Rajitha Jayasuriya: Preserving authenticity while shaping the growth of a global business

From being MAS Holdings’ first Legal Analyst in 2003, Rajitha Jayasuriya has risen through the ranks of the multibillion-dollar global enterprise, to become the company’s Group Director of Corporate Affairs and one of Sri Lanka’s most-respected corporate leaders.

Asked as to what advise she would give to up-and-coming female professionals, her message is simple.

“Today’s society understands and accepts that women can bring tremendous value to organisations, while being passionate about both their careers and families. The onus is now on us as women, to stay in the workforce, thrive and achieve the change that we need.”

“Love what you do and throw yourself into it with passion and purpose. It’s essential to be authentic and true to who you are and your values.”

This belief, together with her passion for her work and diligent worth ethic, has guided Rajitha throughout her career, during which she has helped shape the trajectory of MAS. Over the years, Rajitha has been instrumental in assessing and supporting the many joint ventures and acquisitions that the company has been part of.

After obtaining her Master’s Degree in Banking Finance and Commercial Law from Monash University and a stint at a leading local conglomerate at the time, Rajitha came across an opportunity at MAS. The company was then involved in numerous cross-border transactions and was expanding its corporate team to bring in a legal lens to support the company in its growing M&A work.

Given the need to work across multiple jurisdictions with varying regulations and the need to counsel a highly growth-oriented company on potential risks associated with expansion opportunities, the role proved challenging.

“As a lawyer, it is tough to often be the only person in the room with a different perspective, who needs to be very mindful of the risks that your organisation could be exposed to. The message that you have to deliver is rarely ever going to be popular. But where necessary, you need to stand your ground. In my case, I was brought up to stand up for what I believe is right and to stand up for myself.”

Recognising her strong capability, performance and commitment, the company and the senior management came to value and depend on Rajitha’s contribution. Over time, by putting in significant effort to deepen her understanding of the business, Rajitha too mastered the art of communicating in a manner that’s empathetic to the needs of the business, avoiding the use of ‘legalese’.

In doing so, she re-defined the value of the company’s legal and corporate governance functions. Today, MAS has a fully-fledged legal team functioning under Rajitha’s leadership, specialising in subjects ranging from corporate law to intellectual property (IP) law. In addition, MAS Holdings’ compliance and communications functions also fall within her purview.

Recognising her stature within and beyond the industry, Echelon Magazine featured Rajitha in its ‘New Establishment 100’ list, which profiles the 100 most innovative and influential leaders in Sri Lanka.

Today, Rajitha continues to balance her responsibilities in her role both as a global business leader and as a mother to her young daughter.

“My commitment and passion for my job remain unchanged. However, my daughter has reshaped my work-life balance.”

“I can’t say that I know what the perfect balance is, since it’s an evolving process. What’s important is that you feel fulfilled and happy with where you are, in terms of both your work and personal life.”

Rajitha gives credit to her organisation, particularly to the senior leadership of MAS, for giving her the space, support and freedom necessary to balance her personal and professional life. She sees such empathetic support as critical in empowering female professionals.

“The barriers including the biases against women taking up managerial and leadership roles are dissipating. Many glass ceilings have been shattered.”

“Women have always juggled multiple roles and can definitely be successful in their careers while also having fulfilling personal lives with their families. The critical need is for organisations to create the necessary supporting structures for both men and women to be able to handle these different roles.”

She points out that MAS, where more than 70% of employees are female, offers a good example of how such a thriving support structure can make a significant difference. The company continues to make progress in increasing its share of women in management and representation of women at leadership and Board level. As part of this effort, MAS conducted 15 mentorship and sponsorship programmes in 2020, which benefited 150 female associates. Unconscious bias training was also provided to 86% of the management and to more than 2,700 associates during the year.

MAS has also implemented a series of concerted measures under its ‘Women Go Beyond’ (WGB) initiative introduced in 2003 to ensure gender equality and to empower the female associates employed at all levels within the organisation, including at the manufacturing facilities.

Beyond organisational-level responses, Rajitha also emphasises the importance of women supporting each other.

“As women we can do a lot to empower each other. Mentoring and support can make a vast difference.”