The Management Club Colombo hosts ‘The Way Forward’ with Ravi Jayawardena

TMC - Colombo successfully concluded yet another insightful edition of its flagship event “The Way Forward “series on 27 November 2025 at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. 

The forum featured the keynote speaker, Maliban Group of Companies CEO Ravi Jayawardena, which brought together a distinguished audience comprising senior corporate leaders, professionals, and emerging executives from across the corporate sector.

The session focused on a timely and a compelling theme, “Strategic Maneuvering in Tough Times: Live or Lead.” Drawing from his extensive leadership experience, Jayawardena shared practical insights and real-world perspectives on navigating organisations through periods of uncertainty and disruption. His address strongly emphasised the importance of knowledge enhancement, adaptive thinking, and professional development as essential enablers of sustainable leadership that would drive through the tough times

A key highlight of the discussion was the critical role of maintaining a positive mindset in decision-making, particularly under intense external pressures. Jayawardena underscored that resilience and optimism are not merely personal traits, but strategic necessities for leaders steering organisations through challenging environments.

He further elaborated on the importance of strategic resource allocation, advocating equal emphasis on continuous training and knowledge sharing alongside investments in research and development. According to Jayawardena, organisations that foster a corporate culture open to new ideas—and one that thoughtfully accommodates learning from errors—are better equipped to respond to external forces with agility and confidence. Such a culture, he noted, instills a strong sense of ownership among teams involved in strategic initiatives. However, he cautioned that empowering teams and allowing room for error must be balanced with prudent judgment, as even a single misstep can have far-reaching consequences.

Addressing the question of the nature of leadership during high-risk periods, Jayawardena emphasised that senior management must take the lead in times of uncertainty. He highlighted the strategic value of retaining experienced professionals, dispelling the common misconception that senior staff lack the dynamism of younger employees. Instead, he reinforced that experience, perspective, and sound judgment are indispensable assets during turbulent times.

Jayawardena also spoke on the need for organisations to continuously redefine their performance parameters in response to evolving micro and macro environmental conditions. He stressed that key performance indicators (KPIs), as well as criteria for measuring success and failure, must be periodically reviewed and recalibrated to reflect new realities. Known for his eloquence, he reinforced his message through compelling real-life examples, including references to world-class athletes who overcame adversity through discipline, consistency, and determination.

The session concluded on a high note, reaffirming The Way Forward series as a valuable platform for thought leadership, dialogue, and learning—empowering professionals to not only survive challenging times, but also to lead decisively all the time.

The session was compered by Gayathri Wickramasinghe whilst Ravi Jayawardena was accorded with a token of appreciation by the TMC - Colombo Chairperson Duneeshya Bogoda.