Tania Polonnowita selected for EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women Asia-Pacific class of 2023

From left: Manil Jayesinghe and Tania Polonnowita Wettimuny

IAS Holdings (Private) Limited Group Managing Director Tania Polonnowita Wettimuny is among the 15 women founders selected to take part in the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women Asia-Pacific class of 2023.

The bespoke executive education programme identifies and supports savvy, ambitious female entrepreneurs with established, profitable businesses to unlock their full potential and show others what is possible.

Commenting on the selection, Wettimuny said the recognition for the entire industry and paves the way for young entrepreneurs to see opportunity in the field 
of logistics. 

“It breaks the perception that the industry is male dominated. This recognition comes at a time when the country is struggling and brings positivity and proves that Sri Lanka can always strive to do better and thrive during tough times,” she said.

Country Managing Partner Sri Lanka Manil Jayesinghe stated that EY Sri Lanka takes pride in recognising and helping our women entrepreneurs to grow and scale globally through 
this programme. 

“This is the seventh year we have sent nominations for the programme and it is indeed a credit to our women entrepreneurs that they have secured a nomination each year. This shows that we have entrepreneurs that have the capacity to be recognised globally. I wish Tania all the best and we will do our best to help her with the next stage of her journey to be globally recognised entrepreneur,” 
he said.

This year’s cohort of new entrepreneurs are focused on solving the world’s significant challenges of today. Representing Australia, Greater China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Sri Lanka in the Asia-Pacific region, they bring an innovative and disruptive mindset, as well as a vision with sustainable development, which has led to their successes in the market and ambition for the global network.

According to EY Asia-Pacific Risk Management Leader and EY Asia-Pacific Women. Fast Forward Executive Sponsor Claire Cardno, the programme is designed to support women entrepreneurs to break down barriers and become global market leaders. 

“We celebrate women’s achievements not just today but every day and we are here to help them realise their ambition and contribute to a better future for the world,” she said.

This year’s participants run high-growth businesses across a wide variety of sectors including health, logistics, IT, education, biopharmaceutical and automotive. According to EY analysis, these companies generated a combined revenue of more than US $ 200 million in 2022 and employed more than 1,500 people.