Advisory Board
Professor Gunapala Nanayakkara – Chair – Academic Advisory Board
BPA Spcl. (vidya), MPA (York), Ph.D. (Carleton), D.Lit. (Sab.)
Professor Gunapala Nanayakkara is one of the most respected professors in Sri Lanka. He served as the Director General of the National Institute of Education and the Academic Advisor for the Graduate School of Management and the Academic Study Center of Open University Malaysia in Colombo.
He was the Founder Director and Senior Professor of Management Studies at the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, where he pioneered advanced management education in the country by setting up the first MBA degree program in Sri Lanka in 1981. He went on to establish the Postgraduate Institute of Management in 1986. In addition, he served as the Vice-Chairman of the University Grants Commission from 2006 to 2008 and played a key role in establishing the PIM International Center in the Emirates in 2007, where he served as Managing Director from 2007 to 2009. Currently, PIM has produced over 300 MBA graduates and 340 Postgraduate Diploma graduates.
Professor Nanayakkara holds a BPA (Sp.) (Vidya) 1970, MPA (York) 1976, Ph.D. (Carlton) 1980, and D.Lit. (Sab) 2005. His key academic areas of expertise include Human Resource Management, Strategic Management, Research Methods, and Management Communication. He has been teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, executive, and doctoral levels in Sri Lanka since 1980. Professor Nanayakkara has unparalleled experience in professional management training. His international experience includes teaching at the Institute of International Development and Cooperation, University of Ottawa (Sept. – Dec. 1982); Whitmore School of Business, University of New Hampshire; and as an Associate Professor of HR Management at the Faculty of Administration, University of New Brunswick, Canada.
Professor Nanayakkara has served as a Governing Council member for several public organizations, including the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, National Institute of Education, National Institute of Technology Education, and the National Institute of Business Management. He was also Vice President of the Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia (AMDISA) and served as CEO of Sussex College Network under the Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka from 2009 to 2010.
Dr. Rajiv Perera (Advisory Board Member)
DBA(Croatia), MSc(Cardiff), MCIM(UK)
Dr. Rajiv Perera, a distinguished alumnus of Royal College, Colombo, boasts a rich professional background in the pharmaceutical and medical marketing domain spanning over two decades. He has garnered extensive expertise through engagements with multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis-Sandoz GMBH, Sanofi Aventis, CSL Behring, Octapharma AG, Cytosorbents Inc., and Reliance Life Sciences. Currently serving as General Manager – Marketing at ABC Pharma, a prominent importer of biological and biosimilar pharmaceuticals in Sri Lanka, Dr. Perera’s profound industry insights have made a seamless transition into academia.
Dr. Perera formerly served as a Visiting Lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK (ICBT), and currently imparts his knowledge as a Visiting Lecturer and Master’s thesis supervisor at esteemed institutions, including the University of Gloucestershire, UK; Vern University, Croatia; and Brittany University, France. He holds a Master of Science degree in Marketing from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK, with distinction, and a Doctor of Business Administration from Vern University, Croatia, also with distinction. Additionally, Dr. Perera is accredited with MCIM (UK) certification.
His research interests span a diverse range of fields, notably including Marketing, Emotional Intelligence, Psychology, Consumer Behavior, and Neuro-Marketing constructs. Dr. Perera has contributed significantly to the academic landscape through numerous publications in esteemed indexed journals and collaborative works that reflect his scholarly commitment and expertise.
As a certified ISO auditor by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), Dr. Perera possesses specialized proficiency in business process management and systems. He has led various ISO certification processes and facilitated numerous local and international audits related to Quality Assurance (QA), Good Distribution Practice (GDP), and Pharmacovigilance. Furthermore, Dr. Perera extends his expertise as a member of the academic advisory board at AIBT Campus, enriching the educational discourse with his strategic insights and industry acumen.
Dr. Kingsley Bernard - (Advisory Board Member) (Chairman& CEO of Sri Lanka Export Development Board)
Dr. Kingsley Bernard has over 40 years of experience in the corporate sector in Sri Lanka. He has held senior and top management positions in both the public and private sectors, including at Unilever, Capital Maharaja Organization, Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC, the Export Development Board, Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation (SLECIC), Bimputh Finance PLC, Pepsi Sri Lanka, and SLIIT Campus.
He has been an active member of Sri Lanka’s trade chambers and served as the President of the National Chamber of Exporters for two consecutive years (2004-2006). He also led the Joint Business Forum, the umbrella organization for major trade chambers in Sri Lanka, during 2005-2006. Additionally, he served as Vice President of the Exporters’ Association of Sri Lanka, affiliated with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (1998/99), and was the first President of the Sri Lanka Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association (1998-2000). He is currently a member of the Sri Lanka Economic Association, a Life Member of JASTICA, and an Honorary Life Member of the National Chamber of Exporters.
Dr. Bernard is a veteran marketer and academic specializing in management and marketing. He is a fellow member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and has over 25 years of experience as a permanent/visiting lecturer at several state universities and private higher education institutions in Sri Lanka.
He has also served as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy (SLCARP) and as a Board Member of the National Institute for Social Development (NISD) from 2019 to 2020. He was the District Governor of Lions Clubs International District 306B2 during 2009-2010 and is currently the Chairman of the District Lions Leadership Institute 306B2.
Dr. Bernard holds a PhD in Business Management from the Management and Science University (MSU) of Malaysia. He also holds an MBA from the University of Colombo, where he earned a Gold Medal for Marketing Management, a Post Graduate Diploma in International Marketing from Colorado State University, USA, a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computing from the University of Jaffna, and a Diploma in Computer Systems Design from CICC, Japan, among other qualifications. He has published numerous research articles in international journals and has conducted training courses at international forums. An international publishing company has published three books based on his research.
He is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Export Development, a Board Member of the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Authority, and a Board Member of DHPL.
Dr. Rohan Abeywickrama (Advisory Board Member)
Dr. Rohan Abeywickrama began his university teaching career as a Lecturer in English in the Department of Languages at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka (SUSL) in 2004. He later served as the Head of the Department of English Language Teaching (DELT) and the Department of Languages (DOL) at SUSL before being appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Languages in 2023. He is likely to pursue research in the fields of Applied Linguistics, Issues and Developments in Methodology, Testing and Evaluation, Curriculum and Material Design, and Research Methods in ELT. He has published extensively in both local and international refereed journals, held numerous academic and administrative positions at the university, and contributed significantly at both national and international levels. His doctoral research at Deakin University in Australia, which focused on professional development (PD) for university-level ESL teachers, sparked a strong interest in PD, as it has broad implications for all educators in the education system.
Ms. Lakgeevani Fernando (Advisory Board Member)
Teacher/Visiting Lecturer
A dedicated Middle School Teacher specializing in Life Skills, with expertise in creating and implementing engaging lessons aligned with the English Medium school curriculum. With over 10 years of experience teaching at a prominent International School in Sri Lanka, she excels at motivating students and fostering effective learning through clear tasks and challenging yet attainable goals. She is a student of AIBT Campus and has followed the Educational pathway, completing a Master’s in Education from IBES University France/UCAM University Spain. Ms. Lakgeevani is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education from IBES University France/Vern University Croatia.
As a visiting lecturer with years of experience, she is passionate about teaching and dedicated to ensuring student success. Possessing a robust background in her field, she effectively communicates complex concepts to students of diverse levels. Her teaching philosophy revolves around establishing an interactive and inclusive learning environment, where students are inspired to participate and explore new ideas. Proficient in leveraging technology and innovative teaching methods to enhance the overall learning experience, she is a devoted and enthusiastic educator continually seeking to refine her teaching practices and positively impact her students’ academic and personal growth.
