My Story

Where it really began

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I started my professional journey in IT support services, learning how systems behave under pressure and how technology must serve people, not the other way around. I then moved into garment and textile manufacturing, where scale, efficiency, and process discipline are essential for survival.

These early years shaped a belief that still guides my work today:
Technology only succeeds when it is embedded in operations.

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Indonesia — building systems before transformation

My move to Indonesia marked my entry into the agriculture sector and became the most formative chapter of my career.

In the early years, my work focused on implementing ERP systems for a plantation company, at a time when digital adoption was still evolving. From there, I was deeply involved in setting up IT infrastructure across multiple plantation locations—often in remote areas—supporting estate operations, mills, and head-office functions across Indonesia.

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This phase taught me how critical foundations are:

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• Reliable infrastructure

• Standardized systems

• Consistent data structures

• Operational ownership

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Without these, transformation cannot happen.

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From systems to transformation

As those foundations matured, my role naturally expanded from systems and infrastructure into process redesign, operational integration, and transformation initiatives.

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Over nearly 18 years in Indonesia’s multinational palm oil sector, I worked closely with:

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• Palm oil estate and milling operations

• ERP and plantation management platforms

• Digital field and workforce systems

• GIS mapping and spatial planning

• Drone-based surveys and monitoring

• Harvesting cycles, gang harvesting, and productivity tracking

• Field-to-ramp and field-to-mill data integration

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More importantly, I became deeply involved in change management—working with field teams, supervisors, managers, and leadership to ensure systems were not only implemented, but adopted.

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This is where my work shifted from IT delivery to true transformation.

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Returning to Sri Lanka — applying transformation lessons

I returned to Sri Lanka in 2021, bringing with me practical transformation experience rather than just technical knowledge.

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Before re-entering the plantation sector, I worked with Deloitte Consulting on USAID-funded programs, supporting SME development and capacity-building initiatives. This exposure reinforced how often good programs fail due to weak execution and limited change ownership.

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Transformation, I learned again, is not about design—it is about people, behavior, and consistency.

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Back to plantations — execution first

I then rejoined the plantation sector within a large Sri Lankan group, focusing fully on palm oil estates and milling operations, alongside tea and rubber.

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By this stage, my role had evolved to 100% transformation and change management:

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• Redesigning workflows rather than automating old ones

• Connecting estate, ramp, and mill operations through data

• Introducing visibility, accountability, and performance tracking

• Driving adoption at field level, not just system go-live

The challenges were familiar:

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• Manual workflows

• Fragmented data

• Low productivity

• Change fatigue

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But so were the opportunities.

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What I focus on today

Today, my work centers on execution-led digital transformation in plantation agriculture, especially in palm oil estates and milling.

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I help organizations move:

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• From paper to connected workflows

• From assumptions to real-time visibility

• From manual control to measured performance

• From resistance to ownership

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I don’t believe in technology for its own sake.

I believe in Agriculture 2.0—where tradition and technology work together, and transformation is practical, not theoretical.

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Why AgriLense

AgriLense exists to share these lessons.

• This is not a policy platform.

• Not an academic framework.

• And not a technology showcase.

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AgriLense sits at the intersection of operations, data, and leadership. The insights shared here are practical, sometimes uncomfortable, and rooted in real plantation environments.

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Looking ahead

The future of plantation agriculture—especially palm oil—will belong to those who:

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• Build strong digital foundations

• Execute change, not just plan it

• Blend field wisdom with data-driven precision

• Commit to transformation as a journey, not a project

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I’m here to help make that transition real.

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Welcome to AgriLense.