Since 2018, the Women in Tech global movement has been empowering women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), through education, business innovation, digital inclusion, and high-level advocacy.
With over 65 established chapters across six continents and the prestigious patronage of President Emmanuel Macron, Women in Tech is a trusted global platform connecting women in technology with world leaders, industry pioneers, and transformative opportunities.
Women in Tech Sri Lanka welcomes experienced female tech professionals, students aspiring to enter the field, and passionate advocates for gender equality, to shape the future of Sri Lanka’s tech industry, and is headed by Country Director Sanali Kaushalya.
Could you begin by telling us about Women in Tech Sri Lanka’s journey and the role the Sri Lankan operation plays within the company’s global strategy?
Women in Tech Sri Lanka is a part of the global women in tech movement which has been set up in more than 65 countries with one clear mission: To empower five million women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) by 2030. Since we established our chapter in Sri Lanka, our focus has been creating opportunities that connect education and industry while ensuring that no woman is left behind in the digital economy.
Over the past year, our team has extended our impact through Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy workshops, career development initiatives, university collaborations, leadership events and industry partnerships. We work closely with schools, universities, technology companies, government institutions and international organizations to build a strong digital ecosystem for women.
Sri Lanka plays a very strategic role in the global tech network, as we are a country with exceptional talent, resilience and creativity. Our chapter’s main motivation is to bridge the gap between opportunities and local talent. I took our chapter to the global stage a few times last year and I also got some speakers from the international community to reach out to us. These were some of the happy and successful moments we experienced.
What makes our chapter unique is our focus on creating a measurable impact. We are not simply organizing events; we are building future technology leaders, entrepreneurs, AI innovators, and change makers.
How would you describe your leadership philosophy, and how has it evolved throughout your career?
My leadership philosophy centers around empowering people. This role requires me to spend more time empowering people rather than simply manage the processes. While technology evolves rapidly, organizations ultimately succeed because of their people.
I strongly believe people are the key. When the individual feels trusted, supported, and inspired, they produce remarkable outcomes. Coming from a background in human resources, talent acquisition management, and people and culture, I have had many experiences with technology.
I always believe that leadership begins with listening, understanding people’s aspirations, challenges, and strengths. This allows leaders to build high-performing resilient teams within the organization.
Throughout my career, I have learned that innovations don’t happen by accident. It’s a process. It requires psychological safety, continuous learning, and an environment where people feel comfortable to share ideas and take calculated risks.
As the Country Director of Women in Tech Sri Lanka, I have also come to appreciate the importance of collaboration. None of our achievements happen in isolation. The successful results have always taken place due to volunteers, corporate partners, universities, educators, industry professionals and my amazing team working towards a shared purpose.
Leadership today also requires adaptability because we cannot lead today’s workforce using yesterday’s methods. Most mundane tasks have been taken over by AI, such as conducting, recording and taking notes at meetings.
As technology evolves, businesses and society also evolve. Leaders must remain curious, embrace lifelong learning, and lead with empathy while making data informative. Ultimately, my goal is to create opportunities where others can grow to become leaders themselves. That’s how sustainable impact is created through community support.
From your perspective, what are the biggest opportunities and challenges shaping the tech sector today?
The biggest opportunity today is undoubtedly AI. AI is transforming every sector; healthcare, finance, agriculture, education, tourism, and manufacturing to name a few. Technologies like cloud computing, cybersecurity, data engineering, automation, and digital twins are creating entirely new career paths and business models.
All these business functions are changing in good, bad, and ugly ways. While you may see a lot of layoffs and other negative events happening, new innovations and job opportunities are also available in Sri Lanka. This gives an opportunity for Sri Lanka to leapfrog traditional economic barriers. Our young workforce can deliver global technology services from anywhere in the world if we invest in the right skills.
However, there have been significant challenges throughout these years. This includes the digital skill gap. Technology evolves much faster than traditional education systems and this means continuous learning is essential for everyone. Even those who are doing careers, those who are learning, and even school kids have to be continually educated.
The under-representation of women in technical leadership is also a challenge, for example, at the levels of CTO or President of companies in technology. While things are not like they were five to ten years ago, and there are a lot of female leaders in the industry, technology-wise the number of female leaders is quite low. So, increasing participation is a must. Many talented women still face barriers in career progression, mentorship and accessing better opportunities.
Another growing concern is cyber security. As organizations become more digital, protecting data, privacy, and critical infrastructure has become a business priority, rather than just an IT responsibility.
Ethical AI also deserves greater attention. We must build an ethical AI system that’s transparent, inclusive, unbiased, and centered around these human values. Not only for women and children, but for everyone. Our future belongs to organizations that combine this new technology with responsible leadership, diversity, and lifelong learning.
What are the key technology trends currently influencing Women in Tech, and how are you preparing for the next wave of innovation?
We are now in the AI wave, but apart from that, cloud technologies, cyber security, data engineering, automation, blockchain, fintech, crypto-currency and extended reality are rapidly shaping the future of workplaces.
For Women in Tech Sri Lanka, our focus is ensuring women are not simply adopting these technologies, but are leading development and adoption strategies. Throughout last year, we introduced AI awareness programs, workshops, career development initiatives and leadership sessions for schoolgirls, university students, designed to prepare women and girls for future technology roles.
During these sessions, I personally advised them to focus on entrepreneurship. Personally my advice for everyone is, while doing your routine job, take a path of entrepreneurship. Try to do something innovative, even in a simple way. Equally important are human skills required alongside technical knowledge, creativity, ethical decision-making, communication, collaboration, and the ability to become even more valuable as AI automates our routine tasks. Human interaction and involvement is really important, as much as AI literacy.
We also encourage partnerships between industry and academia. so that educational problems remain aligned with evolving business needs. By bringing together companies, universities, careers, mentors, and technology experts, we are helping to create an ecosystem where innovation can flourish. Not only by adopting or using tools, like AI, but by expanding our technologies in terms of crypto, blockchain, automation, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, and other areas.
Data centers will be even more important for every country, and more job opportunities will be available, so we have to train the coming generations. The future belongs to those who continuously learn. That’s why Women in Tech promotes lifelong learning as one of our core principles, ensuring that we remain competitive regardless of how technology evolves.
What other advice can share with young Sri Lankan professionals who aspire to build successful careers in technology, particularly in emerging fields such as AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data engineering?
My first piece of advice is to develop your learning mindset. That is important. Technology also changes continuously. So, I don’t know what will happen in the next five to ten years.
Your willingness to learn will become your greatest competitive advantage because it helps you build strong technical foundations. Employers increasingly value communication, teamwork, adaptability, leadership and problem-solving skills, as well as technical expertise.
You also have to ‘polish’ your skills all the time and gain practical experience through internships, but open source projects, hackathons, volunteering, certifications, and personal projects, these experiences will allow you to demonstrate initiatives that help build confidence.
Also, don’t be afraid to explore emerging technologies like AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data engineering, and machine learning. These areas offer very good career opportunities both locally and internationally.
Networking is something that also matters. Try to find industry professionals and technology communities, because learning from others often accelerates your own career growth.
Finally, never underestimate your potential—especially young women. You belong in the technology industry. Your ideas, perspectives and leadership are needed to create solutions that benefit everyone. The future of technology is not only about innovation, it’s about inclusion, and it’s for everyone. Every young professional has the opportunity to contribute and meaningfully shape the future.
What partnerships does Women in Tech Sri Lanka currently have with universities, industry bodies, and innovation hubs to strengthen women tech entrepreneurs and tech professionals in the country?
We work closely with the universities across Sri Lanka, such as NSBM, Kotalawela Defence University, Esoft Metro Campus, AAT Sri Lanka and the Eastern University of Sri Lanka, to provide students with industry exposure, career guidance, workshops, leadership development and networking opportunities. These engagements help bridge the gap between academic learning and industry expectations.
We are also proud to say that we collaborate with leading technology companies in Sri Lanka that support our mission through knowledge sharing, mentorship, volunteer engagement, partnerships and sponsorships.
Partnerships enable students and professionals to learn directly from experienced industry experts. We also engage with government universities, innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship communities and professional associations that share our commitment to digital inclusion and workforce development.
I have also contacted knowledge partners in other countries to give them opportunities to share their knowledge on entrepreneurship and leadership with communities like ours. Through these collaborations, we create platforms where aspiring entrepreneurs can access mentors, expand their professional networking, improve business skills and gain greater visibility within the technology ecosystem.
Moving forward, we aim to establish even more regional partnerships to ensure opportunities reach talented women across all provinces in Sri Lanka.
What strengths make Sri Lanka an attractive destination for global tech companies, and what improvements would further enhance its competitiveness?
Sri Lanka possesses several competitive advantages. As a country, we have a highly educated workforce, strong, provincially and internationally recognized software engineering talents, and a fast-growing startup ecosystem. Many global organizations trust Sri Lankan professionals to deliver high-quality technology solutions. In the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and other countries right now, there are many Sri Lankans in the workforce, across software engineering, finance, AI, and digital services.
Another strength is our adaptability. Sri Lankans are naturally professional. Everyone knows us for our skills, strong work ethic, ability to learn and adapt quickly, and disaster management capabilities. Due to the AI wave, many Sri Lankans are now using AI tools across several generations. It really makes me happy to share that we have been able to successfully adapt and use these emerging technologies. However, maintaining competitiveness requires continuous investment.
We need stronger industry and academic collaboration to ensure our graduates possess practical, job-ready skills. Moreover, digital infrastructure must continue improving, especially in major cities, so that opportunities become accessible for everyone across the country. We should also invest more in research, innovation, start-up funding, and entrepreneurship. Encouraging women and young innovators to establish technology businesses will strengthen the entire ecosystem.
Most importantly, we need to build more inclusive workplaces. Diversity attracts international investors because innovation thrives when different perspectives come together. Companies that prioritize inclusion, flexible working, mentorship, and leadership development will be better positioned to compete with global investors and product owners coming to Sri Lanka. Sri Lankans are talented enough to become regional technology leaders. So the next step is to create an ecosystem that enables them to realize their potential.
What other strategies and measures do private tech companies in Sri Lanka need to take to attract more women tech professionals, and to help them thrive in the industry?
Attracting women into the tech sector is something that we have been focusing on from the inception of our chapter. We were talking about this issue at forums, maybe ten years ago.
The greater challenge right now is ensuring that these women remain embedded in the organizations. Companies should begin by reviewing recruitment processes to eliminate unconscious biases and ensure hiring decisions focus on skills and potential. Inclusive job descriptions, diverse interview panels, and transparent promotions criteria all contribute to fair outcomes.
Sometimes, based on the working environment, working conditions, and the critical nature of the work, some companies reject all applications or they don’t hire new employees. But when it comes to recruitment, what we expect is equality. Working women, especially mothers, do not expect any special treatment. We only expect companies to be fair and ethical in their recruitment processes.
Mentorship and sponsorship programs should also be provided equally. Many women leave tech careers because of a lack of role models or career guidance. But right now, there are a lot of role models out there in this field, and I have met them. So, the industry is not like what it was 20 years ago.
Organizations should actively invest in leadership, development, planning and success for female employees as well. Flexible working hours, work enrichment, parental support, wellness initiatives and psychologically safe workplaces are a must. Inclusion should be embedded within an organization’s culture rather than treated as a separate initiative.
Some IT companies look for flexible hours for another time zone. For example, personnel in cybersecurity have to work 24 hours for monitoring work. For this to take place these companies need to create flexible and supportive workplaces. This will really increase productivity. Some organizations have succeeded in doing so.
Continuous learning opportunities are another key factor. Supporting employees with certifications, technical training, conference participation and other opportunities, are really important as these provide education benefits for the employees, and in turn this helps these companies retain talent.
Furthermore, these organizations should measure their progress and impact, because what gets measured gets improved and gender diversity should be viewed as a strategic business objective. Because diverse teams consistently deliver strong innovations with a successful business performance.
Looking ahead over the next three to five years, what are Women in Tech Sri Lanka’s strategic priorities, and which areas of growth are you most excited about?
So, over the next three to five years, our ambition is to significantly expand our national reach while deepening the quality of our impact. We want to ensure that young women, regardless of where they are living in Sri Lanka, have access to technology education, mentorship, career guidance, and professional networks.
AI education will remain a top priority for the next three to five years. We want AI literacy to become accessible to schoolgirls, university students, entrepreneurs, and working professionals. I know that the government and responsible authorities are working towards this right now. I hope that as a country, we will get all these benefits as soon as possible.
We also plan to strengthen our entrepreneurship initiatives by supporting women-led start-ups through mentoring. We do have a few startup ecosystem experts within our communities, and we are planning to conduct some networking events, industry partnerships and investment readiness programs.
Another exciting area is our expanding collaborations with universities and government agencies, international organizations, and technology companies to build strong pathways from education to employment. We are fully committed to leadership development, by increasing the number of female technical and executive roles for coaching and mentoring. It requires a long-term investment in confidence building, mentoring, sponsorship, and visibility.
Our vision is simple: Building an ecosystem where women are not only participants in the tech sector, but are also innovators, founders, researchers, policymakers, and global leaders.
What emerging technologies do you believe will have the biggest impact on tech businesses over the next decade?
I think cybersecurity will become even more critical as digital transformation accelerates. Earlier cyber security companies were not in the limelight. Now we are working with global institutions, and we need some governors that are practicing cyber security strategies within private companies in Sri Lanka. Most of them are adhering and aligning with professional standards, like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Sri Lankan companies need to keep adhering to these standards and if we do this cybersecurity will expand here.
It’s not only government or banking databases that require cybersecurity. All IT systems need strong cybersecurity measures, creating significant career opportunities in the field. Cybersecurity goes far beyond IT security alone; it includes areas such as red teaming, blue teaming, purple teaming, ethical hacking, network engineering, and cybersecurity governance. Governance is essential across all industries, not just IT companies. For example, even supermarkets need governance frameworks, security policies, and risk management practices to protect their systems and ensure their operations run securely and efficiently.
Cloud computing will also be continued to enable scalable, flexible business operations. Engineering and advanced data analytics will help organizations to make smarter decisions, and keep records based on real-time insights. Even the current government is looking at data analytics.
So there are huge opportunities in cloud computing, and also quantum computing. Many industries, particularly healthcare, finance, scientific research will look into this in the long-run. Meanwhile, robotics, intelligent automation, digital twins, and extended reality will reshape the manufacturing, education, healthcare, military sectors and also customer experiences.
Perhaps the most important trend will be responsible and ethical AI. Businesses will increasingly need frameworks addressing ethics, transparency, privacy, and governance to build trust while adopting these new technologies.
Are there any other future plans for Women in Tech Sri Lanka that you can disclose?
There are several exciting initiatives on the horizon. We plan to extend our outreach beyond Colombo, starting with my personal visit to the Eastern province this month. I’m really happy to be going there, to ensure equal access to technology, education and career opportunities. The students there are really excited to welcome me.
We also have some other partnership events happening soon and we are also developing new initiatives around AI literacy. We are also partnering with some women in the tech industry to conduct coaching sessions, focusing on entrepreneurship, digital leadership and mentorship for students and early career professionals. We are also making arrangements for a big career development forum this year.
International collaboration will continue to be a priority, along with partnering with Sri Lankan women in the industry, to connect with global experts and mentors and welcome these speakers to our platforms. There are many people who want to speak on our platforms.
We are also exploring strong support mechanisms for women entrepreneurs through networking, investment readiness, business mentoring and ecosystem partnership. Within our capacity we are doing our best to create a meaningful impact in our society.
Anything else that you would like to add?
Women in Tech Sri Lanka is committed to connecting talented Sri Lankan women with opportunities and education in the tech industry, but real change requires a collaboration with everyone.
I encourage IT and tech organizations to invest in diversity, mentorship and continuous learning, because everyone in every organization is equally important. Moreover, educators should continue to inspire curiosity and innovation, and young women considering a career in technology should believe that their voice always matters. The future needs their ideas, their leadership and their participation.
Sri Lanka has incredibly talented individuals. No doubt, if we continue working together to create inclusive opportunities and embrace emerging technologies responsibly, I believe our country can become one of the region’s strongest contributors to the global digital economy.
