
Ms. Vindhya Jayasekera, a senior Sri Lankan financial executive, has been announced as the next CEO of the Colombo Stock Exchange, which trades in shares of nearly 300 companies. Jayasekera has been named as the chief executive officer designate effective January 1, 2025.
She has had a successful 20-year career in asset management in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s largest city, one of the busiest ports in South Asia and a hub for international commerce.
After completing her undergraduate studies in engineering, Ms. Jayasekera had a Fulbright to the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign to earn a master’s degree in finance at the university’s Gies College of Business.


“My Fulbright experience at the University of Illinois was transformative, marking a seamless transition from engineering to finance and laying the foundation for a career that has exceeded all expectations,” Jayasekera commented. “The global insights I gained and strong friendships I built continue to guide and inspire me to this day.”
According to the university, Vindhya was part of the winning team of the inaugural James Gentry Case Competition, which honors a professor who pioneered using case studies to teach corporate finance. She was also inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society that recognizes the most outstanding students of business at institutions accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and was also recognized for her academic excellence in her graduate program at University of Illinois.
Through Fulbright, she had the opportunity to work as a summer associate in investment banking in New York City. She reflected that this opportunity provided her with “unparalleled exposure to the dynamics of one of the world’s most prominent financial centers, equipping me with invaluable skills and insights” that have remained integral to her professional development.
These experiences also inspired Jayasekera to “give back” by mentoring future professionals across several academic and professional institutions. Jayasekera continued to support the next generation of financial leaders by serving as a lecturer and resource on financial markets at local universities and the educational arms of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, as well as volunteering at the CFA Institute and its local society.



According to a statement from the Colombo Stock Exchange announcing her appointment, Jayasekera “brings over two decades of extensive experience in capital markets” including playing an integral role in “the successful execution of the two largest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the history of the [exchange] at the time.”
Jayasekera began her career in finance at NDB Investment Bank and served most recently as the chief investment officer at NDB Wealth Management, where she oversaw a portfolio worth more than $1.2 billion in U.S. dollars (more than 380 billion Sri Lankan Rupees).
Fulbright Foreign Student Program
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program operates in more than 160 countries worldwide. Foreign Student Program applications are processed by the binational Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy in the students’ home country, and program eligibility and selection procedures vary widely by country. Applicants can find information about the Foreign Fulbright Program in their home country, including eligibility requirements and application guidelines.