Mr Theja Dharmarathne

Theja Dharmarathne is a driving force behind the development and execution of comprehensive sustainable management policies, strategies, and programs across diverse estates, prioritizing the achievement of sustainable development. His duties encompass crafting food safety, quality, and environmental policies, augmented by the implementation of international certification schemes like ISO 22000:2005 FSMS, Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Network, Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP)-UK, and UTZ Sustainable Tea programs.

Beyond this, Theja actively internalizes the UN Global Compact's 10 principles and Management Model, playing a pivotal role in training estate teams for effective implementation of sustainable management strategies, covering areas such as food safety, quality, and environmental sustainability. He places emphasis on developing key performance indicators (KPIs), monitoring certification programs, and driving continuous improvement through internal audits, inspections, and strategic interventions, culminating in the compilation of the company's annual sustainability report following Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI)-G4 guidelines.

In parallel, Theja is deeply engaged in Human Resource Development (HRD) roles, formulating policies and strategies to foster high-performance teams on estates, providing guidance to managers, and aiming to maximize personnel potential for corporate goal achievement. He further assumes responsibility for evaluating agricultural standards, internal systems, and operational controls across 17 estates, collaborating with international and local agencies to stay abreast of emerging global standards. Notably, in his managerial role at Somerset Estate from 1992 to 2003, Theja significantly contributed to operational improvements, conducting inspections, identifying implementation gaps, and submitting informative reports to the CEO and estates.