Woman of ConsequenceChatrini

Weeratunge - Asia 21 Young Leader

Chatrini Weeratunge has been named an Asia 21 Young Leader by Asia Society and will be part of a preeminent network of young leaders from across the Asia Pacific, representing the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Chatrini is an international development specialist and photographer. She has nearly a decade of experience working on issues such as international trade and investment policy, gender, education, and corporate social responsibility. She has undertaken lead roles in policy advocacy, research, and program management, and has worked with UNDP, UNOPS, IISD, the Asia Foundation, and in the corporate sector. Combining her passion for human rights advocacy with her artistic talents, Chatrini uses photography to highlight issues such as child abuse and gender inequality.

Competitive process

Asia 21 Young Leaders are selected through a highly competitive process based on outstanding achievement, commitment to public service, and a proven ability to make the world a better place. The 32 young leaders who make up the Asia 21 Class of 2015 represent 22 countries and are divided almost evenly between men and women. Fifty percent work in the private sector, 44 percent in the nonprofit sector, and 6 percent in the public sector.

"We welcome this passionate group to the Asia 21 family, and look forward to the contributions they make to the public good in the coming years,"said Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran.

Chatrini joins a powerful network of Asia 21 alumni - proven leaders from across the region representing a variety of professional backgrounds, who will serve as mentors and potential collaborators.

The Asia 21 network includes rising political figures - Senator Paolo Benigno 'Bam' Aquino IV (Philippines); Minister of Culture and Primary and Secondary Education Anies Baswedan(Indonesia); Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti(United States); Minister for Youth and Sports Khairy Jamaluddin (Malaysia) - prominent media personalities - NDTV journalist Barkha Dutt (India); Herald Corporation Chairman Ryan Hong (South Korea); Zebra Media Founder and CEO Scarlett Li (China); and Moby Group Chairman Saad Mohseni(Afghanistan) - award-winning journalists and filmmakers -Maziar Bahari (Iran); Nitin Das (India); Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy(Pakistan) - and private sector leaders -Head of Asia Capital Markets & Financing at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Soofian Zuberi (Pakistan).