Full Name: Victoria Samantha Gunasekera 

Date of Birth: June 6, 1970 

Education: 

- Ave Maria Convent, Negombo (up to Grade 10) 
- Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya 
- CIM England – Certificate Level (1995) 
- RMIT Australia (1999) 
- CPA Australia (2001) 

The ingredients that make up Samantha Gunasekera are perseverance, hard work and a whole lot of courage. She is a no nonsense accounting professional, business woman, a doting mum to her son Asher and daughter Shyler and a loving wife. 

“I came from a very average to poor family background and my biggest aspiration was to somehow qualify,” Samantha explains adding that both she and her brother were brought up by their mother who is now 78 years old. “I am who I am because of her, she went through lots of struggles to bring us up and I am ever so grateful to her.” 

Her first taste of numbers came when she started CIM, “I realised my strength was mainly with the numbers and the commercials of a business.” With the focus of earning enough money to further her higher studies she joined Air Lanka (1991 – 1994) as a flight attendant. “I didn’t lose focus and I went on to collect the targeted amount within three years and left with just enough to pay for my first semester and in 1995 I moved to Australia.” 

In 1995 she gained entrance into Monash University and to RMIT University but had to work four jobs to pay her way through school. “I taped the lectures and listened to them in the night while washing dishes at the Crown Casino.” 

Upon gaining residency in Australia in 1999 she also got her degree and went on to work in her first accounting job at The Original Juice as a Trainee Accountant. “This was where I got my full on training and learnt all my tricks (in accounting),” she says adding that she still knew that one day she would want to become a CEO so in order to understand a business better she would have stalls at markets selling pyjamas. 

In 2000 Samantha joined TXU Australia – A utility and power generation company where she learnt management accounting skills, “I worked in analysing financial accounting data that was the stepping stone for the bigger picture as I learned to produce value added (decision making) reports.” Then in 2002 she joined Alstom Australia as Group Accountant. 

Her son Asher was born in 2002 and in the middle of being a new mom, she managed to complete her CPA. “You should never let anything get in the way of your dream because ultimately your children will be happy and benefit from your happiness,” Samantha says. She went on to work at Giesecke & Devrient as their Group Management Accountant (2005-2007) which was her last job in Australia. 

Her next big move was to Dubai (March 2007) when her daughter was just seven months old to join Supreme Food, a food and logistics company subcontracting to the US and UK armies deployed in Kuwait and Afghanistan. However, she resigned from the company and joined Emirates as their Financial Manager in 2008. “I applied to Emirates because I had to fly to Afghanistan often on work which was dangerous.” 

While in Dubai, she dabbled in restaurant industry  as well, when she opened Red Box (2010) which served Sri Lankan fusion cuisine. 

Samantha continued with Emirates till 2014 and says it was an amazing experience. “Emirates sold the division (Mercator) to a venture capitalist where I continued to work till December 2016 which was the best move I ever made in my life,” she says adding that she started at the company as their Head of Finance and ended as Commercial Director. 

June 2014 was life changing for Samantha as she was diagnosed with throat cancer. 

“Mercator were extremely supportive both financially as well as career wise as they kept my job for me,” she say adding, “I learned that if you work honestly and do your best you will be appreciated as companies are run by human beings and they will always recognise and treat you as their own.” 

“When I was diagnosed with throat cancer it was courage that saved my life,” Samantha says adding, “Having cancer was life changing but I realised that you can choose to feel sorry for yourself or fight it and pull through,” she chose the latter. “Whilst recovering from cancer I knew I wanted to have a shop in Sri Lanka that sold cute and quirky gifts and home ware to make your home, homely – and that’s how Tori House was born on my birthday last year,” she says. 

All her years of hard work paid off as she was appointed CEO of the Mattress Division for the Phoenix Group in December 2016. 

So how does she do it, “I have a time for everything – I make time for my children, exercise and proper sleep – That’s my balance,” she says and adds, “I cook, clean and run the show with my supportive husband who is my backbone because you need to have a very supportive husband as he will be the key to you having a balanced life.” 

PHOTOGRAPHS by Kanishke Ganewatte