Establishment of Harvard Club of Sri Lanka

Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) of Harvard University had approved the establishment of Harvard Club of Sri Lanka – the official alumni organisation and the representative group for all Harvard University alumni as well as

Harvard Club of Sri Lanka President Kandeban Balendran

faculty, fellows, researchers, and all other affiliates of Harvard University residing in Sri Lanka. 

After experiencing the joys of studying in Cambridge at the prestigious Harvard University, those amazing conversations with classmates and professors, walking along the Charles, around Harvard Yard and Harvard Square, alumni are now back in Sri Lanka. Members of the club can continue to experience those conversations and memories with like-minded Harvard alumni living in Sri Lanka. The Harvard Club of Sri Lanka is focused on making a difference as a Harvard community for our members, for Sri Lanka, and for Harvard. 

HAA also appointed Kandeban Balendran, CEO of Academics Group and the Harvard Alumni Contact in Sri Lanka as the interim President of the club to lead the community in Sri Lanka. In his letter of announcing the establishment of the club, Kandeban Balendran stated:  

   Dear fellow Harvard alumni in Sri Lanka,

I am writing to share with you the exciting news about the establishment of the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka!

With the support of the HAA Office in Cambridge, and a fantastic core-team from our community, we worked towards establishing the ‘Harvard Club of Sri Lanka’ for the past two years. We hosted three successful events, represented Sri Lanka at global Harvard alumni leadership summits, made new connections and helped each other to build our community.

After serving in my previous role as the Harvard Alumni Contact in Sri Lanka since July 2019, I am humbled to be appointed by HAA as the President of Harvard Club of Sri Lanka with the responsibility of leading the community and I am excited about our journey together as leaders who makes a difference in the world. I am also grateful to our amazing core-team Aruni Goonetilleke LLM’92, Sheran Fernando OPM’19, Hiran Embuldeniya MBA’05, Niral Kadawatharatchie OPM’17, Asanka De Mel MPA’07, and Suranga Herath OPM’16 for all their efforts and contributions.

Especially in turbulent moments like these, I believe it’s essential that all alumni feel included and welcome in the Harvard community. Uniting people to strengthen the alumni community in this time of crisis and historic change is our collective responsibility.

The relationships we make across the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka as we connect across our diverse experiences are phenomenal. The alumni community is here to support you. If you need help, I guarantee your fellow alumni will be there. I’ve had the privilege of meeting incredible people who are passionate about Harvard. I’m so grateful for their perspectives as we seek out new opportunities to build and support inclusive community.

Our vision for the year ahead is an extension of our commitment to “One Harvard,” bringing alumni from all of Harvard’s Schools together to play an even more catalysing role in shaping a better world, as well as to connect, support, and learn from one another across perspectives. This is needed more today than at any other point in our lifetimes. The Harvard Club of Sri Lanka is focused on making a difference as a Harvard community for our members, for Sri Lanka, and for Harvard. The Harvard alumni community can give you so much, and not just meaningful intergenerational, global friendships, but also a path to having impact together in a way that is special to Harvard. The values of inclusion, diversity, and dismantling boundaries stretch further back.

We will strive together to promote and strengthen the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka through meaningful programs. The Harvard community in our country is made up of over 120 alumni, a diversified group from various Harvard Schools and professions, leading across sectors to take Sri Lanka forward! The establishment of the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka will now create more opportunities for our community to connect with each other, other regions, and the University to learn and share ideas to create more impact! It is our responsibility to help our communities, organisations, and the country to move forward especially in this difficult time.

I request you to be part of this journey and become a member of the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka. If you wish to be added to the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka mailing list to receive our news and be invited to our programs, please send your name, degree, email, and phone number to [email protected].

Finally, if you know any of Harvard alumni residing in Sri Lanka who have not received this email, ask them to update their profile with current address in Sri Lanka and email address via HarvardKey.

Let us connect, learn, share, and create more impact together as “One Harvard”.

We are here to make a difference.