Today in Inside Story, we feature  Chandi Dharmaratne, who is currently serving as the Vice President of Human Resources at Virtusa where she is responsible for HR tech automation globally. She commenced her career in Manhattan, New York, and after over a decade in the US, she came back to Sri Lanka and joined MAS Holdings, where she was later responsible for MAS’ group learning and development function. In 2013, she joined Virtusa as the Head of HR for Sri Lanka geography. 

Chandi is passionate about developing employability skills amongst the youth of Sri Lanka as well as encouraging IT industry growth and brain gain. She holds the following leadership positions and runs projects on these themes via many of these organizations: Chairperson of Lankan Angels network (2021/2022), Invited to serve on the Advisory Board of the Global HR forum of SLASSCOM (2021/2022), Member of the Steering Committee on People Development of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (2022), Invited by ICTA to participate in an expert committee on the formulation of Digital Maturity Model for GoSL (2021), Board Director of The American Chamber of Commerce – AMCHAM (2018 -2020), Board Director of SLASSCOM (the Sri Lanka IT & KPO-BPM industry chamber) – 2016 to 2020, being just a few of her responsibilities. 

She has also been recognized in Echelon magazines New Establishment 100 list, Sri Lanka (2019), awarded the American Alumni Association and the US Embassy of Sri Lanka – Pearl Jubilee ‘Bridge to Success Award’ for excellence in Human Resources (2019), received Asia’s most innovative HR tech leaders awarded by the Asia Pacific HRM Congress (2018), the recipient of the Women Leadership Achievement Award: conferred by the World Women Leadership Congress (2016), received the Professional and Career Achievement Award in the category of Human Resources conferred by the Women in Management organization (2016), recognized as Echelon magazine’s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Sri Lanka (2015), received the HR Leadership Award: conferred by the Asia Pacific HRM Congress (2014) and many other honours too numerous to mention here.

Q    What made you take to HR?

Although my education has been around business and economics, I have always believed that HR is an integral part of any organization.  What excites me most is how  HR is constantly evolving with emerging technology and the customer/consumer dynamics, thus making it mandatory for any HR professional to constantly upskill, re-skill, and cross-skill in order to stay relevant.

 What I’ve also learned through the years, is not to box ourselves into one profession, but to have an open mind when it comes to our careers. Also, it’s important that we make ourselves uncomfortable and keep continuously learning and growing.

Q    Having studied and worked in the US, what prompted you to return to Sri Lanka?

I’d been in the US for over a decade and in 2001 when the company I was working for went public, l came back home for about a year, to spend some quality time with my father. Everyone was against this move due to the prevailing civil war during that time. It took me a while to make that decision, but I firmly believe once you make a decision, never doubt yourself. In retrospect, coming back home is undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have ever made - from a personal and professional perspective.

Q    As a trailblazing woman, how do you manage the work/life balance?

I think I kind of integrated it, especially given the current WFH situation. I can never have everything flowing perfectly, all the time. I am sure I am never perfect, but the key thing is to prioritize what matters most to me and trust that everything else will fall into place. My goal is to set an example to my daughters that women should achieve their full potential and contribute to society.

Q    Do you see yourself always engaged in both career and home, or do you feel there will be a retirement period for you?

There may come a point that I retire from corporate life, but I will always have to be engaged in something that challenges me and gives me the opportunity to positively impact our next generation.

Q    What would you say has been the high point of your career?

Surprisingly in retrospect, my high points followed my lowest points. With age, I am grateful for all of these moments and experiences that challenged me. Because coming out of a bad situation tested my grit, made me stronger, mature, humble, and resilient, gearing me towards a better version of myself.

Q    With the onset of the pandemic, would you say that working from home suits you better or are you waiting for a resumption of normal working patterns?

The Pandemic has taught all of us that we can easily work from home and be as or more productive. However I also want to stress the point that there should be a hybrid model in place - as it’s mandatory to stay in touch with our colleagues in order to brainstorm, challenge, motivate and inspire each other. 

Q    As a full-time career woman how supportive is the family of your career?

From the time our children were born, my husband, parents, and in-laws encouraged me and supported my decision to continue working.

Often times we working women feel guilty for not spending adequate time with our children and missing out on them. However, I believe that the ‘quality’ of time I spend is far more important. 

I am constantly reminded, that the exposure and learnings I bring in from my experiences at work, help me when having those one-on-ones with my daughters. I also believe it’s important that I continuously evolve and stay relevant as a person, in order to be a better role model to them.

Q    What would you say is most important when bringing up one’s children – home environment or academia?

I think we all do our best to give our children everything we possibly can - the best home environment and the best education.

As long as we instill the right values and build their confidence at home, they will do well no matter what they choose to do. I have seen through experience that kids also work at their own pace, so it’s important that they don’t compare themselves with anyone and draw unnecessary timelines that will pressurize them. They must however draw inspiration from others and respect hard work in order to build themselves up. I am also of the view that academic performance is just one aspect, their extra-curricular activities and exposure is more critical when building their social and cognitive skills.

Q    With the increasing emphasis on automation, digitization, digitalization, and the virtual world we have been living in, do you think human interaction has taken second place?

Not all technology is bad. There’s no doubt technology has added significantly to the lives of people around the world and had a truly positive impact on the greater good of humankind. For example, EdTech has helped democratize access to education, AI-powered healthcare saves many lives through the use of wearable devices and access to virtual assistants, and even 3D printed organs could save lives by addressing the transplant shortage.

Just like anything else in the world, it pretty much depends on how we use it. Gen Z’s (our kids) are going to grow up surrounded by screens and technology. It is critical that we establish good habits early on in order to offset the negatives. It is an uphill battle, and I am working on it too:)

Q    As someone who has taken part in sports and extracurricular activities, how important is this in shaping one’s character in the formative years?

Apart from the obvious physical and mental development at a young age,  I have seen that sports and extracurricular activities also help you build grit, resilience, teamwork, social skills, and reduces stress.  It also helps you to look at disappointments and triumphs through the same lens.

Q    How do you as LAN, support entrepreneurs?

For over a decade, we have been able to encourage many entrepreneurs, by extending the support of our network. It’s our ultimate goal to see local start-ups positioned in the Global landscape very soon. We just completed the Venture Engine finale, where we saw some very progressive entrepreneurs, across Sri Lanka making very unique pitches. It is very promising to see so many young entrepreneurs with potential.

Q    What are your hobbies and how do you spend your leisure hours?

I love cooking, playing chess and I just started playing tennis again after ages. I am not a gym person, so I have to do something outdoors in order to stay fit.

I also enjoy watching Netflix with the family…of course, what we watch totally depends on who gets to control the remote 

Q     In the course of your career you have had exposure to both international as well as local work experiences. How has your international exposure benefitted you and is this something you would recommend for any career-oriented person?

Spending that time in NYC, helped me grow as a person. Given that I was in a  startup that was working towards going public,  it was a very challenging and unconventional environment with no JDs and set roles. This dynamic, very transparent, and exciting atmosphere gave me a lot of confidence and taught me never to really stick to a defined job role if you are to grow.  

However, you do not have to go overseas to get this experience and exposure - there are many truly Global companies across multiple industries  (like Virtusa and MAS Holdings), right here at home.

Q     Where do you draw your inspiration from?

My mother. She is the most hard-working woman I know. Apart from her, I draw inspiration from many others from multiple disciplines and generations.

Q     What would be your advice to those stepping out into the Corporate world?

My advice is to make the best out of any situation you’re in. Learn as much as you can, always deliver your best and create value, stay focused, don’t compare anyone’s career trajectory with yours, and always have the right intent in everything you do.

But always remember, believe in yourself!

By Anusha David