Our Team
“None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”
– Mother Teresa
ADVISORY BOARD
Murtaza Esufally
Murtaza Esufally brings to his workplace a strong sense of discipline and motivation, a love of learning and experimentation. These are skills he has honed over the years through sports, self-study and learning through his mistakes. He believes that social and emotional skills, learnt effectively and early, can make a noticeable difference in the life of young people, thereby creating a new generation that has the mindset required to tackle the economic and social needs of Sri Lanka.
Murtaza has had nearly 30 years of experience in diverse leadership roles, but his main focus has been in healthcare. He is presently a Board Member of Hemas Holdings PLC and holds the position of Chairman of the conglomerate’s hospital and pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution companies. He has also been involved with strategic human resource development in the Hemas Group and has been inspired by the concept of a growth mindset and the power of human potential given the right support. Murtaza has an MBA from the University of Melbourne, has an LLB (Hons) and is a Barrister-at-Law.
Anushka Fernando-Goonetilleke
Anushka Fernando-Goonetilleke has experience working in the education sector and brings her passion to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged students. She is particularly interested in helping each student recognize their value and worth as a human being with unique gifts regardless of the circumstances they are born into. She believes in the power of socio emotional skills and career building skills to propel them towards achieving their potential and is committed to bringing these skills to the youth of Sri Lanka.
Anushka enjoys learning, music and nature and appreciates art and design especially in the everyday setting. She has a Master of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College.
Avanti Esufally
Avanti Esufally has alway held the belief that every Sri Lankan should be able to access quality education. She was inspired to assist in whatever capacity she could in the field of education, during her years as an economic research assistant studying the growth trajectory of countries such as Singapore and South Korea. Avanti is currently a member of the Advisory Panel of Dhow Foundation, a philanthropic organisation which focuses on fostering inter-ethnic harmony, and a Governor of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka and self-appointed Minister of Operations at the boutique villa she runs with her husband, Murtaza. She has a BSc in Economics from Wilson College, U.S.A.
Irshad Halaldeen
Irshad Halaldeen, has had a long career as an HR professional, having worked in this capacity both in Sri Lanka and internationally. He enjoys exploring and understanding human learning and social processes, and discussing his learnings with like-minded individuals. Irshad is the Director of Co-Energi (Pvt) Ltd and a member of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Poverty Analysis. He has a Master of Science in Industrial Management and Economics, specializing in Organisational Development from Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim. He spends any free time he has reading, listening to world music and discovering hidden nooks around Sri Lanka.
Ayoma Sanderatne
Ayoma Sanderatne has a keen interest in online education. She hopes that all Sri Lankan students would one day understand how to make use of the internet for their knowledge building. She wishes that they would have equal access to online education and free online world-class educational resources and be able to reap the benefits. She firmly believes and tries to follow the principles of the Golden Rule – “treat others as you would like others to treat you.” Ayoma is a Director of Frontier Research Pvt Ltd. Her former work experience involved social science research. She has worked formerly within academia and as a freelance consultant as well as later founded and lead the social research sector unit of a multinational market research firm in Colombo providing research support to various donor agencies, UN agencies, INGOs and NGOs. She brings insight to L4LL from her exposure to various projects and involvement in monitoring and evaluation of various projects. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colombo.
PROJECT COORDINATORS
G. S. Sylvester
G. S. Sylvester has spent his career working with young people. He is passionate about working and guiding his students and is committed to counseling and assisting them in the pursuit of their career aspirations. Sylvester is an accomplished marketer, trainer and tutor. He has a Post Graduate diploma in Marketing – CIM (UK) is a Fellow of CIM (UK) and SLIM and is a Chartered Marketer. Sylvester has served on numerous board positions in both CIM (Sri Lanka) and SLIM including as the Honorary Secretary of both Institutes. He is actively involved in the Rotary Club and has served as the Assistant Governor of Sri Lanka.
Sandali Weerakoon
Sandali Weerakoon has completed her bachelor’s in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. She has a professional qualification in Human Resource Management and Training and Development from CIPM, Sri Lanka. She’s currently reading her LLB at the University of London. In her off hours Sandali enjoys painting and cooking and hopes someday to add to Colombo’s vibrant food culture with her own food truck.