Sumith Jayawickrama

AI advocate · Keynote speaker · Author of the UDE

Sumith Jayawickrama.

A thirty-five-year Operations Specialist writing and speaking on what AI actually does for the way organisations think and decide.

Read the UDE explainer Browse the writing

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sumith Jayawickrama speaking on stage — dark suit and tie, microphone in one hand, presenter remote in the other.
Colombo · in conversation Photo · Daily Mirror
“Most AI work inside organisations misses the point. The point is clearer decisions — not cleverer software.”

The central idea

The Unified Decision Engine.

Every organisation already owns three pools of information — enterprise systems, an AI layer, and the living memory of departments. The UDE is a simple proposition for joining them up, and a test for whether AI is doing anything useful.

The Unified Decision Engine A diagram showing how enterprise data, AI models, and departmental systems converge into a central decision engine, which then feeds leadership reporting, compliance, and partner portals. Sources Engine Outputs Enterprise data ERP · SAP · Oracle · Infor Codes · Parameters Bill of materials · Master files AI layer Large language models Claude · Gemini · GPT · DeepSeek Microsoft 365 Copilot Departments Independent & interdependent Marketing Sales Operations Procurement Finance Warehousing R & D Quality HR IT … the second brain. The Unified Decision Engine APP DATA · MANUAL DATA · AI DATA A clear layer between what the organisation knows and what it decides. Leadership decisions What to do next, and why. Board reporting · Scenarios Continual improvement Authorities Local & international compliance. Statutory filings Audits · Regulated categories Partner access Outside the walls, on purpose. Client portals Vendor portals · Data exports Served Consumers · Customers · Clients
The UDE. Data on the left. Decisions on the right. The engine in the middle is where AI earns its keep.

Read the full explainer →

An Operations Specialist's view

Three decades inside real companies.

Dilmah, Basilur, AGC Alokozay, GSF, T.k. Fastner — the ERP rollouts, the ISO systems, the Kaizen floors. That scaffolding is why I don't get excited about model benchmarks. I get excited about whether a warehouse supervisor can finally ask a straight question and get a straight answer.

  1. 2023 —
    Business Growth & Digitalization Specialist · The Consultry Pvt. Ltd.
  2. 2011 —
    Director, Operations · Basilur Tea Sri Lanka
  3. 2009 — 2010
    General Manager · AGC Alokozay Dubai
  4. 2006 — 2009
    General Manager · GSF — Southeast Asia's largest cold room plant Sri Lanka
  5. 1993 — 2006
    Senior Manager · Dilmah Tea — built the ERP, ISO, and Kaizen systems Sri Lanka
  6. 1986 — 1993
    General Manager · T.k. Fastner Lanka Sri Lanka

BCom, University of Kelaniya. Best General Manager, European Business Assembly (Oxford, 2016).

Selected writing

Short reflections, in an Operations Specialist's voice.

All writing →

Speaking & contact

Keynotes for boards and leadership.

Talks are grounded in operations, not hype — usually on some version of "so, what do we actually do about AI?" Formats: keynote, fireside, closed-door executive session.

A short note gets a faster reply than a long one.

inquire@sumithj.org →