Focus and constant learning creates success beyond your job role: Ashani Jayasinghe-Dabare

“A person who is focused will go far and achieve more than the person who is busy dreaming without action” – Ashani 

Ashani shares that “a clear focus, propels success in your career and life”. Ashani from a young age has always been highly ambitious, making a promise to herself to hold a CEO position by the time she reached 30 years of age. 

Today, Ashani holds true to this goal with her position as CEO at GIS Solutions – a subsidiary of Just In Time Group. Ashani manages Sri Lanka’s largest GIS Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Software Licensing business since 2012, through the company GIS Solutions (GISS) Ltd. 

Incidentally, almost all of Sri Lanka’s authoritative National Mapping and GIS Work is done through the Software Platform that GISS Markets, catering to 180+ organisations in Sri Lanka in their subtle style of being discreet yet potent in their offerings. 

GISS is the sole authorised local distributor for Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) – USA, developer of ArcGIS software, the world’s leading software for GIS. From inception, Esri’s values have been rooted in purpose and service and a mission to inspire positive change, where as a brand they have relentlessly pushed the boundaries of geographic science and opened the world to the possibilities of powerful geospatial technologies. 

Ashani’s journey to this role stems from her laser focused mindset that carried through many years where she began her career in Marketing at the age of 19. Electronic Media Industry was her initial start, where she enjoyed the challenge of conceptualising and creating diverse radio and TV media strategy – centred around media stations and convincing clients to go for it. The work she produced was always led and driven by purpose.

From 1994-2012 her career in English Electronic Media was steadily progressing upwards, but towards the latter part, a calling to master a new domain set in. This is when she stepped into GIS – the world of technology, paving the way for her new journey then, which is of achievement to continue.  

 

Ashani Jayasinghe-Dabare, CEO of GIS Solutions and Chief Business Officer of Disruptive Technology Unit at Just In Time Group

Q: What prompted your journey as CEO of GIS Solutions?

 I wanted to switch fields as I was always in a competitive, niche field in English Electronic Media, where my journey began at TNL Radio, EFM, and then landing at ETV (then managed by Vanguard Management Services). All the customer markets were difficult to lead a business in, as they were smaller audiences which led to tougher, smaller advertising budgets and even tougher business development at that time. 

After 18 years in English Electronic Media, having seen a vacancy of a CEO Position in Technology, I thought to just apply even though my intentions were not specifically for a GIS technology business management role. Having no prior GIS experience when applying for this role, my experience in a niche and challenging markets leveraged me to get hired as CEO for GIS Solutions. This gave me the hunger to learn the Tech industry, in and out and perform with immense success.

Q: How did you adjust from your previous role in Electronic Media into a CEO of a tech company? 

 Learning from scratch gave me the mental stimulation to master something new every day in my new found job role. I was dealing with a different set of people all together, mostly from the public sector and that needed quite a bit of adaptation from my previous media business life where I dealt mainly with Private sector organisations, clients and dynamics. It was a lot of challenging learning and business approach adapting.

For myself, GIS is a purposeful technology that can help contribute positively to the world around us. From conserving the environment, to saving lives to helping manage national security, or taking care of the resources in a country; GIS provides solutions that cater to a diverse range of crucial national and organisational needs both globally and locally to Sri Lanka. My background in media gave me the mindset to work across different industry dynamics and gave me the ability to see past biases or restrictions placed in society to remain focused towards my goals. 

You must go beyond the job role you are given and master all areas of a business to become a successful person. For me, I went deep into learning beyond my given job role throughout my life in every position I have ever held. I go into depth of the company I am working in, take upon other opportunities in other departments and areas to develop a good understanding of the processes, people, challenges, the domain and the environment I work in. 

That in depth knowledge helped me to truly understand and love the work I do because I immersed myself into it and did more than what was expected of myself. I wholeheartedly do not believe in job roles, but in leading, creating, and working positively towards the person you wish to be by leveraging dreams with action to make it a reality. That reality of success is one that is shaped form working together in a team and having a massive amount of resilience and faith not only in yourself and most importantly in God.  

Q:  The power of GIS - Why is GIS important to our society and businesses?

 GIS is a decision support tool or an information management tool with a geographic component to it; it is a database (data repositories) with a map attached to it. Similarly, like traditional map technology it ties locations to data, but GIS can go beyond that and mash different sorts of data sets together to give more comprehensive insights, reports and analysis to help governments and businesses to grow and make better choices. 

For example, banks can use GIS to promote minor accounts by considering birth rates to different bank locations, and with that information they can map out what promotions, services, and discounts to offer for those bank branches located in high birth rate areas. 

Another example of an everyday application of the technology – when looking at the Sri Lankan environment GIS is being used to control dengue spread. Using GIS heat maps of locations, dengue formation can be pinned to the locations of dengue origin and preventative measures and tactics can be planned out prior to prevent a massive outbreak of dengue. 

Uniquely, GIS has even been used in 3D films like Zootopia to map out the scenery and create the 3D images of cityscapes which have been used to entertain the masses in theatres around the world. GIS is a very much adaptable and alive technology that uses various data sets tied to different locations to provide more accurate indicators to make more informed choices through very comprehensive insights. The applications of GIS are limitless like a child’s imagination and can be used across any sector. 

Q:  What advice would you give young women professionals to pursue their goals and overcome challenges?

 What you choose as a profession is not only a means to earn a living, it should an “art” or a “purpose” you are passionately committed to master or fulfil. That “career” should complement your values and who you are. You need to find that “art” or “purpose” if you are to succeed and give it your all. Never ever give up, no matter how many challenges you face along the way. Have complete faith in God and yourself.

The road to success requires doing more than what is expected, knowing more than what is required, investing and building genuine relationships at all levels and most importantly investing in yourself personally to be that genius within you. 

It’s definitely a planned effort. So, remember it is only we who sets our limits and determines our destiny, our happiness and how far we want to go. It is us on our own who have to decide on our success and no one else. We have to first see and envision our self as successful before we get there.

Q:  What is the simple advice you would give anyone to achieve success? 

 Success is found in the places you put emphasis on learning, positivity, and that with a strong mindset anything can be achieved, as nothing in life comes without challenges you need to overcome. My success as CEO of GIS Solutions is because I had so many people who believed in me as much and I believed in them. A reciprocal cause an effect. 

This belief is what has undeniably helped me to know that my success was the result of so many people who entered my life and shaped me into the person I am today. 

For everyone who wants to achieve success you need to find purpose in what you are doing for yourself and the world around you. Whatever your purpose is what fulfils you beyond a job role, a salary, and what helps you make a difference in this world.