"Character isn’t built in an instant. It’s the sum of tiny, truthful efforts repeated until they feel like breathing."
Introduction
The biography of Dr. Chanaka Fernando follows the journey of a man who grew through discipline, learning, and the ability to adapt. He was born on 9 September 1973 into a Christian family and was raised with values rooted in education, responsibility, and character. His parents, S. C. M. Fernando and M. C. B. Fernando, gave him his early foundation. His mother’s long service as a preschool teacher added a strong educational influence to his upbringing.
He attended St. Thomas’s Prep School in Colombo and St. Thomas’ College in Mount Lavinia. After that, he earned his B TEC Degree in Electrical Engineering, which gave him the technical base for his career. He started out as a Technical Officer in Sri Lanka and slowly moved into quality assurance. That was where his engineering knowledge and interest in systems began to grow into a larger professional direction.
His journey expanded when he worked with a joint venture company in Busan, South Korea. There he gained exposure to Total Quality Management, product development, and international standards. Despite language and cultural barriers, he learned, adapted, and contributed to technical improvements, including solving high voltage issues in new products.
Later, after moving to Saudi Arabia on 12 January 2004, he progressed from Quality Assurance Manager to Head of Quality. In that role, he oversaw quality assurance, quality control, and customer service. His responsibilities included audits, certification requirements, and client related quality systems involving organizations such as Aramco and KFC. After his early career growth in Saudi Arabia, he began his journey at Abunayyan Holding as a Quality Assurance Manager, progressing to Head of Quality, where he managed Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Customer Service until January 2018.
In February 2018, he transitioned to Tanmiah Food Company as Senior Internal Audit Manager, overseeing three sister companies: Agriculture Development Company (ADC), Desert Hills for Veterinary Services Company LTD (DHV), and MHP. This role expanded his professional oversight, requiring strategic management, auditing excellence, and alignment of systems across diverse operations.
His professional growth was strengthened through certifications including BRCGS, ISO 9001, 14000, 22000 & 45000, CFSP, FSSC 22000, PAACO Animal Welfare, and lead auditor qualifications connected with international standards.
Alongside this journey stood the support of his wife, Shayama Fernando also known as Sunetra Fernando, their three children, Chanuli Fernando, Shavidi Fernando & Chirath Fernando; his mentors; teachers; and family members who helped shape his path.
This biography tells the story of a man whose success was not built in a single moment. It came through steady effort, continuous learning, and the courage to grow across every phase of life.
“My father taught me discipline without ever raising his voice. My mother spent forty-five years teaching little children, and she taught me that patience matters more than talent. My uncle believed in me when I had nothing to show yet. I didn’t know it at the time, but those years at home and in school were quietly preparing me for everything that came after.”
Phase 1: What my family gave me
The life of Dr. Chanaka Fernando began on 9 September 1973, in a Christian family where education, discipline, and responsibility were not treated as formal lessons but as part of everyday living. His early years in Sri Lanka shaped the foundation of the person he would become. Long before professional titles, international experience, certifications, or leadership roles entered his life, there was a home that gave him direction and a family that taught him the meaning of character.
His father, S.C.M. Fernando, held an important place in his early life. The values he received from his father helped shape his sense of responsibility and seriousness toward life. His father passed away on 27 February 2019, leaving behind memories that continued to remain close to him. The influence of a parent is often not measured only by spoken words but also by the quiet example set over the years. In his journey, that foundation remained deeply meaningful.
His mother, M.C.B. Fernando, also known as Carmen Fernando, carried a strong identity of her own. She served as a preschool teacher for forty-five years, and through that long service, she became well known in their area in Colombo. Her life was closely connected with education, patience, and nurturing young minds. Growing up in the presence of someone who gave so many years to teaching naturally placed education at the center of his upbringing. Her profession was not just a part of her life but also part of the environment in which he grew.
The family also included his sister, who went on to build her career with Sri Lankan Airlines in the field of Human Resources. Her professional path reflected another dimension of the family’s connection with responsibility and work. Within such a family setting, he was surrounded by examples of commitment in different forms. One parent gave him discipline and direction. Another gave him the atmosphere of education. And his sister represented professional dedication in her own field.
His schooling began at St. Thomas’s Prep School in Kollupitiya, Colombo 3, one of the private schools that became part of his early educational journey. He later studied at St. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, another important institution in his formative years. These schools gave him more than classroom instruction. They placed him in an environment where structure, learning, and discipline became part of his everyday development.
At this stage of his life, he was still far from knowing the full shape of the path ahead. Yet the foundation was already being laid. The values of his home, the influence of his mother’s educational life, the discipline of school, and the culture of responsibility around him all began shaping his outlook. He was being prepared, quietly and gradually, for a life that would later demand technical skill, patience, international exposure, and leadership.
“Electrical engineering wasn’t just a degree to me. It was a way of thinking. It taught me to look at problems carefully, to understand how things work before trying to fix them. When I started as a Technical Officer, I realized that theory and practice are two different worlds. The real learning happened on the shop floor, with my hands and my eyes and my willingness to make mistakes and correct them.”
Phase 2 : Learning to see the details
After his early education, Dr. Chanaka Fernando began moving toward a path that would give shape to his professional identity. His choice of Electrical Engineering became the first major step in building a career grounded in technical understanding, practical discipline, and problem-solving. It was a field that required attention, accuracy, and the ability to understand systems carefully. These qualities would later become central to the way he worked in quality, auditing, and leadership.
He completed his B TEC Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1992 from the Basic Technical Education Centre. This qualification gave him a solid technical base and prepared him to enter the professional world with confidence. At that stage, his career had not yet moved into quality assurance or international standards, but the foundation was already forming. Electrical Engineering trained him to look at details, understand technical processes, and approach problems with a practical mind.
His first professional step came when he joined a company in the electronics sector as a Technical Officer. This role allowed him to apply what he had learned and understand how technical knowledge works inside a real industrial environment. It was not only about theory anymore. It was about machines, products, systems, processes, and daily responsibilities that demanded focus and discipline. This early experience helped him understand how a company functions beyond the classroom.
As he continued in the electronics sector, his responsibilities slowly began to expand. His work was no longer limited to technical duties alone. He started moving closer to quality-related activities, where precision, standards, and process control became increasingly important. This gradual transition marked an important turning point in his professional life. His engineering background gave him the ability to understand products technically, while his growing exposure to quality systems helped him see the larger importance of consistency and reliability.
This phase was important because it connected two worlds in his career. On one side, there was his technical education in Electrical Engineering. On the other side, there was the beginning of his journey into quality assurance. He did not leave one behind to enter the other. Instead, his technical base became the strength that supported his movement into quality. It helped him understand products more deeply and gave him the confidence to handle responsibilities that required both technical judgment and process awareness.
The early part of his career also showed his willingness to learn beyond the role given to him. He began as a Technical Officer, but he did not remain fixed within that title. Over time, his exposure to quality systems shaped a wider professional direction. This movement reflected his ability to grow with responsibility and adjust to the needs of the organization. It also showed that his career would not be built only on qualifications but on continuous learning through experience.
“There are moments in life when someone trusts you more than you deserve. For me, that person was Tisil Cooray. He gave me opportunities that stretched me beyond what I thought I could handle. That trust led me to South Korea, and South Korea opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking about quality. I am grateful for that chapter every single day.”
Phase 3 : The chance that changed everything
The early professional journey of Dr. Chanaka Fernando in Sri Lanka began to take a stronger shape when his responsibilities moved beyond routine technical work. In the electronics sector, he gradually entered an environment where products, systems, standards, and workplace expectations were closely connected. This was the phase where his career started widening, not only because of the work he performed but also because of the trust placed in him.
At this stage, he was no longer learning only through formal education. He was learning through daily responsibilities, workplace challenges, and the practical demands of an industry where accuracy mattered. The company gave him exposure to both technical activities and quality-related expectations. This helped him understand how a product must be developed, improved, checked, and aligned with required standards before it can truly serve its purpose.
A significant part of this phase was the opportunity connected with the company’s joint venture in Busan, South Korea. This connection became a turning point because it opened the door to a larger professional environment. It was not just a change of place but a change in exposure.
Through this opportunity, he came closer to new systems, new methods, and a more disciplined approach toward quality and product development.
The role of Tisil Cooray, the owner of the previous company in Sri Lanka, remained important during this stage. The trust and opportunities given to him helped him grow with confidence. For a young professional, such support can make a lasting difference. It allows a person to step beyond familiar duties and prepare for responsibilities that require maturity, observation, and courage.
This period also showed his ability to accept growth without hesitation. He did not treat new responsibilities as a burden. Instead, he allowed them to become a way of learning. Each task added to his understanding, and each challenge quietly prepared him for the international exposure that would soon follow. The company became more than a workplace. It became the space where his professional direction began to expand.
What makes this phase important is that it created the bridge between his first career steps and the larger world he was about to enter. The experiences of this period prepared him for South Korea, for advanced quality practices, and for the responsibilities that would later define his career. It was here that his journey began moving from local industry experience toward international professional growth.
Note of Thanks
With sincere gratitude, Dr. Chanaka Fernando acknowledges the people whose presence, support, and guidance shaped his journey. He first expresses heartfelt thanks to his parents, SCM Fernando and MCB Fernando, also known as Carmen Fernando, for giving him the values, discipline, and foundation that stayed with him throughout life. Their influence became one of the strongest roots of his character and professional commitment.
He also offers deep respect to his late uncle, Ariya Chandra Cooray, who served as an Educational Director in Sri Lanka. His encouragement played an important role in helping him move forward during meaningful stages of his life.
He extends loving appreciation to his three children, two daughters and one son, whose presence brought emotional strength and purpose to his journey. Their place in his life remains deeply valued.
He also thanks Mr. Mendis, his mentor from the quality side, for the guidance that supported his professional growth. He remembers T. Cooray, the owner of his previous company in Sri Lanka, with appreciation for the opportunities and trust that helped open important doors in his career.
With equal respect, he expresses gratitude to all the teachers who taught him and contributed to his learning. Each one became part of the foundation that helped him grow as a student, professional, and person.
This note of thanks is a reflection of his belief that no journey is built alone. Behind every achievement stood people who guided, supported, trusted, and encouraged him along the way.
thanks,
– Dr. Chanaka Fernando