Alumni and Supporters

Dr Nirmal De Silva

Business leader. Entrepreneur. Board Director.
Master of  Business Administration (International), 2007

Dr Nirmal De Silva on the true measure of wealth

“At the end of the day, nothing is permanent in this life. We do not take with us money, profit or anything else of that nature. What we take with us is what we have created for society.”

As a business leader and champion of the relatively new field of social enterprises, ECU alum Dr Nirmal De Silva is fast becoming a wise and prominent voice on the true value that social enterprises offer society.

When completing his Master of Business Administration (International) with ECU in 2007, Dr De Silva gained more than just a qualification; his studies provided a framework for strategic thinking, and he still draws on the lessons he learnt then today. This qualification, combined with more than 20 years of senior management experience across the Asia-Pacific region, has shaped both his professional and personal philosophy. During this time, he worked with several multinational and Fortune 500 companies, established his own businesses, Celao Capital and RNH Ventures, served on the boards of numerous organisations, and has been instrumental in launching ECU's Sri Lankan alumni network. Together, these experiences have enabled him to hone this philosophy on connectedness, equity, and sustainable development further:

“If you want to create something sustainable, always believe in the power of society and giving back. You’ll have a more fulfilling career, as opposed to something which is just measured on financial success.”

Throughout his impressive career, he has never lost focus on what is truly important: the social purpose of maintaining connections and supporting communities – in whatever form that takes and whichever community that serves.  Whether that’s investing his valuable expertise and time with his local and global business connections, his ECU cohort, or the students in rural areas he mentors:

“I spend almost 15% of my annual time teaching students in rural communities free of charge [helping them become] world-class through the power of knowledge, education and skills”

His vision extends to how Sri Lanka is perceived on the global stage: “The aim is to elevate Sri Lanka in the social enterprise sphere. We need to start building upon this ecosystem and get more social entrepreneurs in the country”

His unique perspective that informed local partners are critical to success for everyone, from multinationals to startups, recognises the differences poverty alleviation, female and rural empowerment can make across a range of industries from agriculture to education and handicrafts. Eyes on the ground provide valuable insights into how a place really operates, its unique ecosystem. Nuanced insights that can only be gained by living and working in a place, whether that’s in the remote countryside outside Colombo or multinational businesses developing local partnerships in Sri Lanka:

“It’s absolutely critical to understand the behaviour, the local thought process on how a business works because it’s very difficult to replicate what happens in different countries. It’s the formal and informal networks that matter a lot.”

This understanding of the value of local nuance and the importance of building connections extends to how Dr De Silva engages within his whole network, so becoming a leading voice in our Sri Lankan ECU alumni community is the logical next step. The alumni community not only supports personal and professional relationships, it also provides a shortcut to forging new connections through shared experiences that transcend time zones:

“There have been enormous amounts of invaluable relationships I’ve been able to create while travelling across the world… with fellow alumni from different spheres of life, different countries, different professions. When I was in Singapore and in India, I met with two ECU alumni [over coffee], we exchanged ideas, and they showed me an easy pathway to do some commercial and consultancy work there.”

Dr De Silva’s experiences are familiar to many in the ECU alumni community, whether that’s in Sri Lanka, Australia or remotely from Europe, India, Africa and UAE to name but a few places our alumni now call home. Wherever you live, and however you connect, in person or online, you can be guaranteed a warm welcome, and a network with a shorthand of shared experiences similar to your own.

To become more involved in your local alumni community, you can update your details, follow the dedicated Sri Lankan Facebook or LinkedIn pages to learn more about the latest local events, or connect with ECU Alumni and Supporters at LinkedIn and Facebook.