Women in Tech Conference 2.0 2024

Event Details

Excitement is in the air as we approach International Women's Day 2024! We're on the brink of something spectacular—the one and only Women in Tech Conference 2.0, hosted by the SLASSCOM Women Technopreneurs Forum.

The Event will be unveiled on the 26th of March 2024 in Colombo from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm IST. A morning-to-midday burst of inspiration, networking, & groundbreaking ideas on Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity as well as emerging trends on latest technology with over 250 + minds from the IT & BPM sectors, alongside serial female technopreneurs, entrepreneurs, & members from Academia. It's more than just an event but a movement towards a brighter, more inclusive future in tech.

Agenda

March 26, 2024

Main Schedule

8:30 AM - 8:50 AM

Registrations & Refreshments

8:50 AM - 9:00 AM

Opening Remarks

9:00 AM - 9:05 AM

Address by Guest of Honor

9:05 AM - 9:15 AM

Women focused Industry Initiatives - IT & BPM Sector

9:15 AM - 9:55 AM

Keynote Speech by Annie Mathew

9:55 AM - 10:20 AM

Empowering Voices: Amplifying Women's Contributions in Tech by Ashley Coffey

10:20 AM - 10:45 AM

Panel Discussion - Creating Inclusive Workplaces: Strategies for Success

10:45 AM - 11:10 AM

Breaking Barriers: Inspiring Inclusion in Tech by Tammy Barton

11:10 AM - 11:40 AM

Panel discussion - Innovation through Inclusion: Leveraging Diversity for Success

11:40 AM - 11:50 AM

Technopreneur Story

11:50 AM - 12:50 PM

Group Learning Workshop

12:50 PM - 12:55 PM

Closing Remarks

12:55 PM - 3:00 PM

Networking Over Lunch

Speakers

Annie Mathew (Keynote Speaker)

Director - Developer Relations of Microsoft Asia

Ide Yuri (Panelist)

Senior Representative at JAICA

Tammy Barton (Live Virtual)

Founder and Director of MyBudget

Feroz Cader

Group Director, Head of Market Infrastructure Technology, LSEG at Millenium IT - LSEG Technology

Ashley Coffey (Live Virtual)

Chief Executive Officer at Coffey & Consult

Dr Ransirini De Silva

Senior lecturer at OUSL university

Oshana Dias (Panelist)

Chief People Officer at Fortude

Ruwanthi Fernando (Panelist)

Chief Information and Process Officer at Hela Apparel Holdings PLC

Cassandra Mascarenhas

Head of Global Employer Branding at Fortude

Dr Nilushi Nugera

Professor, Dept. of Biosystems Technology, Faculty of Technology at Uni. of Sri Jayewardenepura

Mahesha Amarasuriya

Director of Mastercard Sri Lanka

Nevindaree Premarathne

Founder and CEO of The Makers Global

Talal Rafi (Panel Moderator)

Economic Policy Consultant - Asian Development Bank

Ranil Rajapakshe (Panelist)

Executive Vice President & COO at IFS Sri Lanka

Annie is the Director of Developer Relations at Microsoft Asia. In her current role she drives a mission to empower Developers and Startups to achieve more with cloud and AI. As a champion for responsible AI and inclusive tech, she conceptualized and leads 'Code Without Barriers" a program which aims to increase women's participation in cloud and AI by fostering industry collaboration with open source communities. Code Without Barriers has left a mark on the ASEAN tech landscape as the region recently achieved the goal of 30% developer diversity.

Annie has the distinction of being the first woman president of HIMSS India and the founding board member of Startup Village which is now Kerala Startup Mission. Her professional experience spans industries Manufacturing, IT services, Wireless and now Software products.

As a business leader and a woman technologist she received recognition from the Chief Minister of Kerala for her work with startups and was nominated to the SthreeShakthi award for women in science and technology.

Annie holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business and B.Tech in Electrical engineering from Kerala University. She lives with her husband in Singapore and has two daughters. When she's not working or mentoring emerging leaders, she enjoys time with family, travel and philosophy.

Ashley Coffey, an innovative leader in emerging technologies, boasts a decade-long career spanning public, private, and non-profit sectors, and is recognized by the Journal Record in the 2022 Powerlist of Innovative Women in Oklahoma. Ashley interweaves her lived experience and diverse background across industries to advance equity, inclusion, and accessibility in society.

Ashley is a TEDx speaker and has presented professionally on emerging technologies nationwide, including Harvard and SXSW-EDU. She serves on the Boards of the American Marketing Association, Oklahoma Chapter, and SXSW Pitch. In addition, she volunteers as a mentor in the OKC community for young women pursuing careers in technology. Previously, Ashley has held roles as an Emerging Technologies Librarian at the University of Oklahoma, Accessible Emerging Technologies Subject Matter Expert Lead at a Corporate Consulting firm, Director of Technology at a Tulsa XR startup, President at a Non-Profit dedicated to bridging the gender gap in STEM fields, and a Creative trainer at Apple.

She's also a strong mental health advocate and openly shares her journey as a neurodivergent professional in hopes that it will help destigmatize how society talks about mental health.

Oshana is a dynamic Human Capital Management expert with over 17 years of experience, dedicated to transforming employee alignment strategies for global organizations across various industries, including technology and apparel. Currently serving as the Chief People Officer at Fortude, she brings a wealth of expertise to her role.

As an EXCO Member of the Association of Human Resource Management, Oshana collaborates with influential organizations such as SHRM, Deloitte, Kincentric, Udemy, SAP, and Oracle. Her efforts involve conducting enlightening training sessions that empower the HR community in Sri Lanka and around the world. Her certifications, including SHRM-SCP, underscore her unwavering commitment to her profession and her role as a trainer.

Furthermore, she thrives as a Professional Coach, with a PCC accreditation from the International Federation of Coaching. She pursues her coaching endeavors as a freelance coach, helping individuals achieve their personal and professional goals.

Ruwanthi Fernando is the Group Chief Information and Process Officer for Hela Apparel Holdings PLC. Prior to joining Hela Ruwanthi was the Chief Process and Delivery Officer for N-able, and CIO at Expo Lanka International. She has also worked for Microsoft as the Services Director for South Asia New Markets, and Michelin as the Enterprise Applications Director for Asia and Europe.
Ruwanthi has been involved in the digital transformation for companies, specializing in delivering on-time project execution, implementing cutting edge technologies for companies to gain greater efficiencies and visibility. A few formidable projects include the roll out of SAP S/4 Hana implementations for Michelin Europe and China, Cargo wise for EFL global locations and she has recently completed the global green field implementation of SAP S/4 HANA Fashion at Hela. She was also the Project Director for the SLT Tier 3 Data Center project, the Central Bank Data Center Re-vamp and the Axiata MPLS and Metro Upgrade Projects.
Ruwanthi has a BSc in Computer Science and a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science from the University of the South Pacific; A Masters in Business Administration from the University of Western Sydney and is Grade 4 certified in the Toyota production System (TPS). She is a member of the SAP global fashion council and a steering committee member of the global SAP fashion manufacturing Influence group. She was recognized in the inaugural CIO List for 2023 by CSSL.

Currently, she works as a Professor in Biosystems Technology and a Founder academic member of the Faculty of Technology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Apart from lecturing, she works as a mentor for many Motivational Programmes for national schools, and is the Co-Chairperson of Innovations Inventions Venture Creation Council in the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. She was also in the advisory board of Career Guidance Unit during 2018-2020 period and currently work as the editor-in-Chief of Advances in Technology Journal (ISSN: 2773-7098) published by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. She also received a competitive Research Fellowship to Japan as a Visiting
Professor for a period of six months during the COVID-19 period and further researched on Sri Lankan Medicinal Plants and published several articles in high impact factor Journals. With the completion of her Diploma in Counselling, she also spends her time as a professional Counsellor.

Mahesha is a Director at Mastercard Sri Lanka working in the area of International Markets. Prior to assuming her present role, she was the Assistant General Manager Card Services and a Member of the Corporate Management of Cargills Bank

She has 20 years of experience in Banking and Finance including Corporate Banking, Retail and Private Banking and Cards and Electronic Payments.

She is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants CIMA – UK), a Chartered Global Management Accountant and also a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA – UK). She holds a BA(Hons.) degree from the University of Colombo, an MBA from PIM, University of Sri Jayewardenapura.

Mahesha is presently serving on the CIMA Global Council representing South Asia. She is also a Member of the Global Membership Committee of CIMA. She was the past chairperson of CIMA SL Country Network Panel and also served on the Regional Advisory Panel for the MESANA Region for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) during the period 2020 to 2022.

Nevindaree Premarathne, the Founder and CEO of Makers Global, is a trailblazing figure in the Sri Lankan tech landscape. Recognized as an 'Ecosystem Hero of the Year' for the SAARC Region at the Global Startup Awards in 2020, she stands as a beacon of innovation and leadership.

Before venturing into the tech sector, Nevindaree earned accolades in the realm of sports, leading and bringing honor to the Sri Lankan Wushu team with multiple gold medals at international championships.

In her entrepreneurial journey, Nevindaree leverages her expertise as a visiting lecturer at several universities. Armed with a Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, a Master's degree in Business Management, and certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI, she blends technical acumen with strategic business insight.

Beyond her ventures, Nevindaree actively contributes to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. She serves as a judge at esteemed events like Innovate Lanka, IEEE Innovation Nation, Arimac Futurecast an Ideathon, Agri-thon, HackX initiative, and Ingenuity Awards. Her commitment to mentorship is evident in her guidance for initiatives like UNDP Hackadev, Techstars Startup Weekends, Hatch mentor platform, and the Founder Institute.

Nevindaree's impact extends to the She Loves Tech 2023 competition, where Makers Global emerged as the winner in the local round and secured a top finalist position in the global round. As a prominent female tech entrepreneur in Sri Lanka, she spearheads the MakHer initiative, which has positively impacted over 1000 female students in schools and universities. This program focuses on STEM awareness, breaking glass barriers, and empowering young women.

Her influence goes beyond corporate boardrooms, with Nevindaree delivering impactful guest speeches, keynotes, and participating in panel discussions, representing and championing female entrepreneurs. Through her leadership, she managed www.startupsl.lk, the single largest online platform for technology startups in Sri Lanka, during her tenure at ICTA.

Talal Rafi is an Economist and he is currently a Consultant on Economic Policy at the Asian
Development Bank. Talal is a regular columnist for the International Monetary Fund on public
finance. He is an Expert Member of the World Economic Forum for his expertise on
entrepreneurship, gender equality and reduced inequalities. Talal was a member of the Deloitte
Global ESG Operations Team and he was a member of the Deloitte Global Economist Network.
He is a Visiting Lecturer at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. He was on a team of experts at
Chatham House London formulating policies for gender equality post-Covid for the G20. He is a
Fellow at the British think tank, Oxford Global Society.
He has given talks globally including at the NASDAQ Center, S&P Global and the Central Bank
of Sri Lanka and he contributes regularly in thought leadership for the Davos Agenda. He has
been quoted by publications such as Nikkei Asia and Fortune Magazine. His work has been
published by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, Deloitte,
World Economic Forum, Chatham House London, UNFCCC, London School of Economics and
Forbes.

As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Ranil Rajapakse currently heads IFS' global operations in Sri Lanka. Ranil joined IFS at the inception of IFS in Sri Lanka and has played a pivotal role in the startup, expansion and the success of the organization through the years, making it one of the most successful software companies in Sri Lanka. Having extensive experience in managing globally distributed software development operations. Ranil, together with IFS, has been at the forefront of strengthening the IT industry and building capacity, and has been involved with numerous initiatives over the past 25 years to enrich the industry, university education and industry-university collaboration. Ranil is a past Chairman of SLASSCOM.

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Event Details

Agenda

March 26, 2024

Main Schedule

Speakers

Annie Mathew (Keynote Speaker)

Ide Yuri (Panelist)

Tammy Barton (Live Virtual)

Feroz Cader

Ashley Coffey (Live Virtual)

Dr Ransirini De Silva

Oshana Dias (Panelist)

Ruwanthi Fernando (Panelist)

Cassandra Mascarenhas

Dr Nilushi Nugera

Mahesha Amarasuriya

Nevindaree Premarathne

Talal Rafi (Panel Moderator)

Ranil Rajapakshe (Panelist)

Sponsors and Partners

Community

Connect with 138 people attending this event

SLASSCOM

Contact us

Women in Tech Conference 2.0 2024

Event Details

Agenda

March 26, 2024

Main Schedule

Speakers

Annie Mathew (Keynote Speaker)

Ide Yuri (Panelist)

Tammy Barton (Live Virtual)

Feroz Cader

Ashley Coffey (Live Virtual)

Dr Ransirini De Silva

Oshana Dias (Panelist)

Ruwanthi Fernando (Panelist)

Cassandra Mascarenhas

Dr Nilushi Nugera

Mahesha Amarasuriya

Nevindaree Premarathne

Talal Rafi (Panel Moderator)

Ranil Rajapakshe (Panelist)

Sponsors and Partners

Organizer

In Partnership with

Banking Partner

Industry Partner

Corporate Travel Partner

Bronze Sponsor

Technology Partner

Academic Partner

Community

Connect with 138 people attending this event