PADMIKA DISSANAIKE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER – WSO2

She is the Chief Financial Officer at WSO2. She is a strategic leader who has headed the WSO2 Global Finance function since 2009. She also oversees the operations of the organization, including the HR, Admin, and Legal teams.  She has held leadership roles in Europe and the US, prior to joining WSO2. She has worked in dynamic and high growth companies that began as start-ups and successfully graduated into large, public quoted companies in the US. She was the former Head of Finance for Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, overseeing the Pricing and Reimbursement business of IMS Health, a US Fortune 1000 company. She was the former UK Financial Reporting Controller of UUNET Technologies; a subsidiary of MCI Communications, a US Fortune 500 company, now a part of Verizon Communications. She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA, London). She has also successfully completed the Emerging CFO program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Strategic Analysis for Business Evaluation program at Harvard Business School, USA. An alumna of University of Peradeniya, she holds a BA (Hons) in Economics.

She Can and she is a shining example of a true Sri Lankan global local. Having worked across the UK, Europe and the US, she returned back home to give back to the country she grew up in. She has contributed immensely towards the growth of WSO2 and has paved the way for many more young girls and women to join the tech industry in Sri Lanka.  She is an innovative, diligent, motivated, empowered, power woman; Padmika Dissanaike.

What are the most important attributes of successful leaders?

Leadership attributes are context-dependent.  Some situations call for consensual leadership, while others may require a more directive leadership style. Leadership in the army might be different from leadership in a commercial organization. Leadership in the USA may be different to leadership in Japan. And, the leadership skills you might need when you are more junior, may differ from what you might need when you assume a higher level of responsibility. The good leaders I have worked with are those who energized people to step up while guiding them to do their best. Good leaders never feel threatened if someone challenges their views; they are willing to have a discussion and take the time to listen. Really, listen.

Share with us a summary of your corporate journey; from classroom to boardroom.

I am a Kandy Lamissi!  My journey began in Kandy, Sri Lanka, a beautiful, calm, quiet place to grow up in.  I schooled at Mahamaya, clearly the best school of all!  I read Economics at Peradeniya University, which is where I met my husband, so lots of good things happened in Kandy! I got married at the age of twenty-five, and within three months traveled to the UK, as the wife of a penniless Ph.D. student.  I initially started working as a Research Assistant for what is now known as Cambridge Assessment, while studying Accountancy, part-time. Once I finished my Accountancy exams, I found myself in a vicious cycle of ‘no relevant experience, no job - no job, no experience’.  I didn’t get entry-level jobs as I was deemed overqualified, and I didn’t get higher-level jobs as I didn’t have relevant experience! 

It was really frustrating and demotivating.  So I had to collect some basic ‘Accountancy’ experience for my CV by ‘temping’.  After a few months of temping, one of the companies offered me a permanent job as an Assistant Accountant. Shortly afterwards, an enthusiastic boss offered me the job of an Assistant Financial Controller, with the words ‘sink, or swim.’  I guess I swam!  From that point onwards, I have been incredibly fortunate. I went on to hold Senior Executive positions in Fortune 1000 companies in the UK and US.  Thereafter, fifteen years ago, we decided to shift our center of gravity to Sri Lanka, so that we could educate our twin boys at Trinity College, Kandy. I joined WSO2 in 2007. It’s a real privilege to have been a part of WSO2’s journey, from being a fifty-employee startup in 2007 to having over 800 employees, and corporate customers in seventy plus countries.  The company is now valued at half a billion US dollars!  It’s been an amazing journey.

Could you comment on Goldman Sach’s recent investment in WSO2? 

Yes, WSO2 has secured $90 million in financing from Goldman Sachs.  It is a huge vote of confidence in WSO2 because Goldman Sachs is second to none in the world of finance. The growth capital from Goldman Sachs will allow us to quickly realize our vision for WSO2 to become a cloud-first company. The funding demonstrates the confidence our investors have, not just in our products, but also in our people. Sanjiva, our CEO, has always stressed that the company’s value was as much down to the passion and dedication of our people, as it is to our products and vision. I should emphasize that the investment from Goldman Sachs was not the first time that we have had blue-chip overseas investors in WSO2. Other notable names include the likes of Intel, Cisco, and Toba Capital.

What does working at WSO2 feel like compared to other companies?

I joined WSO2 when it was a mere, two-year-old, start-up.  That ‘start-up’ atmosphere, the ‘can do’ attitude, where people work for a cause, rather than a company, has been really great. And now, fifteen years later, I see us preserving that start-up attitude while being mature in execution.  We also have a great group of people who are supportive and are just really nice, and of course super smart. 

How do you differentiate yourself?

I don’t.  I am an exceptionally average person who has worked hard. But I have had extraordinary opportunities and met some extraordinary people. And I’ve always been surrounded by a very supportive family, from childhood to the present day.  They have always given me the strength to keep going even in the most discouraging of circumstances.  I am grateful that I have had opportunities I never would have thought possible for someone like me.  Hence, I hope this serves as encouragement for those out there who, like me, feel that they are nothing special. With a bit of luck and some hard work, one can have a pretty good ride!

Why do you think it's important for more women to join the tech industry?

In any industry, we need to be able to attract the best in class.  It is a well-known fact that there are fewer women in tech than men, although that statistic is improving year on year.  WSO2 certainly has a better than average gender balance in tech roles, and indeed in non-tech and senior roles too.  No one should feel excluded for any reason, because that will mean that the industry loses talent.  And role models are important. People's aspirations are formed by what they see, what they hear and what they experience.   This is relevant not only in the tech industry but in any sphere.

How much do you think the industry has changed since you joined?

The concept of work-life balance, or work-life integration, has changed.  It is now quite acceptable to say, ‘I have a personal commitment’, and choose to give that priority, even on a weekday.  That has been a noticeable change.  It makes the workplace much more inclusive in terms of whom we can employ.

Who did you look up to for inspiration or mentorship?

I wouldn’t attribute it to one person or instance. The mentoring starts from our childhood and school.  For example, I grew up in a ‘single parent’ family.  My father died when I was just four years old.   My mother became a ‘single parent’  with three young children to bring up.  Her approach to life and strife was an inspiration and helped shape my brother, sister, and myself.  Then, every job I’ve had, and every team or corporate leader I’ve worked with, has in some way helped me to develop and think differently.

How do you keep your team motivated despite conflicts and obstacles? 

I actually work with a great team of people who support me and one another.  They are incurably cheerful, hard-working, and clever.  If the team feels empowered and enabled, then they are motivated to deliver quality. I never underestimate where I might get my inspiration from. Good ideas can come from anywhere and anyone, at any level.  Another thing I try to do is to give people opportunities to show off their skills. We’ve all been in jobs where we are too busy with our day-to-day, and can’t show what else we are capable of. I’ve had bosses give me projects which allowed me to showcase a different skill set.  That can be very encouraging.  And I consciously try to pay that forward.

If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before beginning your career what would it be?

Never say never.  I said I never wanted to become an Accountant.  I guess it sounded boring and conjured up an image of ‘Scrooge’!  But then my move into accountancy, thanks to the encouragement from an uncle and my husband, took me on a very interesting journey which isn’t boring at all!

Have you been harassed or discriminated against?

No, never.  I can honestly say I have never been harassed or felt discriminated against. But I do realize that this is not the experience of many others.  I have lived, studied, and worked in different countries, and for different companies.   I have been extremely fortunate. I have worked with good male and female leaders who gave me significant opportunities and helped progress my career.  Also, I've always been surrounded by amazing women who were in charge of their environments, starting with my grandmother, who was perhaps ahead of her time.  And the majority of men I’ve moved closely with didn't see women as inferior.  I never saw being female as a limitation; so never doubted that I could do whatever I wanted to.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

I hope I will have plenty of time for my hobbies; reading murder stories, and playing the piano.

Share with us a secret no one else knows.

I’m an open book.  I have been told that I over-share!  In fact at the US immigration desk, when going into the USA for work, I was asked why I was traveling from Sri Lanka on a British passport.  I told the official my story about my husband’s studies in the UK, my kids, work, etc.  He stopped me mid-sentence and said, ‘I didn’t ask you for your life story,’ and waved me through!

How do you want to be remembered one day?

Something banal like ‘a good person’, but I’d probably be remembered for my loud laugh,  bad cooking (that’s by my children!), and my stature of 4 foot 10 ½ inches.  Please note the ½ inch is terribly important to me!