Principal Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist

Michiko Katagami

Michiko has been working on food security, agriculture and rural development issues with sovereign and non-sovereign investment and research teams for more than 20 years in Asia and the Pacific. She currently works on projects to develop inclusive and resource-efficient agribusiness value chains, support sustainable protein value chain growth, deploy technology solutions for smallholder agriculture, upscale climate smart agriculture and leverage green finance in ADB’s developing member countries. Prior to joining ADB she worked for UNDP, Mitsubishi Trust & Banking Co. and S.G. Warburg Securities. She holds a master’s degree in development economics from the Institute of Social Studies, the Hague (Nuffic scholar).

Gabriel Grau

Secretary to the Treasury

Mr. K M Mahinda Siriwardana

Mr. K.M. Mahinda Siriwardana, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has been released from the Central Bank as the Secretary to the Treasury with effect from 08.04.2022. He has more than 30 years of service in the Central Bank. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Governor, he held the key positions of Assistant Governor and Director of Economic Research Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Mr. Mahinda Siriwardana was on release to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the Alternate Executive Director for the Constituency comprised of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan during July 2017 to October 2019.

He was also on release to the Ministry of Finance from October 2010 to April 2015 to serve as the Director General of the Fiscal Policy Department and also as an Additional Director General of the National Planning Department.

Mr. Mahinda Siriwardana has served as a member of the Board of Directors/Treasury Representative in several institutions, including Bank of Ceylon, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, National Savings Bank, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Board of Investments of Sri Lanka, Export Development Board, Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation and Sri Lanka Vocational Training Authority.

He holds a Master of Arts (MA) Degree in Economics and a Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Development from the Vanderbilt University, USA and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Special) Degree in Economics from the University of Kelaniya. Mr. Mahinda Siriwardana has participated in a number of international training programs in the areas of macroeconomic management, macroeconomic diagnostics and forecasting, monetary policy, central banking, public financial management, government finance, public debt management and financial programming and policies. He has published several articles in South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) Research Studies and CBSL Staff Studies Publication.

Country Director, Sri Lanka

Faris Hadad Zervos

FARIS HADAD-ZERVOS is the Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Prior to this, he served as the World Bank Country Manager for Nepal, Country Manager for Malaysia and the Head of the Global Knowledge and Research Hub in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr. Hadad-Zervos, a US national, joined the World Bank in 1996 with the Private Sector Development Department. He served as Manager of the Technical Cooperation Program with the Gulf Cooperation Countries (2000-2003), Head of Mission for Iraq (2003-2005), Operations Manager for the West Bank and Gaza (2005-2008), Acting Director for Fragile States in the Operations Department (2010-2011) and Country Manager for Bolivia (2012-2015). In 2008, Hadad-Zervos took a leave of absence from the World Bank to serve as the Deputy Head of the Quartet Office for the Middle East Peace Process, based in Jerusalem.

Hadad-Zervos holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from George Mason University, and a Master’s Degree in Finance from George Washington University.

Chief Scientist

Fergus Sinclair

Fergus Sinclair leads research into the contribution that trees can make to the productivity of farming systems and the lives of rural communities, with two main areas of focus: soil and water productivity; and factors affecting farmer decisions about which trees they incorporate on their farms and how they manage them. He also co-ordinates the Smallholder Production Systems and Markets component of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry involving CIFOR-ICRAF, Bioversity and CIAT.

Sinclair also works with Bangor University, Wales, UK through a research partnership with the School of the Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, and is a visiting professor at the Latin American Centre for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education (CATIE) in Costa Rica.

He is best known for his pioneering research on systematic acquisition and use of local knowledge and the development and application of systems methods in agricultural development, including measurement and modelling of complex systems at field, farm, livelihood and landscape scales, encompassing both ecological and human dimensions.

Director, South Asia Office

Shahidur Rashid

Shahidur Rashid is the Director for the South Asia Office, part of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, and is based in New Delhi. He is committed to seeing tangible change take place in South Asia. Dr. Rashid has worked on agriculture and food policy issues in Asia and Africa for more than 20 years at IFPRI. As a Senior Research Fellow, he managed several large multi-country projects, fundraising, and influencing policymaking and investment priorities in Ethiopia and Bangladesh. He was based in IFPRI’s regional office in Addis Ababa for five years to conduct research on countries in East and Southern Africa. Dr. Rashid’s research work at IFPRI has included institutional analysis of micro-finance, agricultural wage dynamics, food aid leakage, food grain markets integration, distortions to agricultural incentives, and agricultural price policies in Asia.

Dr. Rashid has also served as a member of the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). Among other research, he contributed to a set of diagnostic studies for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that provided the basis for the establishment of the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) in Ethiopia. He also co-led the African Agriculture Management Program (AAMP), jointly managed by IFPRI and the Michigan State University. He has co-edited several books.

A native of Bangladesh, Dr. Rashid received his master’s degree in Economics from the Chittagong University, Bangladesh in 1987 and a PhD in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1999.

Harsh Vivek

“Experienced international development professional with a demonstrated track record of working for sustainable private sector development in emerging markets, particularly in South Asia. Strong professional skills in promoting private sector investments in Climate Change Adaptation, Water Management, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Corporate Responsibility.

Co-author of the book “”States of the Indian Economy: Towards a Larger Constituency for Second Generation Reforms””, published by Sage Publications.”

Senior Program Officer

Tess Russo

Head - Action for Climate and Environment

Ashish Chaturvedi

Experienced International cooperation expert with a demonstrated history of working at a bilateral cooperation organisation and research institutions. Skilled in Climate Change, Circular Economy, Resource Efficiency, Government, and Environmental Awareness. Strong professional with a Phd in Political Economy from University of California, Irvine.

Director, India Country Office

Hari Menon

“M Hari Menon leads the India Office of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also oversees the foundation’s work in South and South-East Asia.

In this role as director of the India Office, Hari is in charge of managing the foundation’s work areas in India, with an objective to improve conditions of family health, sanitation, digital financial inclusion, agriculture, and gender equality. He leads these efforts to advance the country’s health and development goals by working closely with India’s central and state governments, local and global non-profits, community groups, researchers, and the private sector. Hari has led many complex portfolios in the foundation and has been successful in advancing the goals by engaging with governments, public and private partners, philanthropists and non-governmental organizations. He brings valuable experience gained through multiple leadership roles across the foundation and has strong relationships with partners across the development ecosystem.

India has made tremendous progress across areas such as health, nutrition, sanitation, digital financial inclusion, agricultural profitability, and women’s economic empowerment for enabling gender equality. Hari’s key focus is to continue to partner with India, on our aligned mission to transform lives of people who are most in need, by bringing to bear our technical and global expertise.

Hari has been associated with the foundation since 2006, with a brief role outside the foundation between 2011 and 2013. He has, over the years, supported a wide portfolio of work in public health, especially in maternal and child health and HIV prevention. Prior to the India Country director role, he was leading the teams that focus on policy and advocacy and program communications for Global Health, Global Development, and Global Growth & Opportunity. Since 2017, he has also been overseeing the foundation’s policy and government relations for South and South-East Asia.

From 2011 to 2013, Hari served as strategic philanthropy adviser to Rohini Nilekani. He also has experience in the consumer goods and information technology sectors with companies like Colgate Palmolive and Infosys Technologies. Hari holds a graduate degree in business management from XLRI School of Management, Jamshedpur and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering & Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.”

Resident Representative in Sri Lanka

Azusa Kubota

“Azusa Kubota joined UNDP in Sri Lanka as the Resident Representative in January 2023.
Prior to her appointment in Sri Lanka, Ms. Kubota served as the Resident Representative for UNDP in Bhutan from 2019-2022, where she led overall operations, programme implementation, strategic vision setting and representation of the office in the country.

Prior to her tenure in Bhutan, she has served UNDP in multiple capacities as the Manager and Head of Office of UNDP in the Solomon Islands and the UN Joint Presence Manager for UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNWOMEN (2016 – 2019); Deputy Resident Representative, Programme and Operations for UNDP Lao PDR (2014 – 2016) and UNDP Maldives (2011-2014); Evaluation Specialist (2008 – 2011) and Evaluation Analyst (2006 -2008) at UNDP Evaluation Office; and Programme Analyst- Sustainable Economic Empowerment Unit, UNDP Malawi (2002 –2006), to name a few key roles over the years.

She has also previously worked with the Government of South Africa in organizing the second international conference on the use of evaluation for public policies, and has also worked for NGOs in Senegal, Lesotho and Washington D.C. where she was responsible for organizing training programmes for senior government officials in the areas of international law and economic development.

A national of Japan, Ms. Kubota holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs in Economic and Political Development from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, New York, USA; and a Bachelor’s Degree from Smith College, Northampton, USA. She has spent a semester at Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal and studied French at Middlebury College, Vermont, USA.”

Chairman

Prof. Ranjith Senaratne

Prof. Ranjith Senaratne, Senior Professor of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, possesses over 40 years of experience in higher education, including teaching, research and administration, and community development. He has held several senior administrative positions with distinction for a period of over 20 years, i.e. the posts of Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and Vice-Chancellor, University of Ruhuna, Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors, Chairman of the Ocean University and Vice-Chairman, University Grants Commission.

As Vice-Chancellor, University of Ruhuna, he has been strongly committed to promoting academic excellence, high impact research, creative enterprise, strategic partnership with industry, community development, and international cooperation. In recognition of his outstanding contribution in education, science, community development and international cooperation, the University of Durham, UK conferred a honorary Doctorate (honoris causa) on him in 2007.

Prof. Senaratne has been the recipient of several internationally competitive and prestigious research grants, i.e. from the Board on Science and Technology for International Development (BOSTID) of the National Research Council of the USA and has held a number of coveted fellowships, including the Andre Mayer Fellowship of the FAO and the Marie Curie Fellowship of the European Community. He has over 100 research communications and papers to his credit and has written and edited about 10 books related to agriculture, higher education, science & technology, and national development.

Prof. Senaratne has provided strategic, inspirational and operational leadership to higher educational institutions, and he is a visionary leader and an institution builder.

South Asia Lead of Climate Advisory

Ajeya Bandyopadhyay

Mr. Ajeya Bandyopadhyay is presently the In this role, he is responsible for growing IFC’s climate-focused and sustainable investment opportunities in Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services sector. Ajeya advises large private sector organizations on Decarbonization, Energy Transition, Circular Economy, Green Supply Chain etc. and, supporting their implementation through emerging climate finance instruments and targeted policy reforms. By qualification he is a Chemical Engineer from Jadavpur University (India) and an MBA from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. Ajeya also received ‘Public Leadership Credentials’ from Harvard University. He has also received ‘professional service leadership’ certification from Harvard Business School and Indian School of Business.

Senior Banker

Sanath Manatunge

Mr. Sanath Manatunge is a senior banker who has served in CBC throughout his career, holding several senior positions. Mr. Manatunge joined CBC in 1989 and has 30 years of experience. Mr. Manatunge was appointed as the Managing Director of Commercial Development Company PLC on May 12, 2022. Under his leadership, the Corporate Banking Division of CBC experienced rapid growth in the loan book and in areas such as trade finance fee-based income while maintaining the quality of advances.

Country Manager

Alejandro Alvarez de la Campa

Alejandro Alvarez de la Campa is the Country Manager for IFC in Sri Lanka and Maldives. Having been appointed for this role in November 2022, Alejandro has years of experience with the World Bank Group, working across regions and industries. A Spanish national, Alejandro joined IFC in 2004. Prior to this appointment, he has been a manager leading IFC’s Creating Markets Advisory teams in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East for the last two years and was also a Practice Manager for Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation (FCI) and Finance and Markets (F&M) in Africa in the joint WB-IFC Global Practice. Over the years, Alejandro has led teams that supported reforms and implementation of policy for private-sector-led growth across countries and a range of sectors. Alejandro holds a Law Degree (JD) from the University of Seville and an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris.

Director - Group Sustainable Busines

Nemanthie Kooragamage

Nemanthie describes herself as a ‘product specialist with a passion for sustainable business.’ Today she leads the execution of the MAS Plan for Change in her role as Director – Group Sustainable Business at MAS Holdings. She has over 20 years of experience in the apparel industry, providing leadership to business development and marketing initiatives, including leading the PVH business for MAS, and most recently being the Director of Product Creation and Sustainable Business for MAS’s largest strategic business unit.

Group Chief Executive Officer & Deputy Managing Director

Janaka Gammampila

A Supply Chain professional with over 20 years of experience in Food, Home and Personal Care industry. Prior to joining the Silvermill Group Janaka was with Unilever Sri Lanka where he’s held multiple roles in manufacturing and planning both in Sri Lanka and Internationally. Janaka holds an MBA from Post Graduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura and a B Eng (Hons) degree in Chemical Engineering from University College London.