Sagarika Wickramasekera is a trailblazer in Sri Lanka’s IT and Internet governance landscape, currently serving as Assistant Network Manager at the University of Colombo. Her career spans a remarkable trajectory of achievements, including her tenure as Deputy Director - Systems at the National Online Distance Education Service of the Ministry of Higher Education, where she played a pivotal role in advancing distance education in Sri Lanka. Her previous professional roles include Network Analyst at the Open University of Sri Lanka and visiting academic positions at esteemed institutions such as the Vocational Training University, Sri Lanka Law College, University of Kelaniya and the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka.
Sagarika has made significant contributions to the development of the Internet and IT in Sri Lanka through her active engagement with volunteer organizations. As a long-standing member of the Lanka Internet Networking Group (LKiNG) and an Advisory Board Member of the Internet Society Sri Lanka Chapter (ISOC LK), she has been instrumental in leading initiatives that promote digital literacy, accessibility, and IT adoption in the country. Notably, she served as President of ISOC LK from 2016 to 2017, during which she implemented groundbreaking projects such as ICT literacy training for disabled soldiers in the Sri Lanka Army and the "Beyond the Reach" project, which supports vision-impaired communities.
A champion of women's empowerment in technology, Sagarika is a founding member of the Lanka School of Internet Governance (LkSIG) and the Lanka Network Operators Group (LKNOG). She has played a key role in organizing Sri Lanka's first-ever Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and spearheading the region’s first Women’s IGF in 2017, with subsequent programs in 2020 and 2024. Her dedication to advancing diversity is further evidenced by her contributions as a board member of the Diversity Collective Lanka (DC LK), where she worked to increase women’s participation in Sri Lanka’s IT and BPO sectors.
In addition to her national contributions, Sagarika holds prominent regional roles, including Secretary of the Asia Pacific School of Internet Governance (APSIG) Executive Committee Member of the Asia Pacific Next Generation Group (APNG) and Board of Trustees of the internet Society. Her international work includes collaborative projects with countries such as Japan, Thailand, China, Singapore, Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal. She also participated as an observer at the World Telecommunication Standards Assembly in Tunisia and serves as a consultant for the "Be Safe" project, which developed a mobile app to support differently-abled women in Sri Lanka.
Sagarika is deeply committed to advancing digital rights and Internet governance for persons with disabilities, having conducted successful training sessions in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. She is also a certified trainer on respectful workplace behaviour and actively contributes to research on ethical Internet usage and combatting Internet addiction.
Academically, Sagarika earned her Commonwealth Executive MBA from the Open University of Sri Lanka in 2014 and holds professional certifications such as CCNA, BCS, and CWNA. Currently, she is actively engaged in policymaking to enhance women's participation in technical roles within the IT sector.
Beyond her professional commitments, Sagarika is passionate about community service and animal welfare, dedicating her free time to helping those in need.
Image credit: © Irene van Kessel