Ayesh De Fonseka
Nov 24 2015.
views 2005
Full Name - Ayesh De Fonseka
Hometown - Kandy
Status - Married
Birthday - 4th of September 1983
Idols - In my day to day life, it is very hard to go past my parents Lasantha and Bryony who are the two people I idolize the most. But someone whom I admire from the sporting arena and especially the way he conducts himself in the public eye is Roger Federer.
Passions - Sports and music. Love my rugby, cricket and tennis and enjoy listening to all genres of music.
Favourite Colour - Orange (actually a dark orange or a rust colour) just like the colour we have used in our company logo Tiesh.
How is it to be a part of a family business?
Challenging and rewarding at the same time.
What are the challenges you face? Positive and negative?
I’ll start with the negative. It's quite challenging in terms of you cannot clock off like working in a 9-5 job, as our business and personal life go hand in hand. Even most dinner table conversations surround the family business. On the positive side, it’s very rewarding when the hard work pays off and we have satisfied clients and we produce a beautiful piece of jewellery that our clients are proud to own. And most importantly the staff in all our organizations both in Kandy and Colombo are part of our extended family, as I have known them for as long as I can remember even calling the more senior staff members by the name Uncle. It’s great to have a family feeling when you go in to work.
Describe yourself in a single word.
Persevering.
Are you superstitious? When it comes to business matters?
Not very superstitious but it doesn’t hurt to cover all bases. As a great man once said “the harder I work the luckier I get”, and I think that’s a great moto to follow.
As a Taylor Swift fan, what do you admire her for?
Ha ha ha , that’s a great question Danu. I get called out a lot by most of my friends for being a 32 year old man who likes Taylor Swift. To be honest I honestly just like her music, especially the way she writes all of her own lyrics and she is amazing to watch live. Besides every album has a very distinct feel to it, and she is a chameleon changing with each new album and changing genres and I admire her ability to do so.
Your thoughts on Colombo society?
Honestly I don’t think I've been in the Colombo society long enough to comment, but everyone I’ve met has always been nice to me.
Do you feel that fitting in is hard?
Being from Kandy, and then being in Sydney for half of my life doesn’t help, but trying my best to be myself and making new friends as I go. I enjoy the challenge.
Tell something that nobody knows about you.
I’m actually a quiet person. I enjoy a quiet dinner and movie with my wife over a party any day of the week.
Tell me about the brand Tiesh.
Tiesh is a family owned and operated jewellery store, and we have been in the gems and jewellery trade in the tourism sector over the past two decades and arisen to the very top, so we would like to venture out and give the same level of quality and craftsmanship to local clientele.
What's new for 2016?
In 2016 I hope to create a new line of men's jewellery which I feel most people forget about the fact men like a bit of bling as well.
Tell me about your family.
We are a very close and tightknit family, and it helps being in a family business that all the family members have a close bond with each other. Even my wife Mihiri has come in to the family structure really well and helps out whenever she can.
How is married life?
It's a great experience as I’ve been married for almost 4 years and it's great to have someone to share all life’s ups and downs and someone you can confide in no matter what.
Personal Space
What do you keep in the trunk of your car?
An umbrella and a rugby ball.
What's your middle name?
Malintha. I'm not a huge fan of the name, but my parents thought it was a nice name when I was born but I much prefer the name Ayesh so please continue calling me that.
What does your room look like?
Quite neat, with the bed always made before I leave the room, and clothes always in its proper place. I think I have a tiny case of OCD.
What internet site do you surf the most?
It would be the Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au) - my former news website from Australia, and the National Rugby League website to see the latest happenings with my favourite footy team the Brisbane Broncos.
What are your three favourite smells?
The smell of spring (especially In Sydney), Issey Miyake for Men (my favourite cologne) and the smell of good leather.
For Fun
Dogs or Babies? Both, but if I had to choose, it would be babies.
Dog or Cat? Dog. I love dogs.
Facebook or Twitter? Facebook.
Calendar or cell phone alerts? Phone alerts.
eBay or Amazon? Amazon.
Savings or credit cards? Savings.
Jokes or sentiments? Jokes.
Riches or happiness? Happiness.
Christmas or Halloween? Christmas.
In The Spot
Koluu / Danu / Kumar De Silva - Who would you chose as a brand face for Tiesh?
No offence to Koluu or Kumar but Danu would be my choice, and not just because I'm on the column but as I mentioned it would be a great to work with in creating the men's jewellery line with Danu, and I feel we are quite similar in the way we think and I also love Danu’s fashion sense which is by far one of the best going around.
Facebook changing the profile pic to the France flag? Did you change it, and if so or not - why?
No I didn’t change it. I feel very sorry for the people of Paris and France, but I feel there are so many countries facing similar or worse problems, so I think it's not only one country who is suffering from world issues and problems, so when someone creates a flag immerging all the worlds flags in to one then I will change my profile pic.
CJS / Raja Jewelers / Vogue – whose brand has inspired you the most as a competitor?
All three brands in their own way have inspired me and also our company Tiesh. CJS with their unique designs, Raja Jewellers with their value for money and Vogue with their integrity and heritage. I like to think our company Tiesh is a good mix of all these three jewellery companies and we have put in to practice all the elements I've mentioned.
PM of Sri Lanka?
Changes are always good, and I'm very impartial as I have no allegiances to any of the political groups in Sri Lanka. All I wish and hope for is a strong country and nation going in the right direction.
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