Prominent mobile telecommunication personality Dumindra to take a step back

Thursday, 16 January 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Dumindra Ratnayaka, a doyen of the Sri Lankan telecommunication industry, has announced his retirement after more than 25 years of committed service. He currently serves as the Director/Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Lanka Ltd. and will retire effective 31 March 2014. Etisalat Lanka achieved many successes under his leadership, including being the first telecommunications company in South Asia to launch the

Dual Carrier (DC) HSPA+ broadband service. Additionally, Ratnayaka’s guidance ensured that the company continued to revolutionise the industry with innovations such as App Zone, Android Village Hub, Web Patashala and BookHub. Last November, he was invited to be a part of the ‘First Geneva Dialogue’ organised by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to contribute to the debate on how Etisalat Lanka helped build the Sri Lankan post war economy through the innovative software initiatives. Etisalat was also featured as an exemplary case study in the ‘Information Economy Report 2012’ for their emerging Android eco system business model successfully executed in Sri Lanka. Ratnayaka spearheaded the launch of two significant mobile telecommunication brands in Sri Lanka – Tigo and Etisalat – as well as being the mastermind behind turning around Celltell when the company faced severe competition from new entrants to the market. Guiding the company under the new brand Etisalat, Ratnayaka achieved to grow the company by 100% in revenue and customer base. “I am extremely proud of the achievements of Etisalat Lanka, and it is gratifying to be handing over at a time when the company is in such a strong position. Over the years, a team of competent and capable professionals have been groomed and developed within the company. I have no doubt that they, together with the Management Committee recently established by the Board of Directors, will continue to steer the company towards further successes.” He is also the brainchild of last year’s Vesak Dansala themed ‘Bringing hope, Giving sight’ where over 3,000 spectacles were gifted to financially challenged Sri Lankans, unable to afford the services of an optometrist and lenses. Additionally in 2012, together in partnership with Sarvodaya-Fusion, the ICT arm of the Sarvodaya Movement, Etisalat Android Village Hub gave birth – in line with Ratnayaka’s vision to introduce meaningful technology and to demystify the internet and Android technology in rural Sri Lanka. Upon retirement, Ratnayaka will continue to contribute to society through voluntary work, and plans to provide consultancy to new start ups and on business development while playing an active role in the associations of which he is a member.