GENERAL COMMITTEE Innovative and thinking global
“WNPS should never become the domain of a few people for long durations. Rotation and vacation of General Committee roles should be expected after several years, where we nurture new members and youthful thinking. Members could continue to support through engagement in the Sub Committees”
Jehan brings over 35 years of general management expertise with a strong emphasis on marketing and business development. Having lived and worked in the USA, Jehan also was a C-level employee of Mast Lanka (Pvt) Ltd and MAS Active Pvt Ltd before changing careers. Describing himself as a Conservation Administrator, Jehan is energetic, focused and driven adopting a common sense approach. Jehan who joined the WNPS Committee in 2016, currently serves as its President, is a key driver for the Society in fund raising and working on ground level activity whilst serving on a few Sub-Committees of the Society. Administratively strong, Jehan has been one of the key figure in bringing the relevant administrative disciplines to manage the society’s work in the last 8 years. He is also the Country Representative for Rainforest Alliance, Sri Lanka, a crop certification organization from the USA. He serves on the Board of Greenpeace South Asia and is a Trustee of the Ceylon School for the Deaf and Blind (CSDB – Ratmalana and Kaithady, Jaffna)
Mr.Graham Marshall runs his own brand consultancy. He is a Graduate of the institute of Chemistry Sri Lanka, an MBA from PIM, Member of CIM(UK), CMA (Aus.). He Chairs the Marine subcommittee and enthusiastic about being able to contribute to the conservation efforts of marine biodiversity and its ecosystems.
Prof. Sampath S. Seneviratne is a research scientist specializes in the study of evolution, molecular biogeography, and ornithology. Sampath is a birder, a naturalist, a forester, a conservationist, a writer and a public educator. He is a professor in Zoology attached to the Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences, University of Colombo.
Jeremy has been very passionate towards wildlife conservation and he joined WNPS to make a significant impact on the conservation efforts. He is an experienced banker by profession and his core strengths are Change Management and Administration. Jeremy carries nearly 12 years of experience with HSBC and currently serves as Vice President - Head of Transformation at Nations Trust Bank. He is hopeful to invest his areas of expertise into Wildlife & Nature Protection Society as the Assistant General Secretary.
Niran, a banker by profession & a fellow member of CIMA UK, has over 25 years of experience in Treasury & related areas in the financial services sector. His love for wildlife that began from his childhood days, is now his most delightful pastime; pursuing exciting photo opportunities & extensive travel to explore the wonders of nature.
yearns for travel and the great outdoors. He enjoys photography and music and is passionate about Sri Lanka. He is the Chairman of the ETF Board, and MD of Hemas Manufacturing. He has several academic and business awards to his credit and is a frequent speaker at leading forums locally and globally. He is involved in chambers and in local and global charities.
his passion for Wildlife Conservation is driven by his extensive travel around the country from a very young age. With communication background with Ogilvy and Dilmah he has been reenergizing WNPS brand communication with effective PR and events in the last 4 years, as its immediate past General Secretary.
Dilshan is professionally qualified as an Accountant and have worked in the Banking in Finance sector for over 25 years. He is also an avid wildlife enthusiast and spends as much time as possible in the wildlife parks around the country
has been a lover of nature and the environment from childhood. Bird watching has been a passion. Comes from an academic background in Textiles that is very remote from Wildlife. Has been a major influence among University students to promote the need for conservation.
She is a banking professional and has switched professions to work in the leisure and hospitality industry. Devika is passionate about the environment and believes in fighting the good fight for the cause of conservation. Devika is currently on the Green Isle Sub-Committee and has been serving on WNPS subcommittees over a year.
Enoka P. Kudavidanage is a Professor in Conservation Biology, affiliated with the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka since 2001. She completed her B.Sc honours in Zoology and M.Sc in Environmental Sciences at the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo, and her Ph.D. at the Department of Biological Sciences, the National University of Singapore in 2012. Her research areas include Wildlife Crime Mitigation, Ecology, and Conservation of the Sri Lankan Leopard, Protected Area Management, and Utilizing Biological Indicators to monitor the Impacts of Land-use change and Community-level impacts of Agro-Chemicals. She co-founded the Topical Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), a non-profit organization to facilitate conservation work and networking. She has been conducting environmental education and awareness programs and facilitating community-based conservation programs islandwide for the last 25 years while working closely with a multitude of organizations at both national and international scales. Enoka is the country coordinator for the Association for the Tropical Biology and Conservation-(ATBC) Asia Pacific chapter, Co-chair of the Wild Cat Conservation Committee of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), Advisor to the Multiregional Leopard Research and Monitoring Network of Sri Lanka, and a Trustee of the Federation of Environmental Organizations (FEO).
Chaturangi is an environmental scientist with a special interest in climate change and water management. She joined an international NGO as an Environment Specialist effective February 1, 2021. She is a mid-career professional who is keen on finding solutions to balance development needs and environmental conservation. She has over a decade of experience working in environmental projects locally and internationally and has worked with a range of stakeholders from government and Non-Govt sectors. She holds a PhD from the University of Adelaide, Australia, where she studied the impacts of climate change on water quality in freshwater ecosystems.
Supun Lahiru Prakash is a Ph.D. candidate at the College of Forestry, Guangxi University, China. He obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration in Agribusiness Management Degree from the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka in 2017 and a Master of Science Degree in Forestry and Environmental Management from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka in 2019. He has been working as a volunteer environment activist and freelance environment journalist since 2005 and his works have been recognized many times; more recently, as one of ten 2020 United Nations Climate Change: Learn Champions in the World by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. His research interests are wildlife conservation and management and nature-based tourism. His publications include reasons for visitor dissatisfaction with tourism experiences, Human-Elephant Conflict, and illegal capture and internal trade of wild Asian elephants. He is at present focusing on the study of the feeding ecology of Asian elephants in Sri Lanka.
With over 25 years of experience in the environmental sector, Deepthi has an extensive track record in conservation and sustainable development. Currently, she serves as a Senior Professor in the Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences at the University of Colombo. She considers herself an interdisciplinary human- environment scholar, being trained as an ecologist and socio-environmental scientist. Her previous experience is drawn from a variety of sectors including biodiversity, climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, gender, water, and natural resources. She has held conservation leadership roles both in Sri Lanka and overseas. She has received recognition for her work with several local and international awards.
Dev Wijewardane is an IT professional with over 15 years’ experience in the industry and currently works for an IT consultancy. He has had a passion for wildlife and conservation from a very young age and is a self-taught amateur wildlife photographer. Dev has a deep love for Sri Lanka and takes every opportunity to travel off the beaten track and explore the hidden corners of the island.
Wildlife and Nature have been consistent throughout my life. I have always been fascinated by the natural and developing world.
I strongly feel that science has the potential to produce a sustainable planet if people are educated to understand its value. And my introduction to WNPS was no different. I first encountered the committee during one of their “Education for Conservation” programs held at my school in 2018. The program convinced me to join the WNPS Youth Wing, strongly believe that this committee is an exceptional platform to create awareness and execute conservation efforts. Currently working as a Junior Trainee Architect, I serve the organization by leading the Youth Wing to achieve its purpose.
Shehan Ramanayake is a development professional with a career spanning economic and capital markets research, tourism development policy, sustainable and experiential tourism, and project management. During the past 7 years he has focused on leveraging nature- based tourism models as well as donor funds to drive sustainable social and environmental impact. Shehan’s development experience includes working with the International Monetary Fund and leading projects backed by international bi-lateral donors. He has travelled extensively through Sri Lanka, as well as to Kenya, South Africa and Botswana and enjoys learning about new conservation models, impact financing and impact reporting frameworks.