Dr. Rohantha Athukorala Honoured as Rotarian of the Year 2025/26

Dr. Rohantha Athukorala has been honoured with the prestigious Rotarian of the Year 2025/26 award at the annual Rotary Awards Ceremony, widely regarded as the "Rotary Oscars," in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Rotary and community service across Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The award was presented by Delvin Pereira during a glittering ceremony held at ITC Ratnadipa. The event was attended by distinguished Rotary leaders, including Stephanie Urchick and K. R. Ravindran.

Dr. Athukorala received the honour for his exceptional leadership in project management, strategic communications, and brand building, which have played a pivotal role in strengthening Rotary's visibility, operational effectiveness, and community impact throughout the region.

This marks the third major Rotary accolade of his distinguished career. He was named Most Outstanding Rotarian of the Year in 2019 and received The Exceptional Rotarian award during the 2015 Rotary year. In 2021, Rotary International recognised him as one of only six People of Action honourees worldwide, making him the first Sri Lankan Rotarian to receive this prestigious global distinction.

Beyond his Rotary service, Dr. Athukorala has built an impressive international career spanning more than two decades, holding senior leadership positions with Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, and DiverseyLever. He has also served as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, while contributing to development initiatives with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

A distinguished alumnus of Harvard University, Dr. Athukorala currently serves as Vice Chairman of the World Rural Tourism Organisation, Chief Executive Officer of Clootrack Software Labs, and Director of the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT) and Lotus Hydro Power PLC.

Accepting the award, Dr. Athukorala expressed his gratitude for the recognition and reiterated his vision for Sri Lanka's future. He said the country should aspire to become a US$200 billion economy while maintaining a strong commitment to poverty eradication, inclusive growth, and sustainable national development.

The latest recognition further cements Dr. Athukorala's reputation as one of Sri Lanka's most accomplished corporate leaders and dedicated humanitarian figures, whose contributions continue to create a lasting impact both locally and internationally through business excellence and community service.