The 10 Most Influential Business Leaders In Srilanka

The 10 Most Inuential Business Leaders in Sri Lanka 2019

2019 / Vol. 11 / Issue 7

Nalin Perera Chief Executive Officer(CEO)

Nalin Perera

Sri Lanka’s Digital Evangelist

Creativity and Innovation Unlocking New Values Organizations today operate in a highly competitive, global environment, making creativity crucial for success. Creativity is what fuels big ideas, challenges employees’ way of thinking, and ideate new business opportunities. “Creativity” and “innovation” are often used interchangeably for that reason, but are two separate concepts need to be implemented.

“Innovation isn’t just one thing,” but there are a lot of competencies that go into realizing an innovation. Whereas creativity is different because creativity is a mechanism to being innovative. You can have great ideas, but cannot be innovative.”

So let’s know how to foster creativity within an organization, 1) Reward Creativity: Not every idea can be successful, but if the company looks poised to make a significant breakthrough achievements are not far away. Executives need to be comfortable with failure, and give employees the freedom and flexibility to experiment with and explore new opportunities.

Companies that reward creativity show they value it, motivating individuals in the organization to pursue untested theories and concepts.

2) Hire Right People The “right” people in this context aren’t solely creatives. Organizations should instead focus on diversity that can bring in a variety of viewpoints, cultural backgrounds, and skill sets.

Not everyone is going to be creative, but many people can learn the tools and techniques for being innovative. Thus it helps to look at the things and have a clear understanding of it.

It is also worth considering building an innovation team within your organization. They can tap into creative energies to develop new products, services, or processes within an organization.

3) Try a positive Approach This approach encourages colleagues to build off their peers’ thoughts by first agreeing and then adding something to the discussion. Taking “no” off the table ensures all ideas are heard.

Well, in today’s modern age, it is important to get the right business strategies and stay afloat in a competitive business environment. Insights Success has come up with the special issue “The 10 Most Influential Business Leaders in Sri Lanka

Rajkunwar Bhosale

2019” to applaud the successful business leaders who exhibit their commitment to responsible growth and progress. Here, we have tried to focus on leaders who are setting examples and working for the betterment of society.

Some of the below mentioned personalities have grabbed our attention the most to be featured as the influential business leaders in this edition. They have shown what it means to think out of the box, to take the risk, to trust in the process and commit to the journey no matter how wild the ride is.

On the Cover of the magazine, we have featured the story of Nalin Perera, the Chief Executive Officer at Mobitel. The passionate business leader, Nalin is aiming to sharpen the MBS Services provided at Mobitel with the latest technology such as IIOT solutions and extend industry-specific solutions for plantations, transportation, warehousing, security to work.

We have enrolled a passionate entrepreneurial figure, who has come up with the most unique solutions, Miss. Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, the Managing Director of Hemas Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Hemas Surgical and Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, and Hemas Logistics and Maritime Cluster as ‘An Emerging Global Commerce Leader’. Fiercely passionate, selfinspired and sharp-thinking, Kasturi is nurturing a culture at her workplace that helps people to drive their best selves at work.

Apart from this, we have also listed the following personas who are building the unique path. Shehan Selvanayagam, the Managing Director of LOOPS Solutions, is a tech leader who is promoting and providing advanced solutions to businesses at national and international arenas through his digital marketing expertise. Wasantha Perera, the Founder and CEO of CryptoGen. is instrumental in driving the largest Cybersecurity solution provider today in Sri Lanka. Wasantha has earned himself the title of a Powerful Influencer in the SriLanka Cybersecurity Industry.

Along with this, we have an exclusive ‘Interview with Insights Success’. Here, Ziyam Abdeen, the Chairman and Director of WinSYS Networks talks about his overall journey and the influences made by his firm, service offerings, winning honors, current and future perceptions.

We are honored to mention, 1) Eranga Weerante, the CEO of Omobio 2) Aakif A. Wahab, the Head of Branding & Business Development of Head of Branding and Business Development 3) Danesh Abeyrathne, the COO of Browns group 4) Dushyanta, the MD of srilankainsurance.com So, flip the pages of our magazine and explore interesting insights into the world of business!

Cover Story

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Nalin Perera Sri Lanka’s Digital Evangelist

Interview with Insights Success

ARTICLES 30

Expert's View

38

Exclusive

Calibre of a Successful CEO

Technology: Enhancing Future Workforce & Economic Competitiveness

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Ziyam Abdeen An Unshakable Optimist Grooming the IT Industry

CONTENTS Dilmah World’s Finest Tea-maker offering a Plethora of Amazing Flavors in Tea

26 Shehan Selvanayagam Forging Reformative Digital Marketing Solutions

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22 Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson An Emerging Global Commerce Leader

34 Wasantha Perera

Sculpting New Cybersecurity Benchmarks

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Rajkunwar Bhosale Contributing Writer Abhishaj Sajeev Art & Design Head Amol Kamble Associate Designer Poonam Mahajan Art & Picture Editor Savita Pandav Co-designer

Sapana Shinde

Business Development Manager Megha Mishra Business Development Leader Ashwini Pahurkar Sr. Business Development Executive Pravin Yalameli Technical Head Pratiksha Patil Technical Specialist Amar Sawant Digital Marketing Manager Prashant Chevale SME-SMO Executive Uma Circulation Manager Tanaji sales@insightssuccess.com

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Copyright Š 2019 Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd., All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success. Printed and Published by Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. RNI NUMBER: MAHENG/2018/75953

COVER STORY

Nalin Perera Sri Lanka’s Digital Evangelist

Nalin Perera Chief Executive Officer(CEO)

“Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged.

That’s not the place to become discouraged.”

–Thomas A. Edison

T

he significance of telecommunications has been globally accepted, broadly understood, and reflected in its near-ubiquitous penetration and use. Its industrial expansion has facilitated the technological foundation for societal communications. Communication has played a central role in the fundamental operations of a societyfrom business to government to families. Communication from Web browsing to cell phone calling to instant messaging has become increasingly integrated into how people work, play, and live.

The following excerpt delves into the biography of a famous telecom entrepreneur exploring his work in managing his organization and striving to take Sri Lankan telecommunication industry to great heights.

Nalin Perera, a highly intelligent thinker, and strategist has strong entrepreneurial instincts in the telecommunication industry. He is endowed with great responsibility as

the Chief Executive Officer at Mobitel.

In-depth Journey Nalin, a rugby player and academically trained in the field of business studies, stepped into the world of mobile communications in 1989. During the initial years, he worked at Celtel- a part of Millicom Group. Marketing was his specialization, and he took up positions at Celtel as Market Executive. In his early years, he did stints heading as Senior Manager Customer Operations, General Manager of Sales and Marketing and worked as the Country Manager for Bright Point.

Nalin started his journey with Mobitel in 2001. He worked his way up the ranks, moving through a series of leadership positions in marketing, operations and enterprise business in the company, before being named Chief Marketing Officer and then Chief Operating Officer. In 2017, Mobitel announced that Nalin would be the CEO of the

company. Through his pioneering ideas and positive outlook, he continues to serve as a guiding force for the company.

Sense of Serving Exceptionally Post undertaking the role of CEO, his leadership roles have led the company to gain momentum in multiple sectors besides the mobile services industry. His well-executed strategies have expanded the company’s amenities to Digital healthcare, Enterprise Business Solutions, Mobile Money, Digital Services, and national level initiatives as well.

Over his 30-year career, Nalin has worked for almost 14 CEOs belonging to different nationalities like Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia, Swedish, Belgium, Scottish, and many more.

About Mobitel Mobitel- Sri Lanka’s National Mobile Service Provider and a fullyowned subsidiary of Sri Lanka Telecom. The company offers mobile telephony services, high-speed broadband, enterprise solutions, IDD services, mobile money (mCash) and a host of value added services.

Mobitel was the pioneer in South Asia to launch the first Super-3.

5G HSPA network in South Asia in 2007, and subsequently trialled HSPA+, MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) in 2009. Another

“Nalin feels the biggest award that they have won is their customers, and they take pride in saying that as the National Mobile Service Provider the company has recorded customer growth in all pillars of their business�

successful maiden attempt in the region was, Mobitel went on to demonstrate 4G-LTE technology for the first time in South Asia in 2011.

Accordingly, Mobitel launched its 4G-LTE Network in 2013 to provide unparalleled broadband experience to Sri Lankans. Keeping ahead with pioneering new technologies, Mobitel trialled 4.5G LTE-Advanced Pro technology with CA (Carrier Aggregation) of three bands again for the first time in South Asia in 2016.

In 2017, Mobitel was able to deploy the first Sub-1G mobile broadband network in Sri Lanka based on 900MHz spectrum innovatively to provide superior coverage for some rural areas of the country.

In 2018 Mobitel launched the First Commercial 4.5G/4G+ Mobile Network in South Asia. In April 2019, Mobitel was the first network in South Asia to successfully showcase the first 5G deployment over a mobile network by connecting a commercial mobile smartphone to its 5G network.

Fuelling over USD 700mn worth of investments to-date, Mobitel has shaped the ICT landscape experiencing exciting growth- poised to lead the industry into its next phase of development.

It facilitates both prepaid and postpaid mobile services, along with mobile broadband services. The

success of Mobitel Business Solution has enabled Nalin and his team to garner prominent local and international conglomerates in the country.

Outperforming Varied Projects Some of the key projects of Mobitel Business Solutions include the partnership with IBM to offer enterprise customers IBM MaaS360 with Watson.

Watson is a comprehensive mobile management solution that allows businesses to fully embrace mobile technology securely and quickly scale deployments throughout their organization.

The company has partnered with Utech to introduce IIOT solutions, with Bileeta to introduce mERP, and with Cemex to introduce mHRM and Kayjay, M3Force, Fetons, Office Networks for Advanced CCTV solutions with the integration of artificial intelligence.

Achievements Crediting Excellence Nalin’s brilliance and success can be evaluated from the fact that his leadership has helped the company to receive an array of honors and accolades in Brand, Customer Service, Engineering, Operations, HR Excellence and many more.

Due to his magnanimous contribution through continuous

novelty and service quality, Mobitel has been felicitated with numerous awards. Some amongst them include, ‘Excellence of the Year for Innovation and Leadership Award’ at Le Fonti Awards 2018 in Hong Kong.

Furthermore, Nalin has also been conferred gold for and has received honors at the 8th ACEF Global Customer Engagement forum which focused on Artificial Intelligence and innovative technology.

His guidance has accredited the company with ‘Service Brand of the Year’ at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards in 2017 & 2018 consecutively.

The positive growth trajectory of Mobitel over the past few years and its transformative journey gives Nalin immense pride and honor to witness it and sustainably grow with it.

Technology and Finance Industry in the Mainstream Nalin feels technology is the DNA leading to innovative approaches and domination in the driving market. He strives to draft all the plans from strategic planning to service execution in accordance with the modernistic technology to ensure flawless delivery and satisfying customer expectations.

Furthermore, to incorporate employees with the latest technologies, periodic training

sessions are conducted thereby equipping them with optimal knowledgeable skills to serve and evolve better. The training modules ultimately unravel innovative thinking and enable the employees to achieve their maximum potential that reflects in increased productivity and efficiency of the overall organization.

Moreover, with mobile becoming an ultimate source for information consumption along with the pragmatism of cryptocurrency, block chain, and bitcoin, Nalin believes that telecommunication would play a key role. It can provide significant support to financial entities to identify new trends and meet stakeholder expectations. Thus this will help to build a new paradigm for banking and transforming a knowledge-driven economy into a digital-inclusive ecosystem.

Appreciating Government’s Broader Role

such as Big Data, Advanced analytics, and data science.

The government has embarked on several strategic initiatives to ensure the upliftment of the business sector.

This includes policy amendments, tax concessions, and strategic private-public partnerships (PPPs).

By providing private sector the opportunity to take leadership in national-level initiatives, the government is enabling the business sector to propel the economy and empowering small scale industries to thrive and establish a presence in the global market, feels Nalin.

Based on the findings, MBS solutions have enabled organizations to operate at their optimal level and expand and increase their growth in the long term.

Optimizing Future Plans • As part of the further expansion strategy, Nalin envisages his company’s presence in Digital Health Care through eChannelling services.

In his advice to the emerging entrepreneurs striving to excel in the e-commerce industry, Nalin says, “Have a strong purpose in what you want to achieve in the next 3 to 5 years. Believe in your purpose and align your goals and activities towards achieving that purpose.”

• He aims to facilitate the Education, transportation and finance sectors by digitalizing and maintaining the ticketing platforms, uplift the corporate business sector through Mobitel’s Mobitel Business Solutions (MBS).

He adds, “Always evolve and learn the new trends to create value (Adapt, evolve and thrive) Welcome constructive criticisms whether it’s positive, negative or neutral, different opinions enable you to see beyond the horizon, moulding you to become a better person in life and work.”

• Elaborating MBS: MBS is conceptualized to offer corporates the ideal platform to unlock their fullest business potential by offering cutting-edge enterprise solutions. This is done through his dedicated expert team who have utilized the latest technological tools

During 2018 MBS partnered with key clients, namely Sretchline, Waters Edge, Jinasena, SAGT, Indoscan, HNB, BOC, Commercial Bank and Domino’s Pizza and many more.

Nalin is taking efforts to sharpen the MBS Services with the latest technology such as IIOT solutions and extend industry-specific solutions for plantations, transportation, warehousing, security to work.

He aspires to expand the services not only in Sri Lanka but also desires to strengthen his company’s presence in Asian and South East Asian regions.

Further, Nalin’s strategy to deliver uncompromising MBS services has brought glory to Sri Lanka by winning the Best business solutions provider of the year 2019 at South Asian Business Excellence Awards recently.

To know more about Nalin and his expertise connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter and get to know in detail about Mobitel at https://www.mobitel.lk/.

Ziyam Abdeen

Chairman & Director WinSYS Networks

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Interview with Insights Success

ZIYAM ABDEEN An Unshakable Op mist Grooming the IT Industry

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nformation technology, and the hardware and software associated with the IT industry are an integral part of nearly every major global industry. For its secure and sustainable utilization it should be backed by talented individuals possessing extreme knowledge about its accessibility, and operations.

Computer Networking, and Cyber Security, Forensic and Data Science. It also provides Masters in Computer Networking, Cyber Security and Forensic.

How do you describe yourself in a few words?

Ziyam: A thought leader

We at Insights Success are delighted to introduce you to Ziyam Abdeen. We’ve had the privilege to understand and exhibit his views about Hi-Tech training and consulting which he believes can fill the gap of lack in quality training for networking and system administration field in the IT training industry.

State us about the most memorable and remarkable moments of your life.

Ziyam drew upon his extensive practical experience leading up to and including his tenure at his current position as the Chairman and Director of WinSYS Networks. He outlines his vision for WinSYS Networks and many more topics.

Ziyam: When I met sir Vincent Cerf at Geneva who invented the TCP/IP, without which there would be no internet, network, and connectivity for all of us. Meeting and talking to the ‘Father of Internet’ of my industry is the most memorable and remarkable moment in my life. That was the stint which made me realise that if this gentleman can do it then why can’t I. Which inspired me to involve in many ICT related volunteer works.

Below are the highlights of the interview:

I feel proud to hold the membership of:

Kindly brief us about you, your journey since the beginning of your career

Vice President (Internet Society Srilankan Chapter) Treasurer (Federation of Information Technology Industry Srilanka-Communication Chapter) Professional Member (Information Systems Audit and Control Association) Professional Member (Computer Society of Srilanka) Professional Member – IEEE (#93937880) Honorary Member (PICTA)

Ziyam: Before I started my ICT Career, I was a tour operator for nearly about five years. During my travel I used to visit all the technology exhibitions where I was Impressed to change my career completely to ICT. This was in 2001 where there were a few ICT Giants leading the current industry. This helped me to Start WinSYS Networks in 2003 to run all the professional courses related to Computer Networking and Security.

The firm is now upgraded to WinSYS City Campus which has become a leader in Providing Bachelor’s Degree in

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What role does technology play in your company? What and how do you implement new technologies in your firm?

Ziyam: For any technology, to adopt or to implement, the

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knowledge is the best source of all. I am very much happy that I am able to transfer a valuable knowledge through my WinSYS Networks. I used to travel many ICT Exhibitions all over the world.

As soon as I returned from the exhibitions, I held a short meeting with my Team to incorporate all the wisdom gained during the exhibitions and implement it in WinSYS Networks.

Kindly highlight your achievements, awards and accreditation.

Ziyam: Vice President of Internet Society of Sri Lanka. National Trainer for UN. Tell us about the challenges you faced and risks taken and how did you overcome them?

Ziyam: As many countries Sri Lanka is also facing that all the developing countries are facing. The technology is growing very fast. Its adoption and implementation takes time. Regulatory issues and taking the knowledge to remote areas are very difficult.

We used to work with many organizations and voluntarily join them to take this knowledge to the next generation. Jointly working with other organization and industry partners can solve and move forward to the future with ICT. Share your current scenario about the industry and its future?

Ziyam: There is a huge gap in between what knowledge students are learning at schools, colleges and universities and what the industry needs. We need to adopt some extra knowledge from the industry to teach the students in their studies.

With increasing unemployment the demand for jobs is also increasing. The leaders in the tech industry discuss all the key valuable points in every forum but the education industry is not complying to and adopting it. We need a huge transformation in the education industry. The industry specific technical knowledge need to be integrated in everyone which can take Sri Lanka to the next level.

What would you advice to the budding entrepreneurs willing to make career in this field?

Ziyam: No matter what, start your journey. Don’t wait lets’ start when all settle, which you will never get. Once you start, fill the blanks with analysing and prioritizing the needs. Take risks. Where there is risk, there is an opportunity. “The more you acquaint yourself, you will establish more content to your business, so start building that strong Network.”

Please tell us about your future business plans.

Ziyam: About to start two more training companies. One will be specific to pure industry coding as “Coding College” and the another will be to give a boost to the Start-up industry and help struggling start-ups to move forward as “Startup School Srilanka”. There you will learn all that a Start-up needs to know. This will be from idea generating to exit plan.

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The Inception Tale With zealous business acumen, Merrill J. Fernando is the Founder of Dilmah. He was fortunate to be offered a place amongst the first group of Ceylonese to be recruited to learn the art of tea tasting. The journey started from here. He was born into a middle-class Sri Lankan family in rural Ceylon. After completing his training in the plantations, he went to Mincing Lane, London which is the center of the world for tea. At that time, he realized the fact that Ceylon tea is the finest in the world, expensive, and the scope for this industry is huge. The years he spent learning tea, changed his life; seeing the exploitation of his country’s crop, the young tea-man, whilst yet in his twenties, resolved that he would change the tea industry. Thus, he built his own brand to deliver the best in the world with the finest quality.

Dedication at its Best!

Merrill Fernando has devoted his life to tea and after nearly four decades of struggle against vested interests, he launched his own tea brand.

‘Dilmah’–the world’s first producer- owned brand in tea, coffee or cocoa; is symbolizing hope for producers. Because of his dedication, Merrill was

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rown, handpicked and ethically made at source, Dilmah has grown from its humble origins into a global brand that is unique in its promise of unmatched freshness, provenance, flavor, and integrity. It is founded on a passionate commitment to quality and authenticity in tea. Launched in 1988, the company believes in a philosophy that goes beyond commerce in seeing ‘Business as a Matter of Human Service’. Dilmah has some of the finest tea gardens, state-of-theart tea factories, printing and packaging facilities and investments in every segment of the industry. “We care for your tea, right from the tea nursery to the teacup!”- says the founder of the company. By following traditional tea technique over centuries, it produces tea that is varied and sophisticated.

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honored as one of the three Most Admired Leaders in Sri Lanka. He was chosen for his passionate commitment to Quality and Integrity, and for the philosophy, he established at the heart of his Dilmah Tea business of making the business a matter of human service.

Meet the CEO Merrill Fernando named his own tea brand ‘Dilmah’ –after his son’s names Dilhan and Malik, both of whom have joined their father in his mission to bring quality back to tea with ethics and integrity. The younger son, Dilhan C. Fernando is the CEO of Dilmah. His efforts have focused on bringing tea to a new generation with innovations like tea gastronomy, t- Lounges and by enhancing knowledge in tea through the ‘Dilmah School of Tea’. Dilhan also nurtures his father’s pledge to make the business a matter of human service through the work of the MJF Charitable Foundation and Dilmah Conservation.

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We have a passion for quality tea, ethics and conservation

introduce tea bags as well. “Today, Dilmah is a global brand and it is the only brand that states on each pack what is inside the tea. It is a single origin tea of a well-respected brand.” –says Merrill Fernando. “Almost nearly 99% of the airlines in Asia Pacific region carry Dilmah tea on board.

About 60% of hotels in this region carry Dilmah tea. That is a great compliment to Ceylon tea; and this all the success of Dilmah is due to the power, quality, and image of Ceylon tea.”-he added further. The firm offers a truly different experience in tea-to-tea aficionados around the world.

The Strongest Weapon Determination, commitment, dedication, and devotion are the solid objectives, which were acted as the strongest weapon for Dilmah. The firm was started from a small brand in the big world of tea. It believed on itself and stood firmly against all the negativity. Apart from everything, today, everywhere in the world, people are talking about Ceylon tea as the strongest weapon of Dilmah.

Taste, Goodness, and Purpose Ethical and Guaranteed Tea Products The Dilmah tea is grown and fully packaged in Sri Lanka itself. Produced with love and care, it was the first brand of tea packaging in Ceylon and is the first company to

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Dilmah is a product offered with a strong passion for tea.

Besides, in tea, there is nothing more important than taste November 2019|

and quality, which comes from the expertise of tasters.

Dilmah is the only Ethical Tea, where freshness guarantees a satisfying cup, rich in healthy antioxidants.

Tea Packed at Source The only international tea brand owned by tea growers handpicked, packed and supplied directly from the origin of a fully integrated company, caring for tea from the tea nursery right to the cup. The world’s only ethically produced tea that is truly traditional and authentic and packed at origin i.e. packed at Dilmah Tea Gardens, the home of the world’s finest Ceylon tea.

Expertise in Tea The creation of brands has changed the perception of tea and almost made this beverage a commodity. Growing and selecting the finest in tea –is an art that takes years to get perfect. The Founder of Dilmah, Merrill Fernando, is one of the most experienced tea tasters in service today with 69 years in tea, and that expertise is what makes Dilmah different.

Million Dollar Advice for Millennial “Having full knowledge of the project and starting within your reach will lead you to the success. When you grow, you can think of expanding. After 5 years you will be well established.”— advises Merrill J. Fernando. “Most people fail by not properly identifying their limitations and trying to copy what others do. That is a human weakness” he added further.

Great Future Ahead The mission of the firm was to bring quality back to tea with integrity, and by God’s grace it has achieved that and demonstrated that quality and genuinely fair trade can come only from the empowerment of the producer. Merrill Fernando is expecting that his sons Dilhan and Malik will continue to focus on those same values and principles. The world has changed vastly and it is undergoing change at a pace that is unprecedented and as they look to God for wisdom, and operate with integrity and dedication to the customer, the workers, and our great tea industry, they will continue to succeed.

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10 THE

Most Influential

BUSINESS

LEADERS in Sri Lanka 2019

Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson An Emerging Global Commerce Leader

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acro-economic forces led by advancing technology, globalization and e-commerce are transforming the world and our business. As the future of these businesses is always dependent on the endeavor of right people they grow because of its people. Thus a business constantly strives to preserve a strong pipeline of skilled and driven brainpower to meet its goals and consumer expectations.

With a desire to develop and sustain, the firms never let go of a single opportunity to expand their pool of innovative, smart and technology-forward people. They help to maintain and further strengthen their industry position as leaders.

The mentioned excerpt is the journey of a professional woman who has been at the frontier of various paradigms and has managed to stand tall by the virtue of her grit and firmness.

Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, the Managing Director of Hemas Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Hemas Surgical and Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, and Hemas Logistics and Maritime Cluster talks about her story with us. Fiercely passionate, self-inspired and sharpthinking, Kasturi is nurturing a culture at her workplace that helps people to drive their best selves at work.

Outlining Early Days Kasturi is a relative new comer to the positions but not to the industry. A fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK, Ms. Wilson began her career as an Audit Trainee at Someswaran Jayewickreme & Co(SJMS), and was the Director Consulting and Audit Manager at SJMS. Prior to joining Hemas in 2002 she was the Financial Controller at Confifi Hotels.

Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson Managing Director

Since her journey with Hemas, she has been involved in various managerial roles including General Manager Finance for Hem Tours, Head of Hemas’ Shared Service Unit, and Chief Process Officer of Hemas Holdings. Executing the responsibilities of Hemas Holdings she overlooked the group’s processes, technological set up, infrastructure as well as financial and HR shared solutions.

Creating Infinite Opportunities Kasturi moved on to her first business role as Managing Director for Hemas Logistics and Maritime Cluster. The undertakings comprised maritime, aviation and logistics operations in the industry.

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Achievements Awarding Excellence Ms. Wilson’s persistence and determination have led her to achieve an award presented by the Sri Lanka Parliament i.e, ‘Women Change Maker in Sri Lanka’ in the Business Category.

She has been accredited with the ‘Career Role Model’ award

by Women in Management (WIM) in 2012 and has been among the rankings of 50 Sri Lankan business people in LMD’s 2018 A-LIST.

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Kasturi took over in her current role in 2016 as the Managing Director of Hemas Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd and Hemas Surgical and Diagnostics Pvt Ltd. Whilst spearheading these challenging sectors that represent over 50 percent of the group’s revenue and earnings, she also serves as a NonExecutive Director of Morison PLC and Capital Alliance.

We make our service possible, efficient and reliable

Accompanied by a great support system including her parent, helpers, superiors, colleagues, and friends she saw through tough times.

Under her leadership Hemas in recent years has been commendable, recording laudable revenue and operating profits in the group. Her firm superiority at Hemas has made the maritime sector management team a prestigious recipient the coveted ‘Master of the Arena’ award.

Her mother has remained the biggest motivation and guide throughout all the circumstances. And when it comes to career, her best mentor is the company’s Chairman Husein Esufally who believed in her potential.

She is also a well-known sports personality having represented the National Women’s Basket Ball Team at the Asian Games from 1989 to 1991 while serving as a captain in 1989.

She says, “From a career aspect, I am a person who is passionate to succeed. In my work and in life in general, I am a simple individual who strives to be straightforward, direct and uncomplicated.”

Facilitating Inclusive Services Hemas Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Hemas Surgical and Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, and Hemas Logistics and Maritime Cluster- are part of a diversified conglomerate Hemas Holdings PLC a company listed in the Colombo stock exchange. Hemas placed in Sri Lanka touches the lives of millions of loyal customers, everyday via its renowned wellness, leisure and mobility services.

Beholding the Future Ms. Wilson believes that for Hemas, as a group with a rich history of over 70 years, which has served every SriLankan house hold operating in the wellness and healthcare segments, it is important to focus on building for new – to innovate and excel and strive for agility over security in order to lead disruption

Hemas has served selflessly and delivered award winning diversified products and services for more than seven decades with innovation, investment, and the talents of its people. Their fineness and global approach have made a positive contribution to the nation's economic development.

The Challenging Curve Ms. Wilson explains that being part of the growth diversification of Hemas she faced many hurdles while balancing her personal and professional life.

One of the intricate challenges she faced at the very onset of her career was undertaking a full-time work as a single mumbalancing motherhood and profession. Another tough decision she had to undertake was when she took up the role of CPO (IT and Process) despite her strengths in the finance sector.

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She states that proactive work with a disruptive mindset can keep pace with consumer dynamics and environmental changes including new ways to gain accessibility to customers.

In her opinion to the emerging entrepreneurs striving to make a successful career in this field she conveys, “For entrepreneurs looking at the pharmaceutical industry, it is essential to bring in new age innovation. Don’t let historical structures and old school thinking impede innovation.

Create your own space and let the industry adjust itself or else there will be no true growth.”

There is more to explore about Ms Wilson. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter, and to know more about the firm you may also visit the websites http://www.hemashealthcare.com/ or https://www.hemas.com/.

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Expert's View

of a

S

ome say that leaders are born.

They were, till a while back.

Today, they become one. And in most successful cases, all by themselves.

For those of you wanting to make it a mark as a successful CEO, know for a fact that the following are some of the qualities a person needs to be deemed successful.

Learning from the Past The past, how-much-so-ever painful, teaches a thing or two about life and how situations should be handled. For someone with CEO ambitions, this is a serious must-have given that most persons go thru a lot before they come anywhere near being a CEO. With experience comes knowledge and from knowledge comes foresight and a 6th sense about situations ane which way they may turn. Nothing in the future comes without a past. And not acknowledging and learning from the past is the best way to take care of the future.

Effective Communicate Communication, in the case of a CEO goes beyond mere good language and interpersonal skills. It means having the innate ability to know what to say to whom, when, where and why. A November 2019|

flaw-less piece at the wrong time makes all the flowery stuff pretty grave-like. The ability to understand the context, the audience, and the circumstances is very, very important to any form of communication, written, verbal or gestural. A CEO goes throught situations a person above and below may not understand or appreciate. That being the case, it is important to think like a CEO and communicate well with every level and strata of the organization.

A Radically Different Perspective A CEO remains an essential bridge between the shareholders and owners of an enterprise on the one hand and its various departments and their head, on the other. Both these sides have their respective characteristics and objectives, be it known or unknown.

For the owners, its profitability that’s important. For the employees down below at every level, its survival and growth that precedes everything. Due to this, the CEO who forms the link between such disparate elements needs to have the ability to think radically removed from existing thoughts and ideas so that the main objectives of both owners and employees is met and they prosper. Radically different thoughts could be in terms of starting a different line of products, closing down an existing line of products, shifting

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plant and machinery to different locations, keeping, promoting or reducing manpower, taking finances from new sources etc to name a few.

Thinking traditional and thinking growth can sometimes clash with disastrous results. In fact, a CEO with a very traditional mindset could be perceived as being risk-averse.

Establishing Meaningful Relationships A CEO has to have the ability to create great working relations with all those (s)he get in touch with, be it within or outside the organization. Since it is his/ her priority to get the job done, forming meaningful relations is a must.

The ability to get along with everyone in the organization, oversee things and get the job done under every circumstance is a great way to grow and prosper for the self and for the organization. Meaningful relation here shouldn’t be construed to be pleasing everyone just to get along but to have the ability to make people perform to the best of their abilities while contributing to the organization’s goals and growth.

Adapt Situations & People When India opened it’s economy in 1991, those who wanted change were the ones who grew as compared to those who belonged to the old school of thoughts who weren’t used to changes so fast and so humongous.

Organization upon organization just collapsed and so did people’s career given that they just couldn’t survive in a situation where the government didn’t intervent to say the organization.

Without the ability to take independent decisions, these CEOs/ Owners simply wilted under the onslaught of tough, unrelenting competition. Compare them with today where a generation of CEOs stand ready to take on competition fully in the face and in

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most cases, win and grow. This is precisely adaptability to situations Creating Efficient Managers No-one anywhere, be it a business organization or even a family of 4 ever grow without the ability to delegate. To delegate is to give responsibility to accomplish tasks and in the process, learn newer aspects of working and running an organization. A CEO is expected to lead an organization on multiple fronts, and achieve success in almost all. This is simply impossible where the person refuses to give up the existing set of responsibilities so as to take up newer ones. One HAS to thus create a second line of managers/ senior managers who would take up the existing work of such a person while that person goes on to the next level.

Leading Optimistically Dreamers never made great CEOs. Realists and positive one, did. And that’s because the realists knew what exactly needed to be done to go to the next level in growth, both of the organization, and the person.

Remaining optimistic of good things happening is an essential to feel charged-up and optimistic, as this is the feeling which finally helps win especially in tough times when things around don’t seem to be going right. A person who can see afar in a ralistics manner invariably finds reasons to remain positive because in the long run, most problems ease out- provided one is ready to see situation in the correct light!

Empathise The ability to understand one’s reasons to have acted in a certain way is important to stand by people and situations. Empathising one’s sitation is this important and shall give the

future CEO the ability to read people’s motives to take the decision to either be with such persons or move on. The best example of this ability is the CEO’s understanding of why sales do not increase in a tight economic condition. By understanding the reason, one can be expected to be with people during the latter’s highs and lows, suggest things and bring situations to change drastically.

Right Source A CEO is nothing if he/ she refuses to listen to people within and outside the organization. With an ear close to the ground, the CEO can read the future much before it actually takes place and take decisive actions to avert unwanted and unwelcome situations. On the contrart, the ability to look at twigs in the wind, and read the future is something which lets a CEO make the most of an existing or potential situation. There are always those in the organization who know way beyond their position and situation. Knowing such individuals and keeping them close helps the CEO take the organization to newer heights.

Meaningful Risks Nothing in the world comes without its share of risks. One cannot avoid risks without ruining the chance of growth.

Growth and risks are thus intervowen.

In fact, growth is the product of taking calculated risks which may either get stupendous growth or complete ruin.

The CEO designate thus ought to have the ability and stomach to take a risk which may go either ways. If the gamble pays, the CEO’s standing grows. If not, such a person and organization may have to take a hit.

How much of a hit is acceptable, is for the CEO to know, appreciate and accept.

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10 THE

Most Influential

BUSINESS

LEADERS in Sri Lanka 2019

Shehan Selvanayagam Forging Reformative Digital Marketing Solutions

I

n the days gone by, online marketing was just a new and different way to uplift businesses. It opened up a new form of media on which the businesses promoted their products and services. But within the recent years the significance of digital marketing has become evident.

But to have integrated digital marketing strategies working for your business, you should gravitate towards marketing professionals. They understand clearly how to utilize data to propel your business forward. Having such people around you that advance your journey to leading position and support you is crucial in this field.

A tech leader who is promoting and providing advanced solutions to businesses at national and international arenas through his digital marketing expertise is Shehan Selvanayagam, the Managing Director of LOOPS Solutions.

He holds degrees in several majors that have helped him to develop discipline, inventiveness and analytical skills. He has pursued BSc in Business Management, MSc in Information Technology, and Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Shehan Selvanayagam Managing Director

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Shehan initiated his path to the E-commerce world at Sri Lankan Airlines. It was September 2005 and he had joined the company as one of its first e-commerce executives.

Under his leadership a his team built an e-commerce division for the airline. Within six months, the department was raking in $5 million per month. This success was due to his multi-faceted professional backgrounds which he had applied in it.

The Dream Foundation LOOPS started its journey in Digital Marketing around 10 years ago when the market was almost non-existent, Shehan and his associates were one of the first players in Sri Lanka and working with over 100+ companies in around 10 markets across the world.

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‘‘

Loop’s is instantly recognizable for providing the following solutions:

Appreciating Teamwork In acknowledgement of the collaborative efforts of his team Shehan says, “During one of my long visits overseas exploring different market, it was nice to see the team working independently on projects without me getting involved at all, which gave a nice confidence that the team would be able to run on their own which is a key transition from an owner-operated business to a corporation.”

Achievements Crediting Excellence Shehan’s contributions and determination have led the organization to win over 35 awards for digital distinction.

The awards and recognitions include, Customer Engagement Awards –Sri Lanka, Customer Engagement Awards –Mumbai, Mobbys Digital Media Professional Award, Zero One Awards For Digital Excellence, and many more.

Technology in the Mainstream LOOPS develops technology solutions internally and uses third party solutions as well. The firm constantly tries to get personalized with the changing technology attributes.

Shehan is of the opinion that the e-commerce industry is looking for companies that can help them either solve a problem or capitalize on an opportunity. Thus, he believes if one can crack that idea and plan how to implement it, one

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If all else fails just listen to your gut and you cant go wrong

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• Digital Marketing: The company offers a wide range of Digital Marketing services including Web Designing, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media Marketing, and Content Marketing.

• IT Development: LOOPS provides IT solutions that places clientele brands on the virtual map. Their services include App Development, Game Development, and Web Development.

• Video Animation and Filming: The company excels in creating eye-catching video and animation services that help bring the customers' brand to life.

• Mainstream Media: LOOPS collaborates with the consumers to understand and collect in-depth information and frame a perfect strategy and solution to help their brand.

can master even the most complete aspects of the industry.

In his advice to the emerging entrepreneurs striving to excel in the e-commerce industry Shehan says, “Being an entrepreneur is not as glamorous as the media makes it out.

The first few years are super hard where you would have to make personal sacrifices. However, do something that you believe in and even if people say no, believe in your vision and it should all work out in the long term.”

He adds, “entrepreneurship is about collaboration and learning from others including your competitors so being open for change and learning is an important part.”

Optimizing Future Plans LOOPS currently works with a significant number of companies in Sri Lanka. Shenhan looking at other venues where along with his team, he adopted a three-pronged approach • Value Add The firm envisions enhancing the relationship by offering multiple services to established clients.

• Global Offering Increasing the global footprint where the company, under his leadership, can offer services to different countries while maintaining a support team in Sri Lanka, is the primary goal for Shehan. He also plans to launch several start-ups owned by him utilizing the knowledge and experience they yield.

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10 THE

Most Influential

BUSINESS

LEADERS in Sri Lanka 2019

Wasantha Perera Sculpting New Cybersecurity Benchmarks

I

n a ceaseless endeavor for progress, we humans often neglect the fact that passion acts as an accelerator to the composition of our excellence. It is fuel to a furnace of hard-work where transcendent ideas are shaped.

To utilize this passion, and turn it into profits and goodwill, is an active trait which an efficient business leader possesses. We at Insights Success, in our endeavor to bring into spotlight, The 10 Most Influential Business Leaders In Sri Lanka 2019, have come across a commendable list of prolific business leaders. These leaders have time and again striven to uphold the mission of their respective organizations and delivered excellence through their leadership, skills and compassion.

One among such proficient leaders is Wasantha Perera, the Founder and CEO of CryptoGen. Being instrumental in driving the largest Cybersecurity solution provider today in Sri Lanka with an overall revenue of US$13 Million, and many other business ventures, Wasantha has earned himself the title of a Powerful Influencer in the SriLanka Cybersecurity Industry.

Wasantha Perera, Founder & CEO

In the initial phase of his career, just after his graduation, Wasantha was a systems engineer with a company called Enterprise Technology. He then moved in to Millennium IT as Consulting Engineer, company which developed the world’s fastest trading platform. In his following path to progress, he provided his service as the Head of Security at N-able, a part of Hemas Group and later he was appointed as the Head of Information Security and Compliance for Colombo Stock Exchange, the national stock exchange in Srilanka. In 2015 at the age of 34, he founded CryptoGen, and the company took over the local Cyber Security Market as a game changer with various partnerships, new business models, consultancy and advisory.

In 2014, Wasantha was appointed as a board advisory council member for the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, the world’s

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Wasantha has a plethora of awards under his name for his contributions to the world of Cybersecurity. A few of them are; the Presidents Award 2014 from (ISC)2 and Security Leadership award in Beijing China. He was also nominated as one of the Top 10 Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) candidates in 2015 in the award ceremony by ECCouncil hosted in Atlanta.

Crediting his success and excellence to his family, Wasantha expresses, “My parents—father an engineer and mother a house wife—didn’t have any background of running businesses. But they coached me to learn the core fundamentals of life to survive in any challenging atmosphere. My sister has always guided me to the right direction in bringing peace in my world, and finally my wife for standing beside me and my three year old son Sithuka who is an icon of courage and survival for my journey.”

At Zeniths of Excellence Coming to CryptoGen, expressing his views on how the company caters to the market requirements, Wasantha says, “Our business is highly dependent on trust. In addition to maintaining corporate clients, we’re responsible for building trust between them and their customers. That’s the essence of Cybersecurity.”

Wasantha is of the opinion that as digital transformation gathers momentum, it is the most appropriate time for organizations to reflect on their security transformation. In accordance with this, he states that during an era where Cyber attackers, emerging techniques such as machine learning and artificial intelligence are being used to learn and launch disruptive activities, CryptoGen continuously works with the world's leading Cybersecurity technology providers to defend against such adversaries.

Sharing accounts of the challenges he faced while building the company from foundations, Wasantha expresses, “CryptoGen started with the theme ‘Start Small Dream Big and Grow Fast’. Even today the company doesn’t have any external investor and is sustaining with zero bank debt.”

He also states, “Initially none of the banks or large organizations wanted to work with CryptoGen with the nature of the business. But we assured continuous trust

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‘‘

In Cybersecurity the more systems we secure, the more secure w e all are

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leading Cybersecurity Professional Organization. He has received many global awards in China and United States for the outstanding contribution he has made to build the Cyber Security workforce in the SriLankan community.

from the smallest transaction and later developed into a multi-million portfolio. I have founded small Sri Lankan companies, and have seen them being acquired by larger ones with good investments, and witnessed what happens as a result. But I was determined to keep CryptoGen’s entrepreneurial spirit, no matter how large and successful it becomes. I always believed on my crown jewels, my employees, during all types of storms in various weather conditions.”

Beholding the Future Wasantha believes that Cybersecurity will become a Market worth $200+ Billion by 2023 around the globe. Pertaining to this, CryptoGen secures around $3.5+ million worth business per year in a small country like Sri Lanka. “With our new managed service and Security Operations Centre equipped with latest innovations, our plan is to explore opportunities outside the region with many differentiation factors to cover $10+ million transactions in next 2 years,” states Wasantha.

He also believes that Automation and Machine Learning are creating new possibilities in threat prediction and prevention, so highest priority will be given any initiative associated with these game changers.

In his advice to the emerging entrepreneurs, Wasantha says, “Believe in yourself, explore a real challenge where others struggle, and then address it with a trust. Your hidden capacity and willingness to develop, organize and manage a business venture along with any of its risks in order to make the world a better and safer place has to be your ultimate objective.”

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TECHNO Enhancing Future Workforce & Economic Competitiveness

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Exclusive

OLOGY M

ost technologies can be shaped to have more benefits than negatives. The highest beneficiary of technology is the education system today.

It is advancing learning and improving performance by creating and using appropriate technological processes and resources.

The Role of Social Media in Learning Social media has gained credibility as a source of information and a platform for organizations to communicate with audiences. Educational systems are rapidly adopting it as a communication tool where students can interact with their peers and faculty members.

Embracing social media in education is making students access useful materials to connect learning groups and other educational systems making learning convenient.

Social media giants like Google, Facebook, Youtube have enabled

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educational institutions to communicate campus news, announcements, useful information.

Hashtags on social media and engaging students in online discussions is also the latest trend.

making the learning process more interactive and engaging.

E-books are proving to be an educational reform helping students to imbibe and recall the information better and faster.

The Power of Visuals

Also, SmartBoard technology which displays the content in the form of animations, videos and previews are making the learning experience fun among students.

Visuals are helping learners grasp the concepts efficiently by stimulating imagination and affecting their cognitive capabilities. Besides, the visual language also has the potential to stretch ‘human bandwidth’. The learning analytics created by digital learning content has been most exciting and potentially impactful so far.

Students and teachers have unanimously agreed upon the positive impact on the quality education delivered and the benefits of introducing e-books in education.

E-books have enabled students to easily highlight, annotate and share their notes with friends, tutors or study groups. E-books are streamlining and enhancing the overall learning insights

Transforming Classrooms AR integrates digital information that makes us feel like a real-world environment which increase the participation, immersion, and interaction with the topics whereas VR creates an artificial environment. AR is making deep inroads in education making studies more interesting and contextual.

Media and Digital Literacy The development of mobile apps for education unlocked a new way of need-based learning.

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Students are collaborating on group projects using technology-based tools such as google docs and Trello.

word-prediction with more effective communication helping the students to tackle the communication barrier.

To name a few apps that are helping out the learners are Hologo, Netflix, edX, Coursera, Brilliant and Youtube are the best platforms for formal and informal learning.

Tech Grooming Seniors

Beyond The Walls of School Through technology, educators now are no longer constricted to collaborate with students in schools, instead they can connect with other educators and experts across their communities or around the world.

They can now connect with real-world concerns and design learning experiences that can allow students to explore local needs and priorities. This makes classroom learning more authentic and relevant.

Additionally by using tools like video conferencing, online chatting, social media sites, people from urban and rural areas to rural can connect and collaborate with peers and experts around the world to form professional learning communities.

Aiding the Specially-abled Technology is been pivotal in the life of specially-abled people by working around their disabilities and providing them a suitable learning environment. Technology does not necessarily require a large amount of funding but a great talent to invent it.

With advancing technology, those are the senior citizens that stay behind in house and far away from their brood.

They fear something might go wrong if touched an iPad or a laptop and remain reluctant to modern advances. But now a growing number of ageing older are embracing digital and trying to learn new things.

Many times there are debates on how technology is spoiling relationships but it has undoubtedly helped in sustaining relationships for the older who are far away from their loved ones.

Studies have found that today baby boomers and senior citizens form an important percentile in smartphone ownership using it for medication alerts, fall detection alerts, ordering books, and leisure.

Need for a Guide Regardless of the advancements in technology, the presence of a teacher will not be hampered. The biggest factor in the achievement of a student is the teacher-student relationship.

You can have a personalized device approach, continuous internet connection and avail the latest software but the fact will prevail. Unless a teacher is on hand to engage the students and enquire them, learning is limited.

The Foreseeable Generation

Adaptive computing is overcoming challenging tasks. A remarkable example has shown how technology can become the game-changer of the specially-abled by making use of telepresence robots; at a school in Copenhagen, Denmark which is a k-12 school for the specially-abled.

It has made the students virtually attend the classes. The telepresence robot is a FaceTime connection on two wheels that is WiFi-enabled iPad or tablet and controlled by a controller or smartphone.

Moreover, screen reader applications like JAWS with specially designed Braille keyboards are enabling visually challenged students to use computers.

Augmentative communication that uses pictures, charts, books, and specialized computers provide functions for

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Providing higher connectivity to mobile phones, tablets, and e-readers can be a solution in the global effort to give high-quality, multifaceted education for the people everywhere, especially for the people living in the most isolated and poorest countries.

In the years to come, digital literacy will be deemed more important than academic literacy. The education cost offered now will see a decline and numerous options will be available on the internet.

Upgraded tools will emerge for measuring the text complexity. Diverse learning forms will begin to supplement the schools including business learning, invisible learning, and open-source learning.

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