| Chief Guest
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Dr. Jairo Andrés Villamil-Díaz
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Head of Mission
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Dr. Jairo Andrés Villamil-Díaz is a highly accomplished international development and finance expert with a robust academic and professional background. He holds a Ph.D. in Management & Finance from Universidad de los Andes, complemented by a Fulbright scholarship at Fordham University and a visiting scholar position at Columbia University in New York, USA. He also holds dual bachelor's degrees in Applied Science (Industrial Engineering) and Physics from Universidad de los Andes.
Since 2015, Jairo has served at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), where he currently leads the Country Programme in Sri Lanka. His work focuses on mainstreaming standards-based best practices in the agri-food sector, having the programme successfully supported over 130 companies and trained more than 15,000 individuals. His previous roles at UNIDO include International Technical Specialist in trade, export, and business promotion, with impactful assignments in Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Nicaragua. In these roles, he led programme implementation, monitoring, and reporting, supported numerous public institutions and over 100 SMEs, and trained more than 10,000 participants across various development projects.
Before joining the international development sector, Jairo was General Manager and Partner at Colmetrik (Pvt) Ltd in Colombia (2007–2015). Under his leadership, the company became a market leader in its sector in the Country. He played a pivotal role in national legal reforms for the National Metrology Institute and served as a founding board member of Colombia’s National Accreditation Body (ONAC).
Earlier in his career, he held significant roles such as Engineering Director and Senior Expert in multiple international projects—including work on Technical Barriers to Trade (World Bank and USAID) — and served as Director of Projects in an Investment Banking firm.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Jairo has a distinguished academic record. He been a university professor on corporate finance, corporate governance and other Master-level courses at Universidad de los Andes, Universidad de La Sabana, and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, where he has also supervised numerous dissertations.
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| Keynote Speaker |
Mr. Rizvi Zaheed
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Chairman
Sri Lanka Agripreneurs' Forum & Director, Vidullanka PLC
Mr. Rizvi Zaheed is a distinguished corporate leader, agriculture strategist, and development consultant with over 25 years of experience in executive leadership, agribusiness transformation, and sustainable development. He holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Kelaniya and an MBA from the University of Colombo, with professional training in International Strategic Management at the Swedish Institute of Management (Sweden) and in Management and Methods at the Industrial Society (UK).
From 1999 to 2019, Mr. Zaheed served as an Executive Director of Hayleys PLC, one of Sri Lanka’s largest diversified conglomerates. During this period, he headed the company’s Agriculture Sector as Managing Director of Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd, and also led Hayleys Consumer Products Ltd and Hayleys Global Beverages Pvt Ltd. Under his leadership, the Group pioneered innovations in agriculture, strengthened rural–urban supply chains, and expanded access to both local and export markets.
Currently, Mr. Zaheed serves as Chairman of Vidul Plantation Ltd, Non-Executive Director of Vidullanka PLC, and Managing Director of the Halal Assessment Council. He has also held key leadership roles including Non-Executive Chairman of Oceanpick Pvt Ltd and Hameedias Group. In the national sphere, he chairs the Sri Lanka Agripreneurs Forum and the National Science Foundation’s Agriculture Steering Committee, and serves as President of the National Biotechnology Industry Association. He is also a member of several national policy and advisory bodies, including the University Grants Commission, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, and the National Science Foundation, contributing to the advancement of agricultural research, biotechnology, and innovation policy in Sri Lanka.
Beyond corporate leadership, Mr. Zaheed has contributed extensively as a consultant and advisor to international development agencies such as USAID, the World Bank, IFAD, UNDP, and the World Food Programme. His assignments have included agriculture modernization, value chain development, and export promotion projects in partnership with global and local institutions. He is also serving as a Lead Mentor for the GoviLab Agritech Accelerator, an initiative by Hatch Works and Sarvodaya, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, promoting technology-driven agri-innovation among startups.
Mr. Zaheed is also an author and thought leader, contributing a chapter titled “Private Sector: Role in Promoting Technology Transfer, Agriculture and Socio-Economic Development of the Farmer” in landmark publication “The Future of Agriculture and the Agriculture of the Future– From Beaten Track to Untrodden Paths”, edited by Emeritus Professor Ranjith Senaratne. His career reflects a lifelong commitment to modernizing Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector, empowering rural communities, and promoting sustainable agri-food systems through strategic private–public partnerships.
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| Alumni Speaker |
Dr. Thusitha Bandarae
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Director
Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC,
Dr. Thusitha Bandara is an award-winning senior executive in Sri Lanka’s tea and agri-value chains. At Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC, he has led Sustainability, Low Country Operations, and R&D since 2008 and now serves as a Director.
He is also CEO/Director of Lush Agro (Pvt) Ltd; Chief Sustainability, Quality & Compliance Officer and Director at Bogawantalawa Tea Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd; and a Director of Green Grow Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. Recognized for climate leadership, he has driven climate-positive and carbon-neutral ambitions, expanded 100% renewables, and aligned operations with the EU Green Deal, international certification schemes, and rigorous food-safety standards. A sought-after consultant and international speaker, he partners with global brands on climate-smart and regenerative agriculture, organic farming, ESG strategy, GHG accounting, renewable energy, and assurance frameworks.
His academic foundation blends science and management: Ph.D. in Crop Science (PGIA, University of Peradeniya, 2023); MBA (2019); M.Sc. in Environmental Forestry/Crop Science (PGIA, 2012); and B.Sc. in Agriculture, specializing in Crop Science (University of Peradeniya, 2008). He is currently pursuing an LLB and a B.Sc. in AI to further strengthen his expertise and align with global developments. This background underpins his evidence-based, metrics-driven approach to leading multidisciplinary programs and supply-chain partnerships that build resilient, high-compliance, market-trusted agri-businesses with measurable environmental and social outcomes
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Panel Discussion
Food Systems Transformation: Policy, Innovation, and Community Action for Food Security. |
Dr. Derek Headey
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Senior Research Fellow
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Dr. Derek Headey is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), where he has worked since 2008. A development economist, his research primarily focuses on agriculture, food security, social protection and nutrition and their interconnections
He has served as a Principal Investigator of several large-scale and highly influential projects on agriculture and nutrition, such as the Food Prices for Nutrition project, which developed the cost and affordability of healthy diets metrics adopted by the World Bank and various UN organizations, as well as the Advancing Research on Nutrition and Agriculture (ARENA) project (2012-2021). He has also served as the nutrition lead for IFPRI’s Myanmar Program since 2020.
In Sri Lanka he leads the BRIGHT Integrated Survey of Sri Lanka 2024-2025 (BISSL), the country’s first ever nationally representative multi-thematic survey, a collaboration between IFPRI, IWMI and researchers from the University of Peradeniya and Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. He publishes in economics, agriculture, nutrition and cross-disciplinary journals, and works closely with national staff and collaborators in South and South-East Asia. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Queensland in 2008. He has been based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, since 2022.
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Prof.(Ms)Ilmi G.N.Hewajulige
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Director General/CEO
Industrial Technology Institute (ITI),
Prof. Ilmi Hewajulige is the Director General / Chief Executive Officer and Research Professor of the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), Sri Lanka. She graduated from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, with a BSc. (Agriculture) Hon. degree and obtained her M.Phil. and PhD degrees on Postharvest Biology and Technology from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. She was a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Food Research Institute (NFRI), Japan, and a research fellow at the University of California, Davis, USA.
Prof. Hewajulige has 30 years’ research experience on postharvest management of fruit and vegetables, food technology, food safety and food supply chain management. She has been actively involved in more than 47 nationally and internationally funded R&D projects as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator. She has earned over 100 scientific publications & communications, two patents and more than 20 national and international awards. She has experience in working with food-related industries on technology development and transfer. She has served as a National Consultant on Fruit and Vegetable Postharvest Value Chains for FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and currently serves in many food-related national advisory committees of Sri Lanka.
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Mr. Manju Gunawardana
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Group CEO
Research and Innovation,
LOLC Holdings PLC.
Mr. Manju Gunawardana counts over 25 years in Research and Innovation in various subject areas, including Nano technology, Advanced Material & Engineering. He started his career as electronics engineer and specialised in military electronics.
Mr. Gunawardana has worked in some of Sri Lanka’s leading engineering companies, such as TOS Lanka Co Pvt Ltd and Orange Electric, as a Director Engineering and Head of Research responsible for product development and research management. He served as the CEO at CIC Precision Agriculture (Pvt) Ltd, Head of Research & Innovation at CIC Holdings PLC, and pioneered Precision Agriculture Technologies based on drone applications in Sri Lanka. Mr. Gunawardana has worked as a principal Research Engineer at MAS Holdings, Sabre Technologies, and was responsible for real-time system design.
Currently, he is the Group CEO of the Research and Innovation arm of LOLC as well as a Consultant Senior Research Scientist/Director at Sri Lanka Institute of Nano Technology (SLINTEC). Also, his contribution in unveiling Sri Lanka’s pristine graphite to the world is so far remarkable, being the pioneer and founder of Ceylon Graphene Technologies Pvt Ltd (CGTL), Sri Lanka’s first graphene and advanced material company, and he currently serves as CEO / Director.
Mr. Gunawardana is the winner of multiple international awards, including 3 Geneva Innovation Congress Gold Medals and one Silver Medal. He has also twice won the national title as the Best Inventor in Sri Lanka. He is the Chairman of Browns Agri Solutions (Pvt) Ltd. Mr. Gunawardana is also a Director of LOLC Advanced Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, Associated Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) Limited, Browns Pharma Limited and BI Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Browns Plantations, and AgStar PLC.
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