Samindie Karunaratne, Head of Finance and Administration at UTS College Sri Lanka, is a busy lady. She also manages facilities (and the related occupational health and safety responsibilities), and handles the local side of HR, compliance, and governance. When she joined the College during its launch five years ago, Samindie saw it as a short-term gig. But now she’s one of the longest serving team members. .
She says, “When they recruited me, I’d just resigned from a job I’d been in for close to 19 years. I wanted a break. My husband was in the army and was always moving around. We never had leave at the same time, so I thought I could resign and stay with him wherever he was posted. That was the plan, but then his work brought him back to Colombo, so we stayed here, and I’m glad.”
One of the first hires at UTS Sri Lanka
Before Samindie became one of the first hires at the Colombo campus, she was entertaining several ideas for her future. A keen baker, she was even toying with the idea of opening a café, but when the offer came, she thought ‘Why not do this for a little while? I’ll just help them get it started’.
When she arrived, everything was under construction. “When we shifted into the premises, the building was still half completed. There were a lot of challenges – finishing the build and the interior work – and our little team was helping to collect leads to recruit new students. It was a lot of work, but everyone is so helpful. Your colleagues always have your back here,” she says. That was in October 2019. There were more testing times to come.
The Sri Lanka campus looked very different when Samindi came on board.
“In 2020, COVID challenged us in every way. With government departments closed and some areas locked down, we still had to get the campus ready and complete our interior work. It’s been quite a journey. Sometimes I don’t even feel that five years have gone by,” she says.
A surprise celebration
Samindie’s colleagues made sure her 5-anniversary would be memorable with a special celebration. “It’s become my best memory from the College,” she says. “They made a surprise video. I had no idea at all. Alison, our principal, had brought a cake, and then they just brought in our big TV and played the video. There were photographs and messages from all the staff, all popping up one by one. It was so nice.”
Samindie's colleagues helped her celebrate her 5-year milestone.
With her roots now firmly planted at UTS College, Samindie says her favourite time every year is when students graduate. She says, “My job is about finance and facilities. I make sure that everyone is comfortable, including students and staff. So, when I see students graduate, moving ahead, going to UTS, it’s the best time. It reminds me why I do it.”
Find out more about UTS College’s international campuses >