The annual Dr Ray Wijewardene Memorial Oration for the year 2023 will be held at the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) Auditorium located at Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7 at 5.15 pm on Friday, 8th September 2023.

Ms Lakmini Wijesundera, Founder & Executive Director BoardPAC Inc and IronOne Technologies will be delivering this year’s Oration on the topic ‘Globalizing Sri Lankan Technology: The BoardPAC Journey’. She will also be the first female to deliver this annual Oration. His contributions to agricultural engineering were equally groundbreaking; he developed the world’s first two-wheel tractor, the “Jet Reapers,” revolutionizing small-scale farming and significantly increasing agricultural productivity in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Moreover, Dr. Wijewardene’s dedication to sustainable agriculture and conservation led to advancements in agroforestry and soil conservation techniques, addressing critical global challenges related to food security and environmental sustainability. Throughout his career, he believed in giving back to the community and training young minds to pass on the legacy of innovation. One such initiative he contributed to is the ‘Science for Youth’ programme launched by Dr Cyril Ponnamperuma in the 1980s, which later became the current professional body Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL). He would often collaborate with renowned innovators of his time like his long-standing friend the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke to discuss his vision for the world and Sri Lanka.

Dr Ray Wijewardene’s legacy reminds us that true innovation often thrives outside traditional institutions and that the spirit of discovery and invention should be nurtured with a focus on solving real-world challenges. His journey encourages today’s engineers and innovators to boldly pursue their ideas, collaborate widely, and embrace failure as a stepping stone to success. This year’s presenter, Lakmini Wijesundera is a student of mathematics at CMS Ladies' College Colombo, with her higher education in Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at University College London and Imperial College London. It was there that she got an introduction to the possibilities of groundbreaking innovation in technology.

Embarking on her entrepreneurial journey in the tech industry, she draws parallels between her passion and what must have compelled Dr. Ray Wijewardene. This spirit of innovation gave rise to BoardPAC, an innovative product that is ranked as one of the best Global Board Governance technology platforms by Capterra of Gartner Inc. the leading global technology advisory firm. BoardPAC bridges a longstanding gap that has persisted in boardrooms for decades.

Lakmini envisioned an all-encompassing platform capable of digitizing and automating the entire board meeting and board governance process and further elevating the experience of Boards with relevant insights to important subjects such as Sustainability (ESG and Carbon Neutrality) with the use of cutting-edge technologies of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Lakmini’s vision has been to create Sri Lankan-built innovative technologies to not only compete with established global counterparts but to solidify the position as one of the top three enterprise board management solutions worldwide. The clientele spans the globe, encompassing Forbes, Fortune ranked and publicly listed top-ranking companies and governmental bodies in over forty countries around the globe including in regions such as the USA, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, Middle East and India.

This remarkable growth, against all odds, was aided by a daring and confident vision—a belief that a Sri Lankan-built technology company could ascend to the same heights as its global counterparts, Dr. Ray’s achievements being a testament to this belief. Fuelling this ascent was the unwavering determination witnessed in the indomitable Dr. Ray Wijewardene, a testament to the enduring legacy of inspiration he left behind. This year’s oration will elaborate on Lakmini’s Globalization journey of BoardPAC, from its challenging beginning to its world-ranked achievements on par with the best in the world, to be exemplary as a motivation and inspiration to many others to embrace the possibility for Sri Lankan businesses to boldly present their products to the world and take the challenge to be among the top-ranked offerings globally.