ISACA Sri Lanka hosts flagship Conference 2025: Guardians of Digital Trust – Empowering the Digital Era

Digital Economy Ministry Secretary and Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Chairman Waruna Sri Dhanapala

ISACA Sri Lanka President Ashane Jayasekara

ISACA Sri Lanka concluded its annual flagship event, the ISACA Conference 2025, on 22 September at the JAIC Hilton, Colombo, under the theme “Guardians of Digital Trust: Empowering the Digital Era.”

The conference brought together over nearly 300 professionals from across the fields of audit, cybersecurity, IT governance, compliance, and risk management, reaffirming ISACA Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening digital trust as the foundation for the nation’s digital transformation journey.

Digital trust – the confidence in the security, integrity, and reliability of digital systems – is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s digital transformation. As the Government, businesses, and citizens increasingly depend on digital platforms, ensuring transparency, accountability, and resilience in digital systems is essential for economic growth, innovation, and global competitiveness.

Delivering the Guest of Honour Address, Digital Economy Ministry Secretary and Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Chairman Waruna Sri Dhanapala, emphasised the critical role of digital trust in Sri Lanka’s digital economy. He highlighted the newly passed digital laws, the importance of robust governance in technology adoption, and the pivotal role ISACA plays in building trust within the digital ecosystem.

The Keynote Speech was delivered by Innovation at Quality Austria Chief Venkataram Arabolu, on “The Triple Mandate: Navigating ERM, Sustainability and Digital Trust in the Next Decade.” He underscored the need for organisations to integrate risk management, sustainability, and trust into their strategies to remain resilient and future-ready.

In his welcome address, Fellow Chartered Accountant and ISACA Sri Lanka President stressed ISACA’s contribution to advancing digital trust in today’s economy. He noted the exponential growth of the Sri Lanka Chapter, its role in enhancing the local talent pool, and its global recognition through standards, frameworks, and certifications that empower professionals and organisations to thrive securely in the digital era.

The event was attended by several industry leaders and special invitees, including FITIS President Dr. Dayan Rajapakse, CSSL President Heshan Karunarathne, and Sri Lanka CERT Chairman Thilak Pathirage. The conference committee was chaired by ISACA Sri Lanka Vice President Indika Rajakaruna. 

The conference continued in four technical sessions. Session 1 on ‘Digital forensic readiness’ was presented by Cyber Labs Principal Consultant Mohan Chathuranga. Panellists were Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC Senior Vice President Dr. Aroshan Indujeewa, TechCERT CEO Kushan Sharma and Deloitte Sri Lanka Risk Advisory Partner Rukshan Bharatha. Moderator for the session was ISACA Sri Lanka President and BDO Sri Lanka Deputy Managing Partner Ashane Jayasekara.

Session 2 themed ‘IT governance: From theory to trust’ was presented by Sysprove Consulting CEO and ISACA Bahrain Chapter Vice President Ravi Jayasundara and the Panellists were Fellow Chartered Accountant and Attorney at Law, Hatton National Bank PLC Executive Vice President Dr. Niroshana Seneviratne, Fellow Chartered Accountant and Attorney at Law, CA Sri Lanka Vice President/Moors Consulting Ltd., Managing Director Tishan Subasinghe and University of Sri Jayewardenepura Department of Technology Professor and Head Prof. Lasith Gunawardane (joined virtually). Session 2 Moderator was Circulo de CISO President and John Keells Holdings PLC Chief Information Security Officer; Former ISC2 Sri Lanka President Sujit Christy.

Session 3 on ‘Role of AI in audit and compliance’ was presented by Ampcus Cyber Chief Strategy Officer Nikhil Raj Singhe. Panellists for the session were University of Colombo; Commercial Law Professor, Sri Pali Campus Rector; General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University Faculty of Law Founder Dean Prof. Prathiba Mahanamahewa, Brandix Director and Chief Operating Officer – Digital Transformation; Former ICTA Chairman and TRC Director General Oshada Senanayake,

Axiata Digital Labs Global Cyber Security and Data Privacy – Assistant General Manager Ravindra Thalgahawatta and Adjunct Professor; SheLeadsTech Singapore Immediate Past President; ISACA Singapore Chapter Founder, Jenny Tan (joined virtually). Session 3 was moderated by Dialog Axiata PLC Head of Cyber Security Governance and Compliance; ISACA Sri Lanka Past President Sithira Wanniarachchi. 

Panellists for session 4 on ‘How CISOs and auditors ensure enterprise resilience’ were John Keells Holdings PLC Head, Group Business Process Review Hisham Nazeem, Cryptogen Founder and CEO Wasantha Perera, HSBC Sri Lanka Chief Information Security Officer Janindu De Silva and  Hatton National Bank PLC Chief Information Security Officer and Senior Vice President Suresh Emmanuel. The session was moderated by Ernst and Young Sri Lanka Associate Director Ruwandhi de Mel.

The success of the ISACA Conference 2025 was made possible through the generous support of following: Exclusive Sponsors: Ampcus Cyber, Trusvault, Quality Austria; Platinum Sponsor: Innov8; Gold Sponsor: Connex; Bronze Sponsor: Seylan Bank; Print Media; Sponsor: Daily FT; Strategic Partner: Federation of IT Sri Lanka (FITIS).