OUR ANALYSTS

With a 7-year tenure at Frontier Research, Nimesha provides overall strategic direction to the Macro-Economic Research and Sector Research divisions, leading a team of over 10 individuals. She is responsible for ensuring that the research insights effectively cater to the information needs of the business clientele and are delivered in a timely manner. She also oversees work on new product development, client management and team growth, with a strong emphasis on carrying forward the legacy and vision of vision of Frontier's late founder, Amal Sanderatne.

Nimesha also manages a family business in the manufacturing and retail space, which has allowed her to effectively use lessons learned to benefit both organizations in the past few years.

Nimesha was selected to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program organised by the U.S. Department of State, in November 2023.

Thilina Panduwawala is Senior Macroeconomist, leading macro-analysis and forecasting. He returned to Frontier in 2022 after an 18-month stint at the ADB as a consultant to its Sri Lanka Resident Mission, where he provided macro-monitoring and analysis for the ADB's operations in Sri Lanka. In his previous four years at Frontier, Thilina led work in embedding politics into economic analysis and making it an integral part of Frontier's approach.

Outside of Frontier, he co-authored Evolution of Chinese Lending to Sri Lanka Since the mid-2000s in 2022, a research paper published by the China-Africa Initiative at Johns Hopkins University and presented at the 2023 DebtCon-6 conference held at Princeton University. He is currently co-authoring four papers on Sri Lanka's sovereign default and domestic debt restructuring for the Finance for Development Lab (FDL) based in Paris, France. Thilina has also authored unpublished reports on SOEs, sub-national government and social security, and electoral demographics of Sri Lanka for international agencies.

Niroshi re-joined Frontier upon her return from the UK as a Chevening Scholar pursuing a MSc in Poverty, Inequality and Development at the University of Birmingham. She is responsible for Frontier’s economics knowledge arm engaging in economics communication useful for the general public. She also heads team member development and Human Resource Strategy at Frontier.

She has experience in strategy formulation and execution and has previously worked in multi-cultural teams in diverse countries as an Asia Pacific Graduate Trainee at Heineken Asia Pacific prior to re-joining Frontier.

Chayu is currently the Head of Macroeconomic Advisory at Frontier Research. He leads work in understanding varying macroeconomic risks and tying them into the Sri Lankan economic context, currently focusing on debt crises in Sri Lanka and other countries, monetary and financial sector risks, and energy sector developments. He takes a key role in in the development of Frontier's views on interest rates and the LKR, and presenting content to Frontier's clients. He has been featured on varied local and international media for his views on the economy.

Chayu also acts as an Executive Director for DaddysLanka (Pvt) Ltd, a family-run institute working in the field of special needs and mental health care.

Anjali currently functions as a Senior Research Lead at Frontier, working across Frontier’s economic research arms. She plays a leading role in Frontier’s banking and financial sector research and forecasting work, while also contributing to the macro-economic forecasting function by leading Frontier’s credit, consumer demand inflation outlook and forecasts.

Anjali also leads our flagship curated news product, Time Twister and coordinates the team working on it.

Arshad is a Senior Research Analyst at Frontier Research, working across multiple arms of the firm. After graduating from the University of Colombo, he has made a name for himself by tackling big economic questions and has recently focused on understanding how global events and other macroeconomic trends affect the local economy. At Frontier, he turns complex scenarios into clear, useful insights that help clients make better decisions.

Outside of Frontier, Arshad brings has brought his expertise to the media on Channel Eye's "Business Today," breaking down market trends for viewers. He is also passionate about teaching, guiding over 300 Advanced Level Economics students with his own venture, iTutorSL, ensuring they are prepared for the future.

Akna works across Sector and Economic Research teams. She is predominantly involved in LFC and Banking Sector work and also supports the macro-economic forecasting function at Frontier.

She is a graduate of the University of Colombo and received the award for the most outstanding research paper under the theme "Role of Economic Policies during the Crisis" at the 18th South Asian Economics Students' Meet (SAESM).

Navinda is a Business Economics graduate from the University of Colombo and currently works as a Research Analyst at Frontier. He focuses on macroeconomic analysis, particularly on market liquidity and specific work on capital markets. With a keen interest in sectors such as Tourism, F&B, Banking, and LFC, Navinda has contributed to publications in the Daily FT, notably exploring the influence of tourism on forecasting models alongside his Frontier colleagues.

Prior to joining Frontier, Navinda honed his skills as an accounts manager at a digital marketing agency and gained valuable experience as an intern at a prestigious private bank.

Tharangi is a Junior Research Analyst at Frontier, currently contributing to the Economic Research team as well as holding responsibility for remote team management. She is an Economics and Statistics Undergraduate at the University of Peradeniya, currently in her fourth year. She has completed her diploma at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI), in Diplomacy and World Affairs.

She has previously worked as a Client Relations Officer and as an Intern in a private commercial bank.