President Ranil Wickramasinghe presenting the National APEX award to Dr. Keerthi Gunasekara

Former President of the Sri Lanka Veterinary Association (SLVA), Dr. Keerthi Gunasekara was awarded the National Apex Award for invaluable service to agriculture and veterinary science for his 3 decades of contribution to the profession’s growth and service to the nation.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this rare lifetime achievement award,” said Dr. Gunasekara, who is also a former Senior Sri Lankan Councilor for the Commonwealth.

Ensuring self-sufficiency of Sri Lanka in dairy production constitutes a part of his strategic vision. “There is a considerable lapse in the dairy sector in Sri Lanka. Introducing new nutrition concepts to livestock will increase their productivity and improve the production of milk and eggs enhancing the supplement of protein, alleviating related nutritional deficiencies experienced by children in Sri Lanka,” he explained.

Dr. Keerthi Gunasekara is an accomplished veterinary surgeon and was the first veterinarian to receive an MBA from the University of Peradeniya. He even completed his further studies at Cornell University New York, USA.  He is a founder member of the College of Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya, a Fellow of the Sri Lanka College of Veterinary Surgeons, and currently serves as the Regional Country Director for Asia and Pacific regions for Quadragen VetHealth, a multinational research-based animal nutrition pharmaceutical company.

“I am happy to share that we have been successful in gaining the confidence and goodwill of several regional and global associations who extended their support and welcomed the SLVA as a member organization. The SLVA was also reinstated as a member of the Federation of Asian Veterinary Association,” he said.

His proactive leadership also has resulted in the realization of the first national veterinary exhibition and trade show, VETEXPO in 2019.

A few of the leadership roles he has served in includes, the Sri Lankan Councillor for Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA), World Veterinary Association (WVA) and Federation of Asian Veterinary Association (FAVA). He also served as President of the Sri Lanka Veterinary Association (SLVA) and was instrumental in implementing a number of initiatives and strengthening international ties of the SLVA.

The National Apex Awards Ceremony held every three years, recognizes and appreciates distinguished professionals who have significantly contributed to their chosen field, the nation and achieved a pinnacle in their professional career. This ceremony was held alongside  the 35^th Annual Conference of the Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA).

Dr. Keerthi Gunasekara