OUR TEAM

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.

Before joining Frontier, she held the position of Assistant Manager - Financial analyst, reporting to the CEO of MAS Active- Linear Intimo.

Thanuri, with over 10 years of experience within the company and a deep understanding of Frontier's operations cultivated alongside Amal, holds the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Frontier. In her capacity as COO, she leads the charge in business development, operations, and technology functions.

Thanuri is responsible for overlooking and managing client relationships with our existing clients and prospective ones. Her role includes identifying suitable client groups for our evolving products and services, while spearheading efforts to drive client adoption. Additionally, she is responsible for the financial planning and budgeting processes at Frontier. Furthermore, she provides oversight to our tech operations.

Thanuri's role extends to her integral position within the leadership team which is part of the strategic decision-making for Frontier.

Thilina Panduwawala is Head of Economic Research, 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 two papers on Sri Lanka's sovereign default 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 Risk 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.

Nashalie currently functions as a Product Lead and works within the Economic Research team at Frontier. She plays a key support role in Economic research for Frontier’s reports and in presenting content to Frontier’s client base. She also contributes to the macro-economic modelling and forecasting function at Frontier.

Nashalie has been featured on Channel Eye’s ‘Business Today’ where she discussed Sri Lanka’s economic crisis and necessary reforms, and also moderated PWC Academy’s ‘Quarter 02, Economic Outlook 2022 Series’. Prior to joining Frontier, she contributed to economic research at the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Anjali currently functions as a Product Lead at Frontier, working across Frontier’s Sector and Economic Research teams. 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 aiding Frontier’s inflation outlook and forecasts.

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

Aparni’s role at Frontier primarily focuses on business development, client coordination, recruitment, and various operational tasks. Additionally, she also takes charge of creative designs and the upkeep of our social media channels.

Before joining Frontier, she started her career at Trailfinders – Walkers Tours, where she developed her interest in digital creatives and social media management. She continues to use her skills outside of Frontier as well, to create awareness on women and other minority rights with related advocates and organizations. She was also a writer and a subeditor for Oceanlust magazine, focusing on ocean sustainability and blue economy.

She is a graduate of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University holding a BSc in Built Environment (Architecture), and is currently pursuing her MSc in Sustainable Tourism at University of Peradeniya.

Arshad holds a degree in Business Economics from the University of Colombo and currently works as an Associate in the Economic Research team at Frontier. Arshad plays a crucial support role in Frontier’s economic research projects, contributing to reports and client presentations. His recent areas of focus include fiscal developments and climate impacts on the economy.

Arshad has also featured as a guest on Channel Eye’s “Business Today” multiple times, where he provides comprehensive market updates and insights into recent developments and future expectations in Sri Lanka. In addition to his work at Frontier, Arshad is a dedicated Advanced Level Economics lecturer, currently guiding over 250 students in their studies.

Akna is a Research Associate at Frontier, working 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 an undergraduate in the Business Economics department at the University of Colombo, concurrently pursuing CIMA. He has a background as an accounts manager at a marketing agency and intern at a private commercial bank.

His current focus involves sector-related work, particularly banks & tourism, along with regular news curation on various products.

Tharangi is an Intern at Frontier, currently contributing to the Economic Research team. 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.