ITB DIGITAL Sep 2025 v3spreads - Flipbook - Page 34
MEMBER
PROFILE
THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW
SENPATHI JAYAWICKRAMA
VANESSA MATTI
SENPATHI JAYAWICKRAMA ASA
CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER FOR VIETNAM
OPERATIONS, HIRDARAMANI GROUP
BIEN HOA, VIETNAM
Senpathi Jayawickrama ASA is comfortable
with change. In fact, transformation has
been a key theme of her finance career.
A former chief transformation officer of the
knit division at Sri Lanka’s apparel and textile
giant, Hirdaramani Group, she has held
several business strategy roles in her career.
Jayawickrama recently seized the opportunity
for more change by taking on the role of chief
procurement officer for Hirdaramani Group’s
Vietnam operations.
“Procurement is very new to me, but
I’m learning so much,” she says.
Jayawickrama began her career as a
management accountant but was drawn to
opportunities in business strategy.
“Many organisations create five-year
strategies and stick to the plans they put
in place,” she says. “But in the world right
34 INTHEBLACK Sep/Oct 2025 SPECIAL EDITION
JOSIE COLLINS
now, those strategies are just high-level goals and
everything has to change. I’m interested in how
we manage those transformations. Most changes
happen through people — you can’t just change
a system or a process and expect everything in the
company to change.
“People are diverse and their levels of acceptance
to change are different, but I enjoy the process of
working with individuals to drive change, and
I know how important communication is.”
Jayawickrama is currently studying for a master’s
in digital transformation and says she is keen to
apply those skills in the future. “I keep telling
people that if you’re going to be working for
the next 30 years, be ready to work with
youngsters who are going to talk technology.
You need to know what they’re talking about,”
she says.
