Vindhya Fernando

Head of Advisory Services

Vindhya Fernando is a senior advisor and a leader in advancing gender equality, social inclusion and conflict sensitivity; with over 20 years of experience, both locally and globally. She combines technical expertise with strong leadership, having managed multi-million-dollar programmes and guided diverse teams across government agencies, civil society and private sector partners to promote systemic change. Vindhya is recognised for her leadership in designing and delivering research and training, managing partnerships and is known for making complex ideas simple, practical and adaptable to any context, helping organisations and partners turn strategy into grounded, lasting change. Currently She heads Chrysalis Advisory Services.

Hashitha Abeywardana

Senior Technical Advisor

Hashitha Abeywardana is a seasoned development professional with over two decades of experience working across Sri Lanka, South Asia and Africa on gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, inclusive governance, conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding. He provides technical leadership on participatory methods, inclusive quantitative and qualitative research strategies, design and implementation of research and data analysis across a variety of sectors. Hashitha is a master trainer in business counselling and trainer of trainers in conflict prevention, prevention of armed violence and training techniques. His work bridges grassroots and policy spaces, with a consistent focus on inclusion, gender justice and system change. Hashitha brings deep contextual understanding, extensive field experience and a strategic approach to development programming, with a proven ability to collaborate across sectors and actors. Currently Hashitha provides his expertise and the Senior Technical Advisor.

Shashika Ekanayake

Lead – Co-creating Solutions to Prevent IPV

Shashika Ekanayake is a passionate and results-driven professional with over eight years of progressive experience in Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI). She works in implementing intersectional strategies in both international and national settings and collaborates effectively with governments, NGOs and international partners. Her expertise spans organizational GEDSI policy and safeguarding, as well as the design and delivery of inclusive programs targeting marginalised communities, with a deep commitment to empowering women, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups. Shashika works as the Project Lead for the “Collaborative Evidence Building for Impact at Scale: Integrating Intimate Partner Violence into Existing Health System Structures in Sri Lanka”, a groundbreaking project which aims to create evidence on co-creating solutions on intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention. Currently she also provides project oversight and partnership management to the Advisory Team.

Tharanga Premarathna

Coordinator - Programme Operations

Tharanga Premarathna is an experienced Humanitarian and Development Practitioner with over 6 years of proven expertise in project management, community mobilization and disaster preparedness. Skilled in managing donor-funded programs and delivering results across diverse field environments. He has a strong operational background in logistics coordination, administrative management and data management and supports efficient program delivery and reporting. He demonstrates strong experience leading initiatives in women’s empowerment, disaster resilience and mental and social well-being. Tharanga is committed to advocacy, promoting gender equality, and strengthening community participation. Currently he functions as the Programme Operations Coordinator.