Anuruddha
Bandara
Founder / CEO – Eco Team Pvt Ltd
Joint Founder / CEO – Wild Drift Pvt Ltd
Management Trainer
Eco / Adventure Tourism Consultant
Advisor to the Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry on Adventure Tourism.
Anuruddha Bandara is a well recognized authority in the Eco
/ Adventure Tourism and Adventure Based Management Training
in Sri Lanka and the Asian region.
Being born in Balangoda [160km away from capital city Colombo]
in 1969, and educated at the country’s premier school
Royal College gave him an opportunity to have and experience
leadership / community development projects / out-doors skills,
bottom up.
His affinity towards Nature and Rural Community Development
resulting in him actively participating in this sphere of
work including mega projects like “Raja Sisu Gama”
- village development projects while still at school.
Being a senior prefect of the College and the Head Prefect
of the Hostel, he had to work closely with pupils from all
over the country, from all communities, religions and from
various social levels. All these factors have come in useful
in his present role as head of an Eco Adventure Tourism service
provider and a Trainer.
He started work as a trainee executive in a leading insurance
company and rose to be a Sales Manager in a very short time
and has 16 years of Senior Managerial / Training / Entrepreneurial
experience. The desire towards Nature, Adventure, Eco Tourism
and Training inculcated in him from his formative years pushed
him to resign from a lucrative post in year 2000 and devote
himself full time to these activities.
Presently he spearheads
- Eco Team Pvt. Ltd – Largest
company in Sri Lanka specializing in Nature / Adventure
Related Tourism Activities, which operates at 24 locations
offering 26 diverse nature and adventure related experiences.
Eco Team has pioneered in many alternative living concepts
and activities in Sri Lanka and was the first company to
be reorganized in this sector by Sri Lanka Tourism authority.
They provide services to 60+ national & international
tour companies. Further details can be found at www.srilankaecotourism.com
- Wild Drift Pvt Ltd which created
a revolution in adventure based training with a completely
new model to conduct management training in the wilderness,
celebrated its 5th successful year in operation in July
2006. The company specializes in teamwork and leadership
training for the corporate sector in Sri Lanka and globally.
Spiced with adventure and nature, its training programs
are based on experiential learning to enable today's fast-paced
corporate world to meet recurring challenges. Its 100+ list
of prestigious clients include Microsoft / National carrier
Sri Lankan Airlines, Astrazeneca - Saudi Arabia, Deutsche
Bank AG, Shell, Glaxo, Maersk - Pakistan, DHL, MAS Group,
John Keells Group, Hayleys Group, Richard Peiris Group,
Hirdaramani Group, Save The Children, MMA Company of France,
and Care International. www.wilddrift.com
Memberships in Professional Associations
A member of the Hotel & Catering International Management
Association [HCIMA]
In addition he contributes actively towards his chosen field
by holding office in the following:
- A member of the National Olympic Committee.
- The Secretary General of Adventure Operators Association
of Sri Lanka.
- The Secretary General of National Association of Canoeing
and Kayaking in Sri Lanka.
- Member of the Adventure Sub Committee – Sri Lanka
inbound tour operators association.
- Committee member – Field Ornithology Group of Sri
Lanka. 2003 & 2004
National & International contributions in Nature &
Adventure Tourism and Management Training.
Holds more than 240 days of management training experience.
Member of the 3-year National Tourism Strategic planning
initiative for Sri Lanka Tourism – October 2006
Invitee for the 3 Day planning session on a national Destination
Management System [DMC] and information and communication
Technologies [ICT] framework for Tourism, organized by UNCTAD
with the support of GTZ – October 2006
Participant in the National Symposium on Eco Tourism &
Sri Lanka: Challenges and opportunities organized by the Department
of Wild Life conservation – Sri Lanka - July 2006
Member of the Tourism Development core-group in Sri Lanka
initiated by the Chartered Institute of Marketing / Sri Lanka
Institute of Marketing – 2006 / 2007
Faculty member of the steering committee if UNDP funded Uva
Province Tourism Development Master Plan.
Selected consultant to USAID in developing national trekking
trails. [Currently under implementation]
Represented Sri Lanka in Commonwealth forum in Youth development
– Rajasthan India 2005 and presented paper on Adventure
Tourism in Sri Lanka and its trends.
Invitee at the Daily Telegraph adventure show – Olympia
London in 2004 to represent Sri Lanka’s Adventure perspective.
Represented Sri Lanka as an Observer in the Asian Canoe Confederation
Congress – October 2003 – Bhopal India,
Facilitated the training intervention which was adjusted
ad the World’s Best Individual Development Programmme
in 2001.This was conducted by Junior Chamber International.
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