Keshini Ann Suraweera is a Sri Lankan entrepreneur and accountant. She has been in the fore in finance and management consultancy aspects and also acts as a role model to many aspiring women in Sri Lanka due to her entrepreneurial prowess.[1]

Keshini Ann Suraweera
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationSt. Bridget's Convent, Colombo
Occupationentrepreneur

Career

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She became a chartered management account professional after completing her primary and secondary education at the St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo. She then joined Sierra Constructions where she worked as an alternative director as well as an internal consultant.[2]

She implemented a paradigm shift approach with the advent of introducing Ceylon Artisan Network Market (CAN Market) which is regarded as a post COVID-birthed moment in Sri Lanka as her groundbreaking initiative paved way for many budding entrepreneurs in across the country to come up with creative ideas by encouraging them in selling all sorts of innovative food items, fragrances, crafts.[3] She launched the CAN weekend market in August 2020 as a response to then Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's open request to all the local businesses in Sri Lanka in a move towards rebooting the economy in wake of the economic crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The CAN weekend market was created as a solution with the intention of creating B2B and B2C opportunities for small business owners to showcase their creative products.[5] She came up with an interesting idea of bringing together a group of aspiring women by way of creating a market as an amalgamation of micro-entrepreneurs in the country. Keshini Ann Suraweera revealed that she came up with the CAN market idea during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in Sri Lanka especially when there was an islandwide lockdown in place.[6][7] She joined hands by collaborating with Colombo City Centre and Foundation of Goodness founder Kushil Gunasekara in making her intention of helping small-scale vendors through CAN Market initiative.[8][9] Former Sri Lankan veteran cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan and entrepreneur Dilith Jayaweera attended the inaugural CAN market which was inaugurated at Colombo City Centre on 28 August 2020.[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ "CAN Market is back in business!". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  2. ^ Weerasooriya, Sahan (2020-12-27). "The wind beneath the wings –Keshini inspires to soar through CAN". Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  3. ^ "CAN Weekend Market at One Galle Face Mall celebrates 2nd Anniversary | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  4. ^ "Creative Isle's CAN market success stories | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  5. ^ "CAN Market turns 3 | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  6. ^ "Setting a creative spark alight with CAN Market". Times Online - Daily Online Edition of The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  7. ^ "SLT-Mobitel partners 'The Creative Isle' to launch virtual marketplace for entrepreneurs". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  8. ^ "CAN Market: Celebrating a creative community 2 years on". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  9. ^ Weerasooriya, Sahan (2021-11-08). "SLT-MOBITEL steps up to create marketplace for micro and small-scale entrepreneurs". Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  10. ^ "NEDA looks to take CAN Market across Sri Lanka". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  11. ^ "The Creative Isle launches CAN Weekend Market in collaboration with Colombo City Centre". Sunday Observer. 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2024-11-03.