Celebrating 20 years of PMI Colombo, Sri Lanka Chapter: A call to transform public project governance

Twenty years ago, a group of passionate professionals laid the foundation for the Project Management Institute (PMI) Colombo, Sri Lanka Chapter, with a shared vision: to promote world-class project management practices in our nation. As a founding member and the first chairman, I look back with pride at how far we’ve come but I also look ahead with concern and urgency.

- LALITH DE SILVA

I recognized the critical importance of project management skills in Sri Lanka during a pivotal period in my career. In 2002, I was involved in advising on the project management of SLT’s new billing and Operations support system (OSS) system.

Same year, following the acquisition of Mobitel by SLT, I led a major transformation initiative as CEO/ of Mobitel transitioning the mobile network from TDMA to GSM, implementing largescale IT modernization, and relaunching the Mobitel brand with a completely new infrastructure.

Through these experiences, it became clear to me that Sri Lanka faced a severe shortage of qualified project management professionals. With this realization, I engaged with several like-minded professionals to establish the PMI Colombo, Sri Lanka Chapter, with the aim of promoting worldclass project management practices.

PMI certification has made significant contributions to Sri Lanka’s professional landscape. Today, the country boasts over 1,400 certified PMPs, many of whom hold leadership positions in top private sector organizations.

Over the past two decades, several universities and higher education institutions in Sri Lanka have acknowledged the value of PMI standards by introducing project management as a core subject within their academic curricula. As a result, more than 5,000 Sri Lankan professionals have earned PMP® certification, with many now serving in high demand roles across the globe. Of these, around 1,400 PMPcertified professionals continue to contribute within Sri Lanka.