SANDIL MALLIARACHCHI – COVER STORY BY SAKUNI WISANPERUMA

In the highly competitive day and age, during an even more unpredictable and challenging time – extremely driven, 21 year old Sandil Mallikarachchi was able to achieve a masterstroke in a period of time that was set down to be a world record. Sandil was an exemplary student during his years at Ananda college, representing the school colors – maroon and gold in both state and national levels being an interactor, debater and athlete. Whilst juggling his academics, extracurriculars and professional aspects Sandil also finds time to read, listen to music and is a self proclaimed movie buff. Even though his formula for life is “live for today”, Sandil Mallikarachchi is guaranteed to be a name to be remembered beyond just “today”. 

We were told you have numerous great feats in your bag, could you please elaborate on those? And anything you’re especially proud of?

• At Ananda, I was able to secure college places in 2 national examinations and be honored with 2 best all round student of the grade awards. One thing I’m especially proud of was being able to complete the full CIMA qualification in 10 months as a self-learner while being employed full time. The Chartered Institute (UK) estimates that candidates usually take 23 years to complete the qualification. Subsequently, my achievement was recognised by CIMA as a record.

Could you elaborate on CIMA?

• CIMA is a well-rounded education in Finance that built my knowledge from scratch. The delivery and learning experience with CIMA was excellent, making it certainly the most effective form of education I’ve had. The recognition of the qualification in the corporate and finance sectors is truly outstanding. I’ve been offered opportunities in accounting, finance and management after the completion of the qualification, therefore it truly does open many new doors for you. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. 

Did you always know you’d get where you are right now? 

• My parents were a great source of motivation behind my success and always believed in my potential to an extent of me believing  “rather irrationally” that I was capable of achieving whatever I wanted to. This is the mindset that I carried with myself.

How did your alma mater help pave your path?

• Everything I will amount to in life, I will owe to my Alma Mater – Ananda College. Not merely for the academics, but for the resilience, growth and grip she inculcated in me which has helped greatly in the professionally and personal aspects of my life.

What’s something you walked away with from your school life that you wouldn’t be able to get from anywhere else?

• At Ananda, no one cleans up your mess for you. Therefore, a sense of self responsibility gets instilled from day one allowing us to learn, grow and adapt. I would call it tough love, but with time we learn how to bite the bullet, not complain and see a job through to completion.

How do you manage to balance your social life/extracurriculars whilst maintaining your studies?

• A concept I personally believe in is “quality over quantity” at least when it comes to studying. It’s not about the amount of hours you put in, rather how productive those hours were and how much you get out of it.

Any one you’d like to thank for helping you get where you are?

• I want to thank my parents who have been my pillar of strength throughout, they always facilitated my education in whatever means possible, my aunt and my genius friend Kavisha Chandraratne who I followed CIMA with. I also want to especially thank CIMA Sri Lanka, who went out of their way to provide the candidates with the best possible learning experience, for that I will always appreciate them.

What’s your end goal?

• I want to look back at life one day and say that I lived life deliberately, not that life passed me by. From a career perspective, I want to be a finance guy because it sounds cool and I also believe there’s a lot of individual competence involved with finance. I think I’ve already taken the steps towards the right direction as I’ve been headhunted by one of the top four accounting firms of the world and I have CIMA to thank for.

Any advice for anyone who thinks it’s difficult/unachievable to do what you’ve done?

• What I have achieved is entirely possible for anyone to do with the right mindset, proper commitment and adequate amounts of work. My trick was to break down a certain “big” task to smaller, more achievable tasks. 

Surely Sandil has a few role models, could you list out a few of them?

• Definitely my father, he’s the most straightforward, dedicated and loving person I know. Apart from him, I do draw inspiration from renowned personalities such as Winston Churchill, Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela to mention a few.

An advancement you think Sri Lanka as a country needs?

• I think the policy makers of this country need to understand that we are experiencing an economical debacle, not a cultural/social issue and they need to address this problem accordingly.

What are some of Sandil’s hidden talents?

• I’d like to think I’m a great singer contrary to popular belief by my friends. I also have a very detailed memory, with the ability to recollect any minute detail.

What song/artist do you find yourself unintentionally bopping to?

• I really enjoy jamming to Sinhala baila from the 1980’s. Nihal Nelson is one of my favorites and Ed Sheeran, internationally.

Finally, does coffee REALLY work when cramming for a last minute exam/assignment or is it a myth?

• Unpopular opinion but I’m more of a tea person and don’t particularly like coffee.