Our Faculty
Akila Gunarathna
MBA (UK), B.Sc. Engineering (Hons), ACMA, CGMA, ACCA Affiliate, Dip in Banking & Finance
Akila Gunarathna works as the Director – Corporate Finance at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts.. Akila holds a degree in Engineering specialized in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Moratuwa. He is an Associate Member of CIMA and equipped with an MBA from the University of Northampton (UK). He counts over 12+ years of experience in the field of accounting and finance and served Resus Energy PLC, Brandix and KPMG in the initial stages of his career. He was ranked as 4th highest in the world (highest in Sri Lanka) for the TOPCIMA examination in November 2010. In addition to that, he is the CIMA Sri Lanka prize winner for P2 Management Accounting Decision management in November 2007 examinations and he was highly commended at the CIMA Annual Awards held in 2011 for Inspirational Story of the year award. Apart from those, he won a merit award at National Best Quality Software Awards in 2011 for the final year project on developing a methodology for an open-source Sinhala Grammar Checker along with a group of four members. He won the Sivaganathan Memorial prize for the subject Business Lending in banking examinations held in 2012.
He is the present nominee from CIMA Sri Lanka to serve Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board as a Director and serves as the Chairman to the IT steering committee. He served as a Member of the Member Development Subcommittee attached to the CIMA Country Network Panel in Sri Lanka in 2020. Currently he serves MESANA Regional Advisory Panel of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Also, he was a member of the Advisory Committee for curriculum development in the Department of Commerce in National Institute of Education. Akila is CIMA’s resource person to conduct Train the Trainer programmes for CIMA Operational and Strategic Levels in Asia Pacific Region in 2022.
Akila is a senior lecturer for CIMA and produced many global rankings including global first position and many Sri Lanka prizes for CIMA case study examinations. He has conducted CIMA lectures in different geographies including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, Nigeria, Africa and a CIMA certified tutor to conduct A Star / CBLC pathway programmes. He conducts frequent CIMA case study revisions to Asia Pacific Region based on CIMA Sri Lanka’s invitation. He is a resource person in Institute of Chartered Accountants, Sri Lanka and conducts many exam focused webinars based on institute’s invitation. Akila worked as a part time lecturer for MBA programme affiliated with Staffordshire University and offered by APIIT, Sri Lanka
Akila is a proud product of Royal College, Colombo 07 and was a senior prefect in 2006/07.
Boopathi Kahathuduwa
Boopathi Kahathuduwa is an accomplished professional with a diverse background encompassing law, finance, and academia. With a wealth of experience as an Attorney at Law practicing in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and other civil courts, he specializes in constitutional law, public law, technology law, commercial law, and other civil legal actions. Boopathi is widely recognized for his exceptional skills in negotiating and drafting commercial contracts, providing expert legal advice on corporate governance, investments, and general commercial matters. He currently serves as a legal consultant to numerous technology companies, offering valuable guidance and support.
Boopathi obtained his bachelor’s degree from University of Colombo specializing in International Business, he thereafter completed Attorney At Law examinations at Sri Lanka Law College whilst simultaneously completing all examinations of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
In addition to his legal expertise, Boopathi has over 11 years of experience as a lecturer for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). He has also held visiting lecturer positions at several prestigious universities.
Furthermore, Boopathi has made notable contributions in the public sector, having served as a Board Director of Trinco Petroleum Terminal Ltd—a joint venture between Sri Lanka and India. He has also held a Board Director position at the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority.
Boopathi is also the founder and CEO of Wooks Sinhala School, which caters to Sri Lankan children residing abroad by providing language education.
Salman Faiz
MBA (Distinction), BBA (First Class), ACMA, CGMA, ACCA Affiliate
Salman is attached to a large diversified conglomerate in Sri Lanka. He oversees areas in supply chain, finance and performance management. His corporate expertise has made it possible to link theoretical concepts with the practical world and to better groom students to conquer the challenges in their work roles.
Salman started his lecturing career while still being an undergraduate. He has experience in lecturing for ICASL, ACCA, CIMA, BSc at University of London, and the MBA program at Staffordshire University. His lecturing experience both overseas and in Sri Lanka has allowed him to maintain a close rapport with a diverse group of students and position these students to achieve their maximum potential.
Salman is equipped with a MBA from the University of West London and a BBA from the University of Colombo. He is also a Sri Lanka prize winner for two subjects in ACCA while being qualified as a ACMA and CGMA. Salman completed his schooling at St. Peter’s College, Colombo 04.
Suran Patabendige
Suran is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and holds a Bachelors degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Northampton.
Suran held senior managerial positions in well established companies in manufacturing and apparel industry where he was responsible for driving finance and operations of the organization. In a lecturing career that spans over twelve years, Suran has successfully coached over thousands of students to pass their OTQ exams on the first attempt.
He currently serves as the Head of Operations in Wijeweera garments pvt ltd. He is a past student of Rahula College, Matara and was always recognized for his academic excellence and sports achievements during the school career. He was the past president of Rahula College Old Boys Association (2006 batch) from 2008 to 2013.