Bio-Data as submitted & certified by the candidate
Linkedin profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kamal-laksiri-1b8a6820/
Eng. Dr.Kamal Laksiri, graduated with a B.Sc. (Eng) Honours Degree from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. He followed a Master’s Degree (MSc.) at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway specializing in Hydropower Development. Later he obtained his PhD attached to Saga, University, Japan.
At the end of his graduate studies, he started his career as an Engineer attached to a private sector consultancy firm engaging in major infrastructure development projects in Sri Lanka and abroad for a period of three (03) years.
Subsequently, he joined the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) in 1991. Since then he has continued in CEB, specializing in Hydropower and Dam Engineering for more than three decades. During this period, he was engaged in the major Hydropower Projects such as Samanalawewa, Kukule Ganga, and Broadlands implemented in the country, in various capacities, and currently holds the post of Project Director of the Moragolla Hydropower Project. This national power project is scheduled to be commissioned early next year.
With regard to his involvement with professional bodies, he has served as the Vice President, President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) He has also served as the Chairman of the Water Forum, of the IESL which he spearheaded in establishing by restructuring the then Water Resources Development Committee. The IESL History & Heritage Forum is also his brainchild.
He is a past Chairman of the Sri Lanka Association of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), United Kingdom, and he is the current Country Representative, Sri Lanka of ICE. He is a Past President of the Association of Consulting Engineers Sri Lanka, (ACESL), the National Chapter of FIDIC in Sri Lanka. During his tenure, he was instrumental in securing the opportunity to hold the FIDIC Asia-Pacific Conference in Colombo and in the successful implementation of the event in 2018. He is a FIDIC-trained Adjudicator.
During his tenure in ACESL, he pioneered in establishing the Young Professionals Forum (YPF) and there he could open the path for many young engineers to develop their skills in the consulting engineering sector.
He has also served as a Board Member of the FIDIC Asia Pacific Group (ASPAC) representing Sri Lanka.
This year he got re-elected as a Governor, Region 10 of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for the coming three years, from 2024 to 2027. ASCE is one of the oldest and prestigious engineering institutions in the world, where he is a Fellow Member.
He is also the Vice President of the Sri Lanka National Committee on Large Dams (SLNCOLD) of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) and has attended number of international events representing the Country.
He is a member of the International Steering Committee of the HYDRO conference organized by the Hydropower and Dam Journal published in the United Kingdom and a Trustee of the AMI Foundation of the United Kingdom.
Election Statement as submitted & certified by the candidate
It is my strong belief that, IESL, as the apex engineering institution of the country, needs to be the umbrella body for all the engineering practitioners in the country.
Currently, the whole Engineering sector, including the Engineering education system faces new challenges, and the IESL has to act wisely in interacting with these challenges and taking the most appropriate stance.
However, due to the complexity of the issues faced today, it is not an easy task and we as IESL need to pay special attention to this aspect.
Then equally the need for the Engineers’ involvement in the national level is felt more than ever. Today I observe that our role as Engineers in all these fronts is in a passive state and our contributions and our presence are not felt by the society adequately. Thus, IESL needs to revisit its stance and need to take the lead role in many fronts.
With my professional involvement with other international bodies and my career as a senior Engineer, I made several initiatives as the President of the Institution to address the above issues. If I get elected as the Past President I intend to continue with those initiatives for the betterment of the Profession and the Institution.
