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| Sunday, 12 October 2003 |
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Ajith Dandeniya : "IT an investment not an expense" Education, experience, hard work and perseverance are the pillars of success for Head of Information Technology, Lanka Equities, Ajith Dandeniya. Family Dandeniya's father, who hailed from Galle, was a civil engineer while his mother, from Matara, was a housewife. He has two brothers and a sister. Education
Dandeniya sat for his Advanced Level examination in the UK from where he was selected to the University of Westminster to follow a BSc in Computer Engineering. He graduated in 1986 with First Class Honours. "I started following a PhD programme, but three months down the line, I was offered a job. I did not think twice, but grabbed the opportunity as I thought that being offered a job while being a student was great. Today, I sometimes feel that I should have continued with my studies, but I do not have any regrets," he added. Career His experience has been with software development and support services, mainly in the areas of investment banking and telecommunication. He had worked for five years with Australia Telecommunication. In the UK, he did consultancy work and also worked at HSBC Investment Bank as Head of Software Development and Support, Nomura Bank and Credit Suisse First Boston (which is the second largest investment bank in the world). "I came back to Sri Lanka in 2002 and was with the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Affairs for four months. Now I function as an Advisor on IT to the Ministry," Dandeniya said. Lanka Equities He joined Lanka Equities in January 2003. He said: "The vision of our company is to be a US$ 200 million company by 2008. It is, among other things, a world class manufacturer of apparel and jewellery and is a leading name behind many global brands. "We are a global company based in Sri Lanka with facilities in Madagascar, Vietnam and Hong Kong. "In achieving our vision, IT will play a major role as we have to be good in every way to be competitive in the post-MFA period. Therefore, we consider IT as an investment and not an expense. "Lanka Equities now has over 5000 employees including the factory staff. I believe that a good manager should understand the business as the back of his/her palm. Delegation is important, but hands-on experience plays a more important role." e-Sri Lanka Dandeniya is also involved with the e-Sri Lanka initiative of the Government. He said that Sri Lankans have an abundance of knowledge and are multi-skilled unlike Europeans. "We have to harness these skills for the betterment of society. The only shortcoming I see in Sri Lankans is the lack of professionalism and discipline, which I am sure can be obtained down the line with experience," he said. Advice "Try and focus on what field you want to be in and train yourself in those lines, as you cannot be a jack of all trades especially in the field of IT since it is changing so fast," Dandeniya said. (SG) ########### Fact file Name : Ajith Dandeniya School : Royal College Present Position : Head of IT, Lanka Equities Wife : Dinali Children : Two daughters aged 11 and 3 |
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He had his primary education at Royal College where his first love was
cricket. He played the game for the school in 1980. "From the time I
can remember, I had a bat and a ball in my hand," he said. This was
natural as his relations - the famous De Silva brothers - had even played
for Sri Lanka.
