I am one of those finance professionals who stumbled upon the sector due to a combination of external factors – a path which many others in South Asia would recognise. I started ACCA immediately after leaving school and simultaneously became an external auditor at KPMG Sri Lanka. While there, I experienced a deep sense of realisation regarding my true passion, which is sustainability.
Driven by my instincts, I challenged myself to venture into an area that was different from my previous experiences. I started out as an intern at the UN, but my role now relates to sustainable financing and providing research and analytical services to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Sri Lankan government and other partners.
I stepped out of my comfort zone when I moved into the development sector
The global debt crisis is a growing problem that affects many developing countries. Innovative financing allows us to view both public and private financing in a sustainable way; it is essentially a heterogeneous mix of innovations in fundraising and innovations in spending. My role is to contribute to the efforts undertaken by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and support the government in understanding these innovations, which will then help to unlock sustainable financing. I contribute my research, analytics and strategic liaison skills for the better design and implementation of these exploratory sources of finance.
I stepped out of my comfort zone when I decided to move from a traditional finance role into the development sector. This decision changed the trajectory of my career. The finance sector is ever evolving, and innovative financing is a subsection that is rapidly growing. I believe that making the choice to pursue my interests has enabled me to wear a dual hat, as a development practitioner who is also experimenting with a non-traditional finance role.
I am grateful for opportunities to experiment with new ideas
My favourite mantra comes from the Indian monk and philosopher Swami Vivekananda: ‘If the mind is intensely eager, everything can be accomplished – mountains can be crumbled into atoms.’
If I had law-making powers, I would make financial literacy a mandatory subject on school curriculums. I have come to realise the importance of financial inclusion and equal access to information, to help people make the choices that characterise positive financial behaviour. This is an essential quality to instil in today’s youth.
What I enjoy most about my role is found in my job title. There’s something innovative happening almost every day at work, which fuels my curiosity. I am grateful for the opportunities I get to experiment with new ideas, test them and sharpen my skill set as a strategic thinker. Most importantly, I positively contribute to the sustainable development of Sri Lanka.
Hosting a podcast series on taxation was exhilarating
My best achievements stem from incorporating behavioural insights from my research and my analytical work. For example, I have been supporting a government-led initiative on financial literacy to raise awareness among youth, women and small-scale entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. Contributing to the design and implementation of these efforts I consider as one of the rewards and achievements of my work at the UN. Another success came when I designed a first-of-its-kind UNDP podcast series on taxation. Hosting it was an exhilarating experience: on the one hand daunting but also rewarding.
If I wasn’t a finance professional, I would be a podcaster who also paints! Hosting the podcast series on tax changed my own perception of my skills, and I would love to host more. I would also enjoy contributing to the world of art through my paintings by examining the nexus between art, economics and development challenges such as inequality, climate change and pollution.
In my spare time I love abstract and acrylic painting and reading.
