99x strengthens leadership with appointment of Shalini Ratwatte

Technology company 99x announced the appointment of legal professional Shalini Ratwatte as its Chief Legal and Governance Officer. 

With over 25 years of extensive experience in legal and compliance, policy development and strategic planning, Ratwatte will play a tactical role in 99x’s plans for expansion in international markets.

“As we navigate through challenges in these pandemic times, we, at 99x, have kept our sights steady on our long-term goals and are gearing our leadership to be at the helm as we enter new arenas. In line with this, I am extremely pleased to welcome Shalini, who really strengthens our team with her wealth of experience across industries,” noted 99x Founder and CEO Mano Sekaram.

“I look forward to harnessing my knowledge and skills in my role at 99x, as the company readies itself for its next wave of growth. The team I have joined is a highly experienced one that has scaled 99x to great heights, both locally and globally and I am certain that together, we will be able to continue in this upward trend, by developing new market positioning and driving growth,” stated Ratwatte, on her role. 

In addition to her position at 99x, Ratwatte sits on the boards of conglomerate Sunshine Holdings PLC and Environmental Foundation (Guarantee) Limited as Non-Executive Board Director Legal and Corporate Affairs. She is also the pro-bono CEO of Shanthi Maargam (Guarantee) Limited, a registered NGO providing support for children and youth to improve their emotional well-being in lower income settlements the with the goal of breaking the cycle of violence in communities. 

Ratwatte is a Life Member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Colombo. She was the Country Representative for the Business Software Alliance (BSA) in Sri Lanka for six years before shifting to Microsoft, as its Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs, South East Asia New Markets. In that capacity, she oversaw operations across six countries, driving awareness and education, enforcement and policy on cybersecurity, data privacy, intellectual property rights and anti-piracy. Before specialising in cyber security and IP law, Ratwatte was in the capital markets industry for over 10 years, though is better known for her passion for wildlife and conservation and the landmark cases she initiated as an environmental lawyer at the Environmental Foundation of 
Sri Lanka.