Meet Our Leaders
Our Board of Directors and Executive Leadership bring decades of experience in the space of innovation and digital transformation.
Our Board of Directors
With diverse backgrounds and a shared passion for technology, our board of directors bring a wealth of expertise in areas such as business development, finance, technology and global markets. Their collective vision shapes the future of Axiata Digital Labs as we continue to push boundaries of what’s possible in the tech industry. Meet the minds behind our success.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Anthony Rodrigo
Chief Executive Officer
Namal Jayathilake is a seasoned telecommunications executive with over 20 years of experience in the industry. As Chief Technology Officer of ADL, he drives engineering excellence, product innovation, and business sustainability. His leadership spans a diverse portfolio, including Telco OSS/BSS solutions, digital transformation enablers, fintech platforms, data analytics and AI solutions, IoT products, and emerging technologies.
Throughout his tenure at Axiata Group, Namal has cultivated deep expertise across core telecom functions, digital transformation, software development, and product R&D. He has led award-winning, customer-centric initiatives in collaboration with global industry leaders, reinforcing ADL’s reputation for cutting-edge technology and service excellence.
Namal holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, a Postgraduate Diploma in Telecommunications, and a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering (Hons) from the University of Moratuwa.
Namal Jayathilake
Chief Technology Officer
Loh John Wu (John) is the Chief Operating Officer with responsibilities spanning Sales & Marketing, Operations, Client Services and Delivery Management. A global executive with deep expertise in technology and telecom, John brings a unique blend of technical and commercial acumen to scale businesses internationally.
With extensive experience in both Asian and North American markets, John excels at navigating diverse business environments and fostering cross-border collaborations. . His career began in technical roles before transitioning into commercial and operational leadership, where he has successfully driven global expansion strategies for technology companies specializing in telecom solutions.
Notably, John held senior leadership roles at Netcracker/NEC, and Timwetech where he spearheaded revenue, organizational growth and strategic initiatives. He also played a key role at technology startup Cognitive Systems, contributing to their operational and market expansion.
John holds a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Computer Engineering with a Minor in Economics from the University of Waterloo (Canada). Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing badminton and basketball, and indulging in his love for food.
Loh John Wu
Chief Operating Officer
Rohana Wijebandara is a Seasoned Finance Executive with diverse and progressive experience over twenty years in all facets of Finance, Business Operations and Business Controls Spanning over service, manufacturing, and Consultancy and Audit Sectors.
Rohana started his career in 2001 at PricewaterhouseCoopers, as an audit trainee. On completion of required audit training, he commenced his commercial career at MAS Holdings (Pvt) Ltd as a Financial Accountant prior to joining Dialog Axiata Plc.
Rohana commenced his career at Dialog Axiata in 2007 as Assistant Manager – Financial Accounting, and held multiple roles including; Head of Finance, Head of Corporate Finance, Group Business Controller, before being appointed as Group Financial Controller. He also served as CFO at HOne Pvt Ltd. He has been instrumental in optimizing cash flows, transforming cost structures, refining control environment, enhancing productivity levels, introducing process transformations, and implementing technology solutions.
Rohana is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, a Fellow of The Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka and an Associate of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK). He holds a Bachelor of Science Special Degree in Accountancy from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He has also completed Advance Management Programs at Harvard Business School, INSEAD Business School Singapore, Coleago Consulting and Telecoms Academy.
Rohana’s leadership and contributions have earned him industry-wide recognition. His expertise and strategic vision continue to drive financial excellence and operational growth within our organization.
Rohana Wijebandara
Chief Financial Officer
Maheshi Gamage is a seasoned HR leader with over 18 years of experience in strategic and general Human Resource Management across multinational and local organizations. As ADL’s Chief People Officer, she brings a strong background in HR digitalization, transformation, and process improvement.
Before joining ADL, Maheshi served as Assistant Vice President of Talent Acquisition & HR Operations at Nations Trust Bank, where she led key digitalization initiatives and strategic HR projects. She also held the role of Senior Manager in Human Capital at PricewaterhouseCoopers, gaining expertise in HR consulting, risk management, governance, and information security.
Passionate about technology-driven HR solutions, Maheshi has played a pivotal role in designing and implementing innovative HR systems. She holds an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK) and a Chartered Qualification in HRM (CQHRM) from the Institute of Personnel Management.
With her expertise and forward-thinking approach, Maheshi is committed to driving a people-first culture at ADL.
Maheshi Gamage
Chief People Officer
Shifan Saleem is a seasoned IT leader with over 20 years of experience in managing high-value program and client engagement management. With a background in software engineering, he has worked in both product and service-based organisations, primarily in the United Kingdom. He specialises in large-scale enterprise software delivery, overseeing programs from development to implementation and ensuring business value realisation. He has also led the setup and management of software engineering centres, overseeing all operational functions.
Shifan has worked with leading organisations such as Capita, British Telecom, and Virtusa, driving IT and business transformation while executing strategic roadmaps that deliver incremental business value. For the past five years, he has represented ADL in Malaysia, setting up and managing overall operations, integrating engineering and support services, and expanding the Malaysian business.
He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Information Systems from Manchester Metropolitan University and is recognised for his expertise in technology-driven transformation and operational excellence.