Rashika Wijekoon has bagged Wonder Woman Award

Rashika Wijekoon has bagged Wonder Woman Award

• May 14, 2022

I, Rashika Wijekoon of Sri Lankan origin from Kandy, wish to elaborate on my progressive career record so far and my professional traits in a nutshell which will give an insight into my potentialities and capabilities.  In fact, my career and life has been well focused and nurtured systematically to evolve to be what I am today.  From my school days, I had a penchant for administration, organization, event management and travel. Therefore, I always wanted to embark on a career related to the above mentioned areas.  I have always been driven by a gritty determination and an element of perseverance which paved the way for my success in life. In my story below highlights the turning points and how I transcended obstacles to become successful in spite of many odds. 

I also had a fulfilling school career at St Anthony’s Girls College, Kandy where I took part in an array of extra-curricular activities. After my Advanced Level examination which I did in commerce stream, I had the privilege of joining prestigious Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC as Trainee Secretary in the finance division. After this initial stint, I joined another leading multinational company Carsons Cumberbadge as Assistant Secretary.  Thereafter, I moved on to a fully-fledged position of Secretary at Maharaja Institute of Management. 

In my role as a secretary, I worked on a couple of assignments, being secretary to the Chairman/ General Manager and General Manager at DEVCO SHOWA (PTE) Ltd and CEYEXXE Insurance Brokers LTD respectively.  Since I had always been on a look out for opportunities with better career prospects, I had the rare honor of joining Sri Lanka Cricket as Confidential Secretary to Head of Cricket Operations.  Sri Lanka Cricket is an international brand and therefore, I had the opportunity of working closely with my counterparts in other member countries.  In this capacity, I was exposed to a wide range of experiences in organizing events of international stature and modern day mechanisms in sourcing resources for such events. 

Later, I was elevated to the position of the Coordination Secretary of the Tour Organizing Secretariat of Sri Lanka Cricket.  In this capacity, I had to shoulder wide ranging responsibilities to make sure that the tours by the teams of all categories are undertaken smoothly and foolproof. Therefore, I had been a vibrant partner in the international events held in Sri Lanka namely 2011 World Cup, 2012 World Twenty/ 20 tournament, Asian Cup Challenges in 2010 to name a few.  Towards the latter part of my career with Sri Lanka Cricket, I gained invaluable experiences in many facets of an international organization which also helped me hone my potentials to the highest.  

Based on my wide experience and exposure, I was able to secure a two year overseas assignment as Sales Manager at OSCAR Holidays in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.  Apart from these intermittent appointments, I worked as a Consultant to CJ Holidays, Australia which is a portal of ‘Online Travel and Tourism Service Provider’. I have vividly narrated the job roles in my career so far in the resume which is annexed. 

At this juncture, I returned to Sri Lanka from Malaysia.  I immediately made arrangements to found a company of my own named Innzy Holidays to capitalize the travel market which I know well.  However, my dreams were shattered by deadly pandemic of Covid-19 which spread across the globe. At this stage of my life, I suddenly found myself without a source of income as the travel trade was vast affected by this imperious situation.  However, I quickly took a mental note of my strengths and decided to start a business by the name of Snax by Rush which became a popular catering outfit on Uber eats and Pick me foods.  I built up a loyal clientele for my succulent processed food varieties, home cooked food stuff and local pickles.  In fact, I carried out this business keeping a wayside stall by my car.  I maintained a high standard of food quality and hygiene in the preparation of food so that I was able to attract a score of loyal and regular customers gradually.  As a woman with years of experience behind, I take pride in stating that I was able to slowly come out of the financial predicament I was drawn into, in the wake of the adverse situation caused by Covid-19 pandemic.  As the situation eased off, I was determined to pursue my career in my chosen field and I was successful in securing an employment at the next level. 

Back in my profession and moving further on managerial portfolios, I briefly worked for National Paper Company Ltd as Administration Manager before I joined SRAM & MRAM, UK based company as Business Development Manager. In my own assessment, I wish to declare that I am a task oriented and a target driven personality who would never compromise on the quality of work.  Further, I am a team player by heart and always persuade others to perform exceptionally in achieving results.  This is my plus point.  I am indeed self-motivated and also an enthusiastically hard-working person.  My ability to work under pressure and stress is also noteworthy.  Since I am a practical decision maker, I tackle foreseen and unforeseen situations strategically in a win-win scenario. 

In conclusion, I am self-assured that I have summarized my career traits, capabilities and potentialities in this brief to project my mage as it is.  Besides, I have the confidence to assert that I have the right credentials in terms of higher education as well since I have been armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management to my credit.  Despite my paper qualification, I was able to succeed in life mainly because of my pragmatic thinking and positive mindset.  I never wanted my life to crumble down in vain so I always looked for opportunities. I know that some great opportunities come in the most adverse situations.  So, I proved myself in no uncertain terms. 

Thanks & best regards,

Rashika wijekoon