Regardless of how times have changed and the world has evolved, the corporate domain still remains dangerous ground for a woman. More so for Sri Lankan women who also battle a traditionalistic and often dogmatic society. A few though have emerged victorious reaching the pinnacle of their chosen careers. Eranthi Premaratne is one such outstanding woman.
A lawyer by profession, Eranthi also holds a BSc in Bioscience from the University of Colombo. “I left school in 1995 and entered university but with the situation in the country at that time there was quite a backlog at state universities so my father encouraged me to enter Law College while I waited for university acceptance. I didn’t want to be a practicing lawyer but my father said that’s fine and to do it only as a qualification. On the basis that I would never practice, I entered Law College as well and passed out.”
Despite not wanting to practice law, fate had other plans for this multi-talented young woman. “I am what I like to call a drifter. When I finished both university and my attorneys, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I knew for a fact what I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to be a doctor or a practicing lawyer. During this time, I joined an NGO that was involved with community work but that didn’t interest me either. Simultaneously I started a Post-Grad program at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies on International Relations. Some of our lecturers were from the Centre for Policy Alternatives like Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu and Rohan Edirisinghe. I found their work very interesting and asked them if I could join the CPA.”
While working at the CPA, Eranthi found herself involved in areas like constitutional reforms and policy making which grabbed her interest. “I got in to what I am doing now completely by chance. While at the CPA I worked on some labour related projects and found myself getting more and more involved. There was a particular issue where some NGOs had complained to the Fair Labour Association about factories in Sri Lanka. That’s how I started off in the labour law area.”
Recognizing Eranthi’s knowledge and passion for the labour industry in one of Sri Lanka’s largest industries, global clothing giant Nike asked her to join their ranks as a Corporate Responsibility specialist in Sri Lanka. While at Nike, Eranthi was required to conduct audits at the MAS factories. During one of these visits and an ensuing conversation with the management at MAS, Eranthi moved from a global brand to Sri Lanka’s premier name in the garment industry, and has not looked back since.
She now has over 15 years’ work experience specializing in labour law in apparel manufacturing and currently works as General Manager of Sustainable Business at MAS KREEDA the division at MAS Holdings that serves Nike.
“I never thought I would stay in one organization for such a long time since my previous jobs were all short stints. But MAS had just formed the ACTIVE division and it was a very challenging opportunity for me. For me working is about being happy and I kept moving from place to place because I wasn’t but at MAS it was different. I have been happy for a large part of my time here mainly because I get to work in an area that I am passionate about.”
Recognizing her passion and years of work in sustainable business, Eranthi was recently conferred with the “Women Super Achiever Award” at the World Women Leadership Congress 2017 held in India. The Award is conferred to Outstanding Women Professionals who have the vision, flair, acumen and professionalism to demonstrate their excellent leadership and management skills in an organization / institutions or towards society at large, thus making changes and achieving results. The broad parameters used for selecting the award recipients are Leadership, Ethics, Business Acumen, Social Impact, Charisma, Visionary Approach and a Change-Agent. The entire program is chaired and directed by Dr. R. L. Bhatia, Founder and Editor-in-Chief – World CSR Day | World Sustainability. The jury consists of senior leaders, researchers and academics including some prominent names. About 100 women leaders from Asia, Pacific and the Middle East were recognized for their contributions.
“What I love best about this award is that one does not need to nominate yourself for it. Instead you are recognized for your contribution to make this world a better place. As a working mother and having a young family to take care of, it is a battle even for me to juggle career and home. Support from family is therefore essential and I am truly blessed with a wonderful husband and supportive parents. I must also mention the support from the leadership at MAS who constantly strive to be an empathetic employer.”
At MAS Kreeda Eranthi is today responsible for ensuring that social and environmental sustainability are integrated into the core business values. She has been involved heavily with the MAS Women Go Beyond Progamme (WGB), which is a signature women’s empowerment programme. A strong advocate of working women and Eranthi has been instrumental in promoting advancement of women in their careers through mentoring and giving leadership. But more so by living the life she advocates for.
By Nishu Hassim
Photo Credit: Soul Captures (Suren Nimalan)