Received Sylff fellowship in 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027
Academic supervisor : Sandeep Mysore Seshadrinath
Current affiliation: UNSW Business School
Marian's research interests lie in digital inclusion of disadvantaged communities.
Marian has a multi-disciplinary background, being a member of CPA Australia and a Chartered Accountant. The individual holds a Master's degree in Pre-Doctoral Business Studies from the University of New South Wales- School of Management and Governance, a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Colombo, and a Bachelor's degree in Business Economics from the University of Colombo. Additionally, she has experience as a visiting lecturer for professional qualifications and an MBA program affiliated with Staffordshire University, UK.
Before starting her PhD at UNSW Business school, Marian had more than a decade of industry experience as a Vice President at the largest conglomerate in Sri Lanka. She held the positions of Chief Bancassurance Officer, Vice President of Finance, and Head of Digital Sales in the insurance, hotels and resorts, travel, and tourism industries. Marian is also a champion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and has pioneered several initiatives to empower women. She has received several awards, including the Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana Award for Women Professionals, the Young Executive of The Year award at the 7th Asia Trusted Life Agents and Advisers Awards, the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Award, and the Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (Sylff) award.
Academic Achievements, Social Engagement Initiatives
Academic Achievements
• Best Short Paper in Honor of T. P. Liang, 1st Runner- Up –“Designing a Voluntary
Disease Reporting System (DRMS) for Artisanal Farmers” in the International
Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) - 2025
• Dean's Award- Friend of ADA (Arts, Design & Architecture), UNSW Business School -
AI in Business & Society specialization - 2025
• Recipient, SDG Research Grant, UNSW Business School - 2025
Social Engagement
President - AIS Student Chapter of the University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia (Current)
UNSW Academic Board Higher Degree by Research (HDR)Student Representative (2025)
UNSW Business School Higher Degree by Research Student Representative (2025)
UNSW School of Information Systems & Technology Management Student Representative (2025)
Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka - Australia Chapter, Executive Committee Member & CPD Committee Chair
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vindyacooray/
