In Conversation Deshika Rodrigo

The most appropriate way to define Deshika Rodrigo would be, ‘a woman that conquered it all.’ With over twenty-five years of experience in Human Resources at Microsoft Corporation, USA and at Standard Chartered Bank, Sri Lanka, Deshika currently specializes in Executive Coaching, design and implementation of HR policies, women’s empowerment, and using psychometric tools to develop leadership, inculcating self-awareness and team work. She works with many local and international clients by partnering with them to achieve organizational success through their people. 

The idea of executive coaching may seem quite alien to most of us. In response to this, Deshika stated that, “coaching is the second fastest growing industry in the world for over ten consecutive years. An Executive Coach is someone who will work with you to achieve your aspirations, address development areas and transform you to being a better version of yourself.”  Deshika believes that anyone and everyone can benefit from executive coaching; “in fact, I currently coach five CEO clients. Many companies, especially those with young Millennial and Gen Z employees, offer Executive Coaching as a standard benefit to their teams.  “I often wish that I had an Executive Coach when I was younger.  If I had, I might have become a coach a lot sooner,” says Deshika. 

Deshika clearly excels in what she does due to her outgoing, yet caring personality, her experience in HR (both locally and overseas) and her educational background. She is armed with a BA Honors Degree in English and Psychology from the University of Washington, USA, and an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business. She is also an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK, and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), UK. Additionally, Deshika is a certified Executive and Strengths Coach and an accredited Practitioner of MBTI and DiSC Psychometric tools. 

Life has thrown its fair share of challenges at Deshika, nevertheless, she claims that the experiences and obstacles she faced have shaped her passions and more importantly her work. “Being a single mother at forty years, made me appreciate the value of being employed and being a positive role model.  It also gave me the impetus to support and share my own experiences with others, especially women, on how to succeed in corporate life.” 
Deshika, is a strong advocate of women empowerment. She is the founder of the TARA Women’s Network and also Lean In Ladies of Sri Lanka; both organizations focused on empowering working women.  In a sector that is male-dominated and overflowing with bias and prejudice, she has become a beacon of hope; “I know that we can still succeed.  We can overcome the many obstacles that are in our way, if we know how to. There is an old African adage that says, ‘if you educate a boy, you train a man.  If you educate a girl, you train a village.’  So, if you are a woman, or if you are a parent raising a daughter, the first key step to becoming a successful career woman, whatever your chosen field is, is to educate yourself.  You could be a high-school dropout, like I was, but you can still do it.” 

Deshika’s maternal instinct plays a huge role in coaching her clients as well. “I thrive on seeing people succeed. I am the proudest person in the room when one of my Coaching clients receives an award.  I am a nurturer of people and talent.” For which, she is duly being acknowledged and commemorated. She is the recipient of the 100 Most Influential Global HR Professionals award and Sri Lanka’s Top Women Leaders award (by the World Federation of HR Professionals and the HRD Congress, 2017) and has also won the Women in Management Gold award for “Leadership Excellence in Human Resources” in 2015, as well as “Sri Lanka’s Top Women Leaders” award and the “501 Fabulous Global HR Leaders of the World 2020” award by the World Federation of HR Professionals.  As Deshika says, “we are all shaped by our pasts and circumstances. But, you can and will rise above all of these if you set your mind to it. So, go make that change!” And she most definitely is making that change.