Virtusa holds first-ever LinkedIn community event in Sri Lanka

‘The Future of Work’ presented by LinkedIn Regional Business Head Santosh D’souza 

Virtusa Corporation, a global provider of digital engineering and IT services, hosted the first-ever LinkedIn (LI) community event in Sri Lanka, dubbed ‘Connect Colombo’.

The landmark event took place at the Courtyard by Marriott, marking a significant milestone in the country’s professional networking landscape.
Bringing together over 200 industry leaders and mid to senior-level executives, Connect Colombo served as a dynamic platform for discussions on pivotal topics such as networking and personal branding. The event featured three insightful sessions, headlined by renowned professionals from diverse sectors.

The opening session, ‘The Future of Work’, presented by Santosh D’souza from LinkedIn, delved into the transformative role of AI in recruitment and HR, offering a vision of how work will evolve with emerging technologies. This was followed by a riveting panel discussion on ‘Personal Branding and Networking for Impact, Influence and Change’, moderated by Kithunika Nawalage. Panellists Sonali Silva, Thanuja Jayawardane, Andrea Pereira and Brinda Selvadurai, all prominent figures in their respective fields, highlighted the significance of personal branding across sectors such as fashion, legal, start-up investing and more. The session was particularly noteworthy for its all-female panel, a nod to Women’s History Month.
Roch Ferreira from Virtusa capped off the sessions with a keynote on ‘Bridging Success through the Power of Networking’, drawing from two decades of experience in the technology sector and collaborations with Fortune 50 brands.

The event also celebrated Virtusa’s achievement of crossing one million followers on LinkedIn, establishing it as the most followed company page operating in Sri Lanka. This milestone underscores Virtusa’s influence and leadership in the digital sphere, both locally and globally.

Connect Colombo is part of a series of partner events Virtusa is hosting across Asia, including a panel discussion for the International Women’s Day in Chennai and a recruitment masterclass in Hyderabad. These initiatives reflect Virtusa’s commitment to fostering meaningful connections and facilitating discussions that are crucial for the future of work and industry.
Virtusa’s collaboration with LinkedIn for this event underscores the importance of direct representation from the professional networking giant, highlighting the event’s prestige and the company’s commitment to innovation and leadership in the digital age.

All-female panel discussion on ‘Personal Branding and Networking for Impact, Influence and Change’ (from left) Santani Wellness Head of CSR, Policy and Advocacy Officer and She Decides Co-Chair Sonali Silva, Virtusa Vice President HR and Global Talent Mobility Andrea Pereira, moderator Manager Marketing and Corporate Communications Kithunika Nawalage, MAS Holdings Head of Women’s Empowerment, Advocacy and Code of Conduct Thanuja Jayawardane and Hatch Works Co-Founder Brindha Selvadurai