Nayana Mawilmada, a Sri Lankan urban development specialist, has become Head of Investments of the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project (WRMPP), which aims to develop the region around the capital Colombo as an urban agglomeration.
Mawilmada has relinquished his position as Director General of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to take on the new job, a statement said.
Aside from continuing to lead some of the planning efforts, Mawilmada will function as the primary interface between the Megapolis project and potential investors both local and international, it said.
“He will also spearhead efforts to finalize and launch the critical investments envisioned in the plan,” the statement said.
“Nayana has been part of the team since its inception and has been one of the primary thought leaders in formulating the Megapolis plan,” said Ajita de Costa, chairman of WRMPP.
De Costa said the WRMPP team is launching into the next phase of activity, and gearing up for investor engagement and implementation.
In addition to his new role in the Megapolis project, Mawilmada will serve as an Urban Development Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Develoment.
Mawilmada has extensive international experience in planning, facilitating and managing large-scale urban development, real estate and infrastructure projects across 15 countries.
His diverse experience ranges from advising the Parliament of East Timor to leading numerous urban sector investments for the Asian Development Bank throughout Asia.
Immediately prior to joining the UDA, Mawilmada was the Managing Director of York Street Partners (Pvt.) Ltd., a Sri Lanka-focused boutique investment banking and advisory firm based in Colombo, and TMS Company (Pvt.) Ltd., a development-focused consulting firm.
His academic training includes an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master of City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Hampton University in the US.
– ECONOMYNEXT
