Stasshani appointed Jt. Deputy Chairman/MD at Aitken Spence

Aitken Spence PLC yesterday announced the appointment of Executive Director Stasshani Jayawardena as the Joint Deputy Chairperson and Joint Managing Director of the company with effect from 14 September.

A similar appointment has been made at Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC as well.

Stasshani became the youngest and first female to be appointed to the Aitken Spence Board in its history on 1 December 2013.

She heads the tourism sector of Aitken Spence inclusive of hotels, destination management and overseas travel. With a career spanning over 10 years at Aitken Spence, she wields a fresh perspective in management and leads strategic business units across the Group.

She leads several key strategic teams as the Chairperson of Aitken Spence Hotel Managements and Splendor Media; and serves on the Boards of Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings, Stassen Group, Lanka Milk Foods (CWE), Aitken Spence Aviation, and Western Power Company. 

A graduate of St. James’ and Lucie Clayton College and Keele University in the United Kingdom, Jayawardena made waves from a young age. She was the youngest intern to work under US Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton and Former US President Bill Clinton in 2003 and was appointed as the Sri Lankan Ambassador for EY NextGen Club from 2017 to 2019.

Stasshani is also a member of the PWC NextGen Advisory Board, and the Executive Board of The Hotel Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and was appointed to represent THASL at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Committee meetings in 2019 (Hotel sector).

She was appointed as a Council Member of the EFC and as Chairperson of the EFC Hotels and Tourism Employers Group for the Financial Year 2020/2021. She is also the Executive Committee Member for the year 2020/21 at the International Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka.

Stasshani, represents the company as the Ambassador from Aitken Spence at the Target Gender Equality initiative of the UN Global Compact since 2020.

She is also a member of the Austrian Business Circle in Sri Lanka.

In recognition of her work and commitment to inspire, she was recognised at Top 50 Professional & Career Women Awards in Sri Lanka with a Gold award in the Hotel and Hospitality Sector in 2017 and became the award recipient of the Expatriate Contribution Award – Gold category by Women in Management Maldives. The Professional and Career Women Awards Maldives 2022 presented this award to Stasshani for her exceptional contributions and achievements in the field of Hotel and Hospitality.

Her passion remains in designing the next generation of business with the core values of integrity, sustainability, empowerment, and equal opportunities. She believes driving her business decisions by using data and technology.

With the latest appointment, the Board of Directors of Aitken Spence comprises Chairman D.H.S. Jayawardena, Deputy Chairman/Managing Director P. Dissanayake, Deputy Chairperson/Joint Managing Director D.S.T. Jayawardena, R.M. Fernando, C.H. Gomez, N.J.D.S.D. Aditya, R.N. Asirwatham, J.M.S. Brito, M.A.N.S. Perera, and C.R. Jansz.