AMCHAM Modern Workplaces: The gig economy and flexible workplaces

Madu is the Group CIO and the Center Head for Virtusa Sri Lanka. He is responsible for Virtusa’s global digital strategy and Virtusa’s Sri Lankan Operations.

He is a Charted Engineer, holds an MBA and a Honors Degree in Software Engineering.

Tahani is a Senior Research Manager at LIRNEasia, where she is working on the policy implications of the AfterAccess survey findings. She is also responsible for producing a publication that analyses Myanmar’s ICT sector reforms to date and prioritizes the actions needed to ensure that the growth and inclusion trajectory continues. Another project she is working on focuses on the impacts of digitization on developing country jobs.

Tahani was previously with LIRNEasia from 2006 to 2011, where she managed LIRNEasia’s Communication Policy Research South (CPRsouth) program which is aimed at building capacity in communication policy research in the Asia Pacific. She also conducted a study on mobile number portability in emerging Asia and researched ICT access and use among Asia’s bottom of the pyramid, and compiled comparative mobile price indicators across the SAARC region.

She has over 12 years of experience in telecoms/digital policy and regulatory research and advocacy, having worked at Axiata Group Berhad in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as a Specialist in Regulatory Affairs, and as a Research Associate for the Singapore Internet Research Centre (SIRC), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.

Her current research interests focus on privacy and data protection, net neutrality and regulatory modernization, and taxation issues in the communications sector.

Rohan wears many hats in his career. He runs an exclusive omnichannel digital experience management company - Antyra Solutions at Present. Also, he is the Head of Marketing & Alliances for John Keells IT a fully owned technology venture by John Keells Holdings. He is a lecturer for CIM (UK) & few M.Sc. & MBA Programs for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Technology, especially around Digital Transformation.
Rohan’s most significant career position was being the first representative of Google for Sri Lanka. The work he started at Google he extended from Google onto Antyra with a more holistic view by helping brands, organizations, and Sri Lanka government to develop its digital practices. As the Country Consultant at Google for Sri Lanka & Maldives, he managed all engagements to and from Google for Sri Lanka during his tenure which included digital practice, policy framework, publisher, video & telco partnerships, community and entrepreneurship development.
Rohan has a deep understanding of channel/partner and eco-system business development having worked with technology brands. Rohan was a lead management consultant for IT sector based in Singapore & held leadership positions in Cisco, Lenovo & IBM across geographies. He uses this experience with his John Keells IT role to grow the technology practices of John Keells Holdings to regional customers in, MENA & ASIA.
At early days he was awarded the prestigious award of head prefectship of Royal College. Rohan is passionate about entrepreneurship & Innovation. He is a keynote speaker, presenter, moderator for countless events & was invited to speak at the inaugural TEDx in SL on entrepreneurship.

Chandi is the Senior Director of Human Resources at Virtusa Pvt. Ltd, where she is responsible for the Sri Lanka geography and global Transportation, Manufacturing and Independent Services SBU. Prior to this, Chandi was at MAS Holdings in the role of General Manager – Group Learning & Development for 11 years, and in the startup team of Cosi inc,. New York which went public in 2001 (NASDAQ: COSI).
She was awarded the HR Leadership Award by the Asia Pacific HRM Congress in 2014 and was recognized as Echelon Magazine’s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Sri Lanka (2015). In 2016, Chandi was conferred the Women Leadership Achievement Award by the World Women Leadership Congress. In addition, Chandi was recognized as one of Asia’s most innovative HR tech leaders by the Asia Pacific HRM Congress (2018).
She has her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and her Master’s in Business Administration and has also attended executive education programs conducted by the INSEAD business school.
Chandi serves as a board director of SLASSCOM, a board director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka, a council member of the EFC and is the immediate past president of the American Alumni Association of Sri Lanka. In addition, she was a board director of the Association of Human Resource Professionals of Sri Lanka in the recent past.

Dr. Thomas Kring has worked extensively on issues related to enterprise and private sector promotion, employment creation and poverty reduction for the United Nations. His career spans over 20 years, with both ILO and UNDP, where he has occupied positions ranging from project management to senior economist advising government on economic development policies. He has been posted to several countries on three continents. He has a PhD in Development Economics from University of Melbourne along with an MA and BA from University of Copenhagen in Economics. He has written a number of articles and papers on labour and economic development issues. He is currently working as a Chief Technical Advisor for the ILO and is responsible for the organisation’s Jobs for Peace and Resilience Programme in Sri Lanka.