Sri Lanka-born strategist Prof. Patrick Mendis to meet corporate and national leaders

THIS October, Harvard-educated Prof. Patrick Mendis is scheduled to visit Colombo as the keynote speaker at the 46th National Conference of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.

- By Prof. Chandana Gunathilaka

Prof. Patrick Mendis (left) with University of Sri Jayewardenepura Vice Chancellor Senior Prof. Pathmalal Manage

This year’s theme, “Uprise—Navigating Geopolitics for Growth: Sri Lanka’s Strategic Play,” takes on added weight at a time when the country is seeking stability and growth in a turbulent global environment.

The largest and most prestigious gathering—with over 2,500 business and accounting professionals attending—will meet on 8-9 October in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, while more than 500 executives will join the professor remotely from Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the world.

Prof. Mendis is a first-class business administration and economics honours graduate of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ), and a notable alumnus leader of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Prof. Mendis went to the United States as a high school exchange student on an American Field Service (AFS) scholarship. He was one of 10 selected from over 100,000 national applicants for the AFS program sponsored by the US Department of State.