Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya Receives GSMA Chairman's Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Global Mobile Industry
March 5th, 2024 Colombo
Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Executive Officer of Telecommunications Business and Group Executive Director of Axiata Group Berhad, was honoured with the GSMA Chairman's Award at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain. The Chairman’s Award is the GSMA’s most prestigious award and recognises outstanding contribution by individuals and organisations towards the advancement of mobile communications worldwide.
Dr. Wijayasuriya represents the Axiata Group on the Board of the GSMA, which is the Governing Body of the Global Mobile Industry. Axiata stands as one of Asia's largest telecommunications groups, with operations across Asia serving over 170 million subscribers. In his capacity as the CEO of Telecommunications Business, Dr Wijayasuriya oversees Axiata's Digital Telecommunications Operations across Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. His portfolio also encompasses the Group's Enterprise and International Businesses, as well as Axiata's multi-country software and digital transformation unit, Axiata Digital Labs (ADL).
Operating companies of the Axiata Group including Dialog, have been consistently at the forefront of advancing the impact and cutting-edge capabilities of mobile communications across Asia. Dr Wijayasuriya alongside Axiata teams from across the Group have been actively involved in numerous strategic initiatives of GSMA in the region and globally. Most recently, Axiata Group has played a lead role in advancing the GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative in the region.
Dr. Wijayasuriya functioned as the Group Chief Executive of Dialog from 1997 to 2016 during which period, Dialog rose from the 4th entrant to the mobile sector, to become Sri Lanka's largest telecommunications service provider and one of Asia’s most advanced Quad Play connectivity and Digital Services providers, a position the company has consolidated and grown to greater heights to date including leading positions in Sri Lanka’s Fintech and Digital Health sectors. During his tenure at Dialog, in 2016, the GSMA honoured Dr. Wijayasuriya with the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Asian Mobile Industry’ Award - the highest honour at the Asia Mobile Awards. Dr Wijayasuriya is a Past Chair of GSM Asia Pacific, the regional interest group of the Global body. He was also named “Sri Lankan of the Year” by Sri Lanka’s premier Business Journal the LMD in 2008.
