Women & Men Must Be Equally Empowered To Power The True Economic Potential Of Sri Lanka

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Thursday, 24 April 2025

Research conducted across the globe has concluded that a gender diverse workforce and leadership team is great for a company’s business. It also is beneficial for the respective nation’s economy. Businesses that bring diverse talent onboard from wide pool of skills, experiences, and perspectives tend to gain competitive advantage over companies that don’t have a diverse talent pool.

Women who have long been denied equal opportunity to join the workforce and conquer the corporate world remain the missing piece of the puzzle.

Sri Lanka stands out as the only South Asian country to have attained the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education. The country also reached gender parity in secondary education. However, women's economic participation continues to remain low at just 38 percent.

According to recent research by McKinsey, ensuring equal participation of women and men in the economy could boost Sri Lanka’s GDP by up to $20 billion. With the lack of a stronger female representation across all levels of the workforce businesses in Sri Lanka are missing out on a vital pool of talent.

In order to power the true economic potential of the island nation, women and men must be equally empowered to pursue careers, entrepreneurial ventures, and leadership opportunities.

But a few empowered women leaders are leading the charge in Sri Lanka’s quest with gender equality. one such name is Elisha Gomes, CEO, Westgate Interiors. Elisha is a Sri Lankan new-age business leader and entrepreneur with over eight years of experience in the interior designing industry. She is also an accomplished sportsperson, leading the Sri Lankan synchronized swimming team to the finals at the Commonwealth Games in India in 2010. She was also a participant in the Asian Games in 2006 and 2010 and was the youngest athlete at the 2006 games. Currently, as the CEO of leading corporate interior design firm Westgate Interiors, she has been pushing the firm to achieve growth both nationally and internationally.

Aother prolific women leader rewriting the rules of success is Ishara De Silva, Founder & CEO, Plantation Villa. Sri Lankan businesswoman Ishara De Silva is a former high-flying banker turned holistic wellness entrepreneur. She is the visionary behind Plantation Villa—a serene retreat nestled in her father’s childhood village in Sri Lanka. Ishara’s journey, from the UK banking world to a small village in Sri Lanka, is a story of self-realisation born from suffering.

To know more about these exceptional women leaders taking Sri Lanka’s economic growth forward, read in depth interviews featured in the current edition of WER magazine. Do let us know your thoughts.

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