The Quiet Maverick

When Gamini wants something done, he wants it done. There's never an if, but, or can't. He problem solves on the run,finds opportunity in impossible spaces, speaks out for truth and justice, and is a fount of knowledge on any and every subject.

Through three-score years and ten, and a little beyond, Dr Gamini Wickramasinghe blazed his own trail, quietly and with absolute conviction. His life was shaped by his parents who nurtured him in the fundamentals of Buddhism, while his leadership skills became apparent very early on, on the rugby and cricket fields. His hardworking traits surfaced in the UK when every job, no matter how difficult, was done in the pursuit of his mission; from being a night guard to driving a forklift, working three jobs while studying for multiple qualifications and burning the midnight oil to drive revenue for a global petroleum giant.

When his country of birth beckoned, he responded. His vision for Sri Lanka made him the godfather of higher education in IT across one spectrum, and a revolutionary in transforming the country's largest state bank on the other. In between, he conferred scholarships on hundreds of young people, brought hope to many Internally Displaced Persons, built bridges during times of ethnic strife and even saved numerous animals from slaughter. His green thumb rooted multiple crops in the Mahaweli and he also pioneered drip irrigation across the country.

As his story unfolds, what can be seen most clearly is that Gamini's unassuming and straightforward leadership style has transformed people, mindsets, cultures and leaders.

And that's what makes him a quiet maverick.