I am a social entrepreneur, researcher, and development practitioner with over 30 years of experience in the development sector. My research interests are policy, research, and practice related to SMEs and social enterprises, social impact, technology and innovation, as well as equality and diversity. Over the years, I have held managerial roles across public, private, and non-profit sectors and have undertaken consultancies in Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Barbados for organisations such as the British Council, Oxfam GB, World University Services of Canada, the Commonwealth Secretariat, GIZ, and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

My academic journey has taken me to research stints at the Universities of Newcastle, Salford, and Northumbria, while I have also served as a visiting lecturer at the Universities of Peradeniya and Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, and at the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. I earned my MA in Industrial Development from the University of East Anglia and my PhD in Economic Geography from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where I focused on SME, technology, and innovation policies. Additionally, I am a Fellow of the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom.

Before moving to the Centre for Recreational Studies and Tourism Research at UHI North, West, and Hebrides in March 2025, I served as an Entrepreneurial Researcher at the Centre for Living Sustainability at UHI Inverness.

As a development practitioner, I actively collaborate with a range of organizations in both professional and volunteer capacities. In addition to my academic and research work, I served on the National Steering Committee of the UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme in Sri Lanka from 2017 to 2023. I am also a member of the National Agenda Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and the Deputy Chairman of the National Advisory Body of Impact Investing in Sri Lanka through GSG Impact Investing. Moreover, I am the co-founder and Chair of Lanka Social Ventures, an enterprise support service in Sri Lanka that provides incubation and acceleration support for social enterprises and responsible SMEs, alongside training, research, and consulting services.