Eng. (Mrs.) Kamala Gunawardena

Bio-Data as submitted & certified by the candidate

Eng. (Mrs.) Kamala Gunawardena holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering (1984) from the University of Peradeniya and a PG Diploma in Construction Management (1994) from the University of Moratuwa.  She is a Fellow Member (2007) and an International Professional Engineer (2020) of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL).

She has been a Council Member of the IESL since 2020, holding positions as Fellow Representative for two years and Chairman for one session in each of the CESC, CPDC, and LPPC.

As the Chairman of CESC, she had organized 27 knowledge-sharing sessions, 03 CPDs, 02 workshops, 04 Field visits, and several interactive sessions in engineering & general.

As a Vice President and the Chairman/CPDC, she had enabled members to develop career opportunities to enhance knowledge through CPDs, generating a remarkable revenue of 37 million LKR from 25 CPDs for the session.

The “Shaping the Future: CPD Road Map for the Next Decade” workshop, designed to provide a strategic roadmap for CPD over the next decade, was a success, identifying industry trends and skill gaps and ensuring CPDs align with international standards and future job opportunities.

She pioneered the following key digital initiatives.

•     Web portal for member engagement and CPD proposals.

•     QR code-based attendance to streamline participation.

•     E-verified certificates for digital verification of CPD credentials, credibility, and administration efficiency.

As the Chairman/Library Publications, Publicity and Conferences Committee (LPPCC) during this session, organizing lectures, publishing monographs, and the Annual Conference are regular activities she organized.

There were no e-resources in the digital library framework powered by the Koha system when she assumed duties as the Chairman of LPPCC. She succeeded in the project in providing e-access for research papers published in transactions since 1906 and the “ENGINEER” Journal since 1973 to date. Making it a reality, now the members can access those resources at their convenience.

She proposed linking library membership with IESL annual registration to boost usage and updated the book inventory for easier identification by discipline.

ChatGPT Pro; an addition to the Library with advanced Artificial Intelligence tools, and is a highly important matter that has been initiated. Her services at ‘techno2023’ and ‘techno2024’ and the commitment for 2025 to come are noteworthy.

Services as the Co-chairman/Transport Sector Committee/IESL (2023/2024 and 2024/2025), and the Chairman of the College Board Finance Committee of the IESL (2024/2025), together with Forum Member of the Organization of Professional Association (OPA), & the Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) since 2023, are other commitments towards IESL that she served.

Being a member of The Association of Consulting Engineers Sri Lanka (ACESL) and its Council since 2015, she served as the President during 2018/2019. She represented ACESL at the FIDIC International Infrastructure Conference in Berlin, Germany, in 2018.

She is a Member of the Alumni Association/Colombo Chapter of the University of Peradeniya and a life member of the Highway Engineering Society since 2019. Further, her international exposure attending seminars, courses, and workshops in Singapore, Sweden, India, Bangladesh, and Germany, as a Highway Engineer/ Consulting Engineer, gave valuable experiences and exposure to serve the country better.

Election Statement as submitted & certified by the candidate

I obtained Corporate and Fellow memberships in 1991 and 2007, respectively, and Int-PE status in 2020, from the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL). I have gained four decades of experience in the construction industry, having the opportunity to serve the country mainly in the civil engineering discipline. During this lengthy period, I have served in the capacities of junior Site Engineer, Deputy Team Leader, Consultant, and many management capacities, in the government sector as well as the private sector.

Being a Professional Engineer attached to the IESL and holding the status required to serve the country, I have taken the opportunity to train/guide/mentor junior engineers under my supervision.

Having served in numerous roles, ranging from project leadership to institutional representation, I am eager to contribute meaningfully by sharing my knowledge and insights with the IESL and fostering a vibrant, supportive environment for engineers at all career stages.

Once I am elected to the Council as the President, I will focus on;

1. To enhance the collaboration between the IESL and the Industry
2. Establish a committee exclusively to find out what the members’ expectations are from the IESL, and to remedy.
3. Establishment of a sustainable methodology to facilitate associate members in obtaining their Charter status.