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'Media touches people's lives'

From housewife to newspaper business :

The media is an easy way to touch the lives of people, especially when it contains news closer to your heart. Shirley Jayawardena launched a newspaper fulfilling the need for a voice of the people in Kandy. From the role of a mere housewife she is today involved in many fields displaying her skills and talents.

She was interviewed by Daily News Business.

Q. What is the type of your business and how do you set about it?

A. I am into several areas. My first venture was to produce the Kandy town newspaper named The Kandy News. We publish this under the company Media Vision (Pvt). Ltd. where I am the Managing Director and one of the main partners. I am also the managing editor of the newspaper.


Shirley Jayawardena

I am also involved as a Director in our family business Agritec Enterprises which does agriculture-related businesses. It is managed by my youngest son Malinka.

Recently I accepted the position of Operations Director of the Kandy-based think-tank Global Vision - Centre for Knowledge Advancement. It has a group of top notch scholars, academics, policy makers and professionals who have come together to provide consultancy services in Sri Lanka and abroad.

Q. How do you balance your family life and business?

A. My husband Ananda Jayawardane is the Executive Director at Link Natural Products.

I was a housewife for 25 years. My children had all my attention when they were young.

When I became a busy businesswoman they were all grown up and in universities reading for their degrees. I believe family life and the career are equally important and they have to be balanced if one is to be successful as a mother, wife and businesswoman. This is a huge challenge for women and must be handled with intelligence and tact.

Personally I have developed a good network of people from all walks of life that has helped me with my professional life.

I also make the maximum use of Information Communication Technology. Fifteen years ago I did not know how to use a computer. Today hardly a day passes without my using email and Skype. I use them to keep in touch with my business activities, save time, make myself accessible to others and generally do multiple tasks.

Q. What are the challenges that you face?

A. The biggest challenge has been sustaining The Kandy News that we started in 1994. This is not easy. The world over some newspapers are closing down and others are right-sizing.

In the case of The Kandy News convincing local business institutions to advertise in a local newspaper took time. Initially they came with advertisements because of the personal relationship.

When the newspaper became popular and began to be read by most of the Kandy community, especially the upper income middle class, advertisements began to come in unsolicited. Yet, it is a tough proposition financially. Making the newspaper popular was a challenge in itself. Our strategy was the secret behind our success.

We started as an English newspaper but in 1996 we made it bilingual, English and Sinhala.

Q. What is your advice to women in business?

A. To be self-confident, think creatively and look for new opportunities in a fast-paced and fast changing world while keeping our Sri Lankan female identity.

Q. Being a woman was it an advantage to be in business?


Shirley Jayawardena with her extended family

A. The answer is "Yes." I got an opportunity to work on an equal footing with men.

But Sri Lankan men that I work with - and I am referring only to the upper-middle class - almost always give a helping hand to me. I believe that it is their ingrained chivalry.

Q. What are your achievements in business and family?

A. In family I am proud of the contribution that I made to my husband's career by being a homemaker.

He rose to the top in the private sector in two organisations - first in CTC and now in CIC - Sri Lanka's largest and most successful companies. I am also proud that I raised my children to become good citizens with a sound education and with promising careers ahead of them.

In business, after 25 years as a homemaker, I started a new career as a businesswoman and a newspaper producer.

In the past fifteen years I have taken leadership roles in the Central Province Chamber of Commerce as a member of the Board of Directors, President of the Central Province Women's Chamber of Commerce and represent the two chambers in several public bodies in Kandy. The "Public-Private Dialogue" that brings the Kandy Municipal Council and the Kandy business community is an example of such a body.

I also play an active role in Lions International, District 306C1, Sri Lanka. Most recently I have been, among other things, the Region Chairman of the Kandy area clubs.

I was invited by the United States Government in 1999 as an international visitor in recognition of the leadership that I gave to a regional/town newspaper.

Q. What are your goals?

A. To further strengthen The Kandy News as a high quality town newspaper for Kandy. I also wants to Make the Women's Chamber an effective and powerful voice of businesswomen of the Central Province.

Q. What is your contribution to society?

A. I am happy that as the President of the Women's Chamber I help businesswomen in the Central Province.

The contributions I make through social service work as a member of the Lions Club of Senkadagala and a Cabinet Officer of the Lions International District 306C1 is also of some significance. I also rendered service as a member of the Board of Directors of the India-Sri Lanka Cultural Association of Kandy and as a member of the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital Committee.

I have set an example by playing multiple roles and it will be my pleasure to see my community benefiting from my efforts.

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