Lakmini Wijesundera Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of IronOne Technologies and BoardPAC

 

I never started out during my schooling or university times with a specific goal of doing something in particular. I continue to be engaged in an interesting challenge that most people consider impossible to achieve. That is my passion.  I’m very fortunate to have stumbled across the concept of BoardPAC which allows us to serve and meet the most powerful people across the business world and governments in each country we approach.  Having people of such high calibre across 30 countries using our Sri Lanka built technology for their board meetings gives us incredible pride and encouragement to continue to strive for the #1 market share globally.

 

 

“A winner is a dreamer who never gives up” a Nelson Mandela quote.  My dream is to have every Forbes 2000 listed company and every top company in around the world to be using BoardPAC for their board meetings. Persevering to achieve it is how we are successful. Having the strongest market share in Asia has been our present achievement while we continue to strive for the highest market share in the world.

 

We contact the top 100 and top banks when we launch our services in any new country and face the toughest challenges head on. Once we win branded companies as references in a country the rest gets easier. We always persevere to win these top accounts even if it at times takes two to three years. 

 

We eventually get them on-boarded by not losing focus on them.   In Malaysia, our first client was Bursa Malaysia the stock exchange of Malaysia. Since then most of the top banks and many large corporations adopted BoardPAC in Malaysia. BoardPAC is the dominant board meeting solution in Malaysia.

 

This same practice has been followed in other countries. Even in India, abolishing myths that Sri Lankan software would not sell in India. Even the central bank of India uses BoardPAC while the BSE and many of the largest banks such as Yes Bank, Kotak Mahendra Bank, Bank of Baroda, India’s 70% power transmission provider PowerGrid India and many more in India use BoardPAC. 

 

 

Having a challenge is what I thrive on. The more difficult the challenge, the higher the satisfaction of resolving it. The chosen challenge to succeed in is to make BoardPAC the #1 Global Board Portal solution with the highest market share globally.  Out of all tasks at hand the most difficult area for me is to find and groom the right talent for our growing workforce globally. To our surprise, we found out the hard way that global workforce hiring is even more challenging than local hiring.

 

 

It’s so ironic that most people who called me over the phone just as Covid lockdowns took place would say “ So Lakmini, your business must be booming with everyone on virtual meetings”. Large companies and their procurement processes were not operational during Covid and therefore sales were halted around the world. We have therefore pivoted with focus on new markets and expanded industry sectors which have simpler decision making on purchases and this method is proving to give us better results.

 

 

While covering 30 countries of customers, our full-time workforce and direct offices span seven countries and these  include South Africa, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and Sri Lanka. We have  a multinational team of local personnel from each region. We have discovered that Sri Lankans are as passionate and driven as any other, and that they have great pride in successfully taking a local brand global.

 

 

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world” is yet another quote by Nelson Mandela. We have seen lives transform with education. Environment in itself is not enough without the  capacity to grasp the opportunity which education empowers.

 

 

I’m born a Buddhist and practise the religion to some extent. Religion helps me to be patient which is a required trait for perseverance and plays a strong role in succeeding in hard and long drawn out tasks without giving up. It also helps to not take things too seriously.

 

 

“Diversity is the art of thinking independently together” quote by Malcolm Forbes the publisher of Forbes Magazine which was founded by his father 

B.C. Forbes. Having a multinational team helps us bridge the culture gaps speedily.  It’s rewarding to work as a multinational team with the single goal of making our product BoardPAC the #1 in the world in board meeting automation. All cultural behaviours and norms are indistinct once the purpose is aligned.

 

 

 

There are many role models who I follow. Two such persons to mention are Peter Theil, entrepreneur and the author of the book “Zero to One” due to his daring approach which I very much align with  and Elon Musk for making seemingly impossible global challenges a reality in our lifetime. While we know of Elon Musk for many achievements, his latest Neura-link technology is what fascinates me the most, as it enables humans to gain superhuman mental abilities with the ability to directly connect to the internet and globally computing power from our mind where humans can be as powerful mentally as AI enabled robots. However close to home, my life is influenced by my mother who was an eternally positive entrepreneur, and increasingly now her brother Upali of Kandos fame who broke all myths and barriers to become an outstanding entrepreneur in Asia at a time that Sri Lanka faced intense economic challenges including global trade barriers during his time. It was inspiring for me to hear first hand during my visits to Malaysia that even in the present day,  after over 35 years, the general public in Malaysia recall Upali’s achievements.

 

 

It’s ironic that working under tremendous time and results pressure is the most relaxing and pleasing experience for me. The thrill of it is beyond going on a fantastic holiday. Apart from that I enjoy  spending time with my closest friends and family.

 

 

Books are always better. I have picked up so many books which are yet unread and needing my attention… Blink by Malcolm Gladwell who also wrote Tipping Point is my most recently read book. 

 

 

I certainly believe that ‘I am the Captain of my Ship’.

 

You have got to dream it before you get to achieve it… and your dreams steer your path.

 

This is a truth in my life, as I constantly set seemingly impossible goals and go ahead and achieve them.

 

I’m steering my ship and destiny to create a #1 global brand  with ‘home grown product from Sri Lanka’.

 

The journey has its share of rough waves, however, it has been enjoyable to strategise and steer past them and in my case to steer into further rougher unchartered waters with the aim of reaching  the ultimate land.

 

 

I believe that racial and religious intolerance can be greatly reduced with integrated school systems where children of all races and religions are able to study and get to know each other without segregated schooling.

 

I myself have been fortunate to attend CMS Ladies College in Colombo which offered a healthy mix of Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim students in the same class and gave us a chance to learn to live with our differences without a conflict. It was later as an adult that I encountered racial and religious tension that exists in the world. 

 

 

I have no opinion on who is a greater villain. 

 

Doing things differently is celebrated when it inspires people and benefits a majority of people. Nelson Mandela, Lee Kuan Yew are classic examples of such inspiration. Doing things differently carries the risk of ruffling feathers and raising controversial matters to the surface. These four leaders of globally important countries  have certainly stood out as being “different to expected norms of society“, by people and media channels. A villain for one is a hero for another, it’s based on the view point. I do not follow their actions closely enough to provide a comparative opinion.

 

 

I must admit that my work consumes me. I have two Labradors who need constant attention and during the past couple of years I have been on the road constantly. Covid has given me a well-deserved break from this extensive travel .  It is my passion to craft and live in a home with a minimalistic style having large spaces to overlook as it is relaxing and thanks to Pradeep Kodikara the architect of my home, I have such an oasis that I love to spend time in despite being right in the middle of the city of Colombo. 

 

 

 

“Surround yourself with positive people who are going to push you towards greatness”. That’s a few more than one word..

 

 

The things I do are out of pure enjoyment and drive within. It is  my current aim to prove to myself that Sri Lankan innovations in IT can be world-class.