
She also highlighted the need to strengthen Sri Lanka’s international visibility, noting that the country often spoke about its talent and capabilities domestically without doing enough to showcase them overseas. WIM’s expansion into seven countries, she said, had partly been driven by the objective of promoting Sri Lankan women and their professional, entrepreneurial and leadership capabilities internationally.
Segera said the Business and Leadership Night was an extension of this ambition, bringing entrepreneurship, leadership development and responsible workplace practices together while providing greater visibility for Sri Lankan talent and corporate excellence.
She also called for greater economic participation by women, particularly given their strong representation within higher education, arguing that Sri Lanka could not afford to leave a significant segment of its talent outside productive economic activity.
“If we don’t get them into economic participation, we can’t move forward,” she said.
However, Segera stressed that advancing women should not be treated solely as a women’s issue and called for greater involvement from men, businesses and other stakeholders.
“Leadership has no gender. It’s the way we approach it,” she noted.
NextTier Mentorship & Awards Chairman Dr. Rohantha Athukorala said rapid technological and economic changes were fundamentally altering traditional employment and career pathways, increasing the importance of mentorship and continuous skills development.
“The job arena has changed drastically,” he said.
Athukorala pointed particularly to artificial intelligence, which he said was already transforming how businesses operate, market themselves and access information.
He said the changing environment meant both young people entering employment and established professionals needed to continuously reassess their capabilities and understand where new opportunities were emerging.
NextTier seeks to address this gap by exposing participants to areas including AI, analytics, FinTech, project management, recruitment, leadership, management and macroeconomics.
“I think it is a fantastic innovation adding that helping even a relatively small number of people identify the right career direction and emerging industries could generate wider value for Sri Lanka” Athukorala said.
For the second consecutive year, the program will select 35 participants for structured engagement with 12 local and international WIM Global mentors, providing access to their experience and perspectives in preparation for greater leadership responsibilities.
Women MSME Awards 2026 judging panel Chair Prashantha Mahadevan said the awards would recognise entrepreneurs not only for business success, but also for the wider economic and social impact they create.
“The Women MSME Awards 2026 are not simply about recognising businesses that are successful. They are about recognising women who are going beyond running a business,” he said.
“We are looking at women who are creating employment, generating economic value, driving innovation and making a positive social impact.”
Mahadevan said the judging process would take into account the individual journeys of entrepreneurs, recognising that businesses develop under different circumstances and with varying levels of resources.
“Every business has a story, and every entrepreneur has faced different challenges,” he said.
Employment creation would be an important consideration in the evaluation process, he added.
“When a woman entrepreneur creates jobs, she is not only growing her own business. She is creating opportunities for other people and supporting families and communities.”
Innovation would also be considered broadly, ranging from products and services to technology adoption and new approaches to solving business and social challenges.
The Women MSME Awards will recognise entrepreneurs across 10 categories. Nominations will be open from September 20 to October 20 2026 via www.womeninmanagementawards.org.
Alongside entrepreneurship and leadership development, WIM is introducing the Respectful Workplace Audit and Certification to encourage organisations to benchmark their workplace practices against internationally aligned standards.
The initiative will assess organisations against International Finance Corporation (IFC) Respectful Workplace guidelines, with qualifying organisations receiving WIM endorsement and certification in partnership with TLM UK, an Ofqual-recognised awarding body.
A TLM representative said organisations increasingly needed to view respectful workplace practices as fundamental to business sustainability rather than simply an HR policy.
“A respectful workplace is not merely an optional perk or a policy on a piece of paper. It is the fundamental bedrock of sustainable business, human wellbeing and long-term organisational success,” the representative said.
The initiative would also give organisations a mechanism to continuously assess and improve their practices.
“This program is far more than just certification. It is a formal recognition of an organisation’s deep commitment to building a culture of respect, inclusion, accountability and professional excellence,” the representative added.
Applications close on September 30 2026 via www.wimglobalevents.com, with certification limited to 15 organisations annually.
The December program will also bring an international dimension through UK-based Sri Lankan professionals Deena Tissera and Lushani Kodituwakku, alongside local business and leadership figures chairing the three initiatives.
The WIM Leadership Awards Night will additionally recognise three business leaders for their wider contribution to Sri Lanka’s economy, industries and society.
Segera said the three platforms ultimately seek to take Sri Lankan business achievement beyond domestic recognition and position the country’s talent, entrepreneurs and corporate practices against international benchmarks.
“The world is no longer competing on quantity alone; it is competing on value, innovation, quality, talent and the ability to think beyond borders,” she said.
“Sri Lanka must prepare to compete, lead and make its mark — we simply cannot afford to be left behind.”
