Towering over you at 6 feet (no inches), Shanitha may seem intimidating at first glance. But you’ll realise it’s all a façade within the first five minutes of interaction with him; as he’s what you’d call a ‘gentle giant’.Hailing from the cultural capital Kandy, Shanitha was educated at one the city's most prestigious schools St Anthony’s College, where he excelled at sports, notably, Rugby. This particular interest led him towards captaining one of the celebrated rugby clubs, CR and FC and even playing for the National team.

Later he even played for Walkers Tours – a subsidiary of the John Keells Group. Shanitha’s passion for travel, discovering pristine locations and current affairs is fulfilled by the tremendous wealth of opportunities his work has to offer. With over 30 years of experience in the tourism industry in Sri Lanka, Shanitha has travelled extensively to many European destinations and the United States, handling some of the most prestigious travel brands celebrated globally.

He believes that his experience in India has been the most rewarding thus far; where he was required to set up DMC operations on behalf of the company. The opportunity allowed him to manage a multicultural workforce, travel extensively around the country and handle complex operations successfully.

As the co-founder of Authenticities Shanitha is responsible for the European and US markets with a specialisation in the incentive and luxury segments. His genuine concern for partners and clients is reflected in the way he does business. Look beyond the tough exterior, and you will find Shanitha extremely easy-going with a quirky sense of humour and an endless desire to help the underprivileged.

Dilshad is the co-founder of Authenticities and is responsible for the development and performance of the UK, Scandinavia and European markets. He is also responsible for branding, designing ”emotions” and unique experiences, at Authenticities.

Dilshad has a Merit award for his MBA Degree in Business Administration at the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) in Sri Lanka and also has a Diploma in Marketing through the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). Dilshad brings over 28 years of Corporate experience. Dilshads experience in the Tourism industry over the past 16 years comes with exposure to multiple areas in Tourism including Sales and Marketing, Operations, Branding, Health and Safety, Quality and Customer Service. Dilshad is a dedicated individual with a passion for travel and discovering cultures through meeting with typically local people. By nature Dilshad is a realist, adventurous, looking for new challenges as long as it is unique, novel and adrenaline-driven. Unpretentious by nature Dilshad is demanding when it comes to quality and finesse in everything he does. His recent passion for photography compliments his current role and enjoys creating new experiences through his own experiences.

Dilshad enjoys reading biographies, history and anything related to travel. His passion and interests revolve around exploring historical sites, ancient and modern architecture, and watching classic movies, along with Formula 1 and MotoGP racing. Love for art and culture is a clear passion for Dilshad whilst he enjoys being a street photographer capturing moments of expressions and impressions

Wilhelm is a former Cricketer who represented his Alma Mater Wesley College and later was picked to represent the Sri Lanka under 23 team against Pakistan. During his cricketing days, Wilhelm was known to be a fierce opening bowler and also represented the Burgher Recreation Club (BRC) in Colombo.

He gave up his Cricketing career and his career in Tourism began at Voyages Ceylon in 1974. His deep passion for travel and his love for the French language and culture convinced him to migrate to France in 1980 and pursuing a degree in the University of Rouen in France until 1984.Returning back to Sri Lanka after perfecting his French language, Wilhelm was instrumental in establishing the French and Benelux markets at Walkers Tours working closely with some of the most reputed Tourism brands including Ormes, Fram Voyages, Asia Voyages, SDT Incentives and is known to be THE MAN for Incentives using an innovative and practical approach to designing programs. A voracious reader, Wilhelms's other interests and hobbies include sports, music and discovering new places and cultures.

Amila brings with him over 8 years experience operating within the French market. Amila speaks fluent French and followed the diploma programme at the Alliance Francaise in Kandy. His passion for the French lanugaue paved the way to the Tourism industry. Always committed to his work, Amila is loved by his partners for his unpretentious approach but consistent and committed delivery in everything he does.

Amila hails from Kandy and studied at the Kingswood College. It is a well-known secret that together with Wilhelm, Amila works in tandem to give the best clients expect. Amila is a huge supporter of the Sri Lanka Cricket team and also loves Music and Movies.

You could peg Ashan for a guy who knows a lot about travel in Sri Lanka having covered every corner of the island by the time he was 21. With over 13 years of experience in the tourism industry, Ashan knows all of the best places to visit, things to do and most importantly the best cafés & bars. He is also a wildlife enthusiast and an avid traveler himself who loves Europe and the Mediterranean coast. Ashan joined the Authenticities family not too long ago but made his way through by winning everyone’s heart at warp speed.

Ashan’s made a name for himself by working at some of the best travel companies in the past both locally and globally, therefore his knack for always looking out for innovative experiences are never seldom. We like to believe all of this inspiration stemmed from his athletic and creative sides since being a former cricketer and his love for music. As if this doesn’t cut it, Ashan’s also an explorer when it comes to making his signature cocktails. Much to everyone’s appreciation, Arrack (a popular local alcoholic beverage) infused cocktails seems to be one of the top hitters closely followed by a good o’l fashioned G & T.

Meet Gayan Gunasekera, manager for Italy and Spain and your go-to guy for any travel-related questions in Sri Lanka. With 18 years of excellent experience in the tourism industry, Gayan joined the Authenticities family when the company was still budding through its early years. Today Gayan stands as one of the seasoned experts at Authenticities with a benign personality and dedicated hours spent at the gym. How would you start up a conversation with him? Sipping through a few shots of arrack (Sri Lanka’s favourite alcoholic beverage) would be a way to break the ice.

Most weekends, you’ll find Nuwan spending his time at national parks learning about animal behaviour. Much like the Panthera pardus kotiya – the Sri Lankan Leopard, Nuwan could be pegged as an individual similarly elusive and excellent at tracking down his favourite old-world mammal of the Felidae family just by using a pair of binoculars and his most treasured possession in life – his camera.

Having grown up in Sri Lanka and working in the travel industry since the year 2014 years provided a greater leeway for Nuwan to pursue his passion for wildlife and, much to his excitement, integrate it with his career. Today, Nuwan hails as an accomplished explorer, specialized wildlife travel consultant, photographer and enthusiast who aspires to pursue the farthest expanses of a wildly diverse destination and capture stories & travel experiences that encourage travellers to consider their relationship with nature, while promoting the preservation of wild places everywhere.

Layered by adventure, outdoorsiness, old-school rock music and lifestyle perspectives, Nuwan is known for his untamed passion for creating unique wildlife travel experiences and his expertise on all things wild.

Working as assistant manager for the UK, Austria and Germany is Nuran Perera. Born & raised in Panadura, with a knack for playing any musical instrument and a laid-back attitude to spare, Nuran took the road to become a travel planner from his previous career in the apparel industry. Since joining Authenticities in 2016, Nuran’s thirst for travel and his forever state of inquisitiveness made him an important member of our family who’s slowly making his way through the ranks as we speak.

Nuran goes through an out-of-body experience whenever he’s down to playing some Baila ( a genre that originated centuries ago among the Portuguese Burghers and Sri Lankan Kaffirs) but when it comes to enjoying a quiet evening with a cup of joe, Nuran prefers humming along to the legendary Engelbert Humperdink. Apart from his musical talent, Nuran is also a skilled badminton player. His favourite food of all time is his mother’s black pork curry!

Having spent a good deal of her childhood living in Vietnam and Sri Lanka, Samadi grew a besetting taste for travel, which resulted in her 13-year-long career in the tourism industry. Engrained with deep-seated cultural values and a laid-back attitude to spare, Samadi pursued her higher studies in Malaysia and Australia but wanted to return home and continue the next chapter of her life in Sri Lanka – her one true home. While she has traversed most places, her heart is set on Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Myanmar – in that order because they continue to hold a sense of profound value and nostalgia to which she’s always drawn.

While Sam (short for Samadi), by her very nature, has mastered the art of patience and the ability to adapt to her surroundings at a mile a minute, serve her a cup of coffee instead of tea, then perhaps you will understand there is only one thing she won’t tolerate so much! Armed with a simple mantra of “love the life you live”, Sam is thoughtfully aware of just how incredibly big the world is and how travel sustains a life full of different connections, memories and possibilities.

Managing the US and Australia channels for Authenticities, Dulith is well on his way to becoming a veteran in the travel industry. With over 10 years of experience in incentives and operations, his latest focus is developing and editing travel vlogs for Authenticities social media channels.

Dulith’s love for travel was sprouted during his childhood when the family had to move through Asia and we’re only thankful that it happened so. A personality that resonates as passive and composed, Dulith is a problem solver by nature but can go far down the rabbit hole when spreadsheets are involved. A devout fan of Manchester United, Dulith’s idea of an evening well spent would be a shot of whiskey on the rocks and headbanging to heavy metal.

Being in love with travel her whole life, Zahra joined the travel industry at warp speed soon after completing her higher education. Gracefully armed with vivacity and zest, it didn’t take long for Zahra to create a name for herself as an expert in PR and service. Having handled the luxury travel segment throughout her stellar 8-year career as a trip extraordinaire and thought of as your girl-next-door type, Zahra hails from multi-ethnic family background and is the perfect embodiment of authentic travel planning where she’ll read the rule book 10-times, memorize it then do things entirely her way. We can only describe her tastes, suggestions and planning as a prodigious menagerie that can be explained with one word: brilliance.

Happy camping under the stars or sleeping by the side of the road, Zahra also happens to be one of the first Girl Rover Scouts in the country with a profound sense of appreciation for the jungles, mountains, wildlife and adventure in all its shapes and forms. For impromptu travel, Zahra is your go-to girl who got a fully equipped backpack hidden in her desk drawer, ready to jump in on an adventure at any given time!

Armed with a personality of a happy clam, Laroshi started working for Authenticities in April of 2017. With a whopping 10-years of experience in the travel trade, she keeps the ball rolling for the UK market while entertaining everyone around her with a bit of everyday witticism.

Growing up in Naples, Italy and Brighton, UK meant she’s made herself fluent in speaking several languages; French, Italian and a bit of Spanish. This also means her love for food is indisputable. When she’s not too busy being a mother to a very adorable pup named Rhaegar (yes, influenced by her favourite fantasy series GOT), she loves making yummy dishes for her husband (and beats him to finishing everything). Hashtag aficionado, a CrossFit buff and an (underrated) competitive gamer, Laroshi’s current mission is to finish reading Sapiens amongst a few others.

We feel that wherever Surani goes, she brings a touch of magic. She's the kind of person who turns mundane errands into exciting adventures. After graduating from La Trobe University (Melbourne, Australia) with a Bachelor of Business degree in Tourism and Hospitality, Surani established herself in hotel operations for over 8 years. An enthusiastic foodie, when Surani isn't busy planning the next big adventure, she can be found trying out every culinary experience she can get her hands on.

There’s a beautiful term in Latin that best describes Chrishan – perhaps maybe the youngest member to join our family. From Latin, ‘Vagārī’ (pronounced vaˈgaːre) meaning to roam is an unpredictable idea, desire or action to travel without knowing the destination and not caring. There is often something authentic and refreshing in the way they perceive the world, and this is the way Chrishan goes about his life.

Fashioned by a gilded concoction of thoughtful-seriousness and serious-playfulness, Chrishan’s path made a 180° turnabout from his previous career of being a banker to joining the travel trade in Sri Lanka. Here at Authencities, we look for dreamers and go-getters. This is why Chrishan is no exception. An ardent buff of fitness and health routine, we believe Chrishan has what it needs to be an extraordinary translator of our culture, transforming into a connoisseur of exceptional trip planning.

Nuwangi was born in Sri Lanka and raised in a busy French suburban commune near Paris called Bagnolet. Although Nuwangi spent the majority of her childhood and teen years living in what is perhaps, considered to be one of the most romantic countries in the world, not even the moreish loveliness of the Eiffel tower could keep her away from returning to Sri Lanka and starting her career in the tourism industry almost 10-years ago. Despite finding it somewhat challenging to adapt to the local culture & lifestyle and joining the local tourism industry after having worked in the international trade, they were quickly overcome because her love for the motherland triumphed over all other obstacles.

Quiet and observing in nature, Nuwangi is often mistaken to be shy and mischievous a person. But, once you decide to peel through all the layers one by one, you’ll be surprised to know the hidden quirks she unravels – much to our appreciation. A bona fide lover of food, culinary art and all things spicy, when Nuwangi finds a little time for herself, you can find her in her home kitchen whipping up something extraordinary for her family!

Our workspace could often be compared to something of an active beehive where the hum of creative minds creates a constant, rhythmic buzz. In this rather animated nucleus of productivity, if anybody could embody the subtle art of quietude, it’s none other than Ajantha. Sometimes, it’s a wonder to the rest of us eager-beavers to even begin to understand how Ajantha keeps her cool. Words are rare as precious gems in her vocabulary, but that doesn’t mean her gusto for getting the day-to-day tasks lacks any less. In her calm and quiet demeanour, there is a profound wisdom, a gentle strength and an unspoken truth that reflects. With 14 years of experience in both hospitality and tourism, we’re more than happy to be graced by her calm and collected personality. It brings out the perfect balance we need as a family!

In the world of Naduni Fernando, there's never a dull moment. She's a living, breathing burst of sunshine, spreading warmth and happiness wherever she goes. With over 7 years of experience in the industry, Naduni has proven time and again that she's not just a travel expert, but a travel magician, turning every challenge into an adventure and emerging victorious with a sprinkle of humour and a dash of the unexpected. As an Assistant Manager of Authenticities, Naduni is an unsung hero who excels at problem-solving. At first glance, she may seem like an adorable pixie, humming about the office with 109 things to check off her to-do list, but in truth, that's probably because she takes much too seriously helping others as well as being determined to finish her work, smack dab right on time. Born and raised in Kandy, when Naduni is not buried in a book (working towards her MBA), you may find her enjoying a football match in the company of her favourites.

Born with an innate curiosity and a passion for exploration, we daresay that since the time Roshini joined our family, she’s shown the true potential to be a constant. With some nifty 9+ years in the trade, Roshini believes that travel should be an immersive experience, one that leaves a lasting impact on the soul. Outside work, Roshini loves spending time with her lovely family, who shares the same gusto for travel. From trekking through the cool climes of the hill country to lazing by the tropical beaches, Roshini’s zest for travel fuels her innovative approach to travel planning.

With a warm smile that could melt anyone's heart, Megan is many things at Authenticities. Picture a burst of confetti, the sound of laughter that can lift anyone's spirits, and a vibrant splash of colour in a black-and-white world. That's Megan "Megii" Chelsea for you - a whirlwind of joy and exuberance, and a heartening personality that warms every room she enters.

It hasn't been long since Megan joined our family, but soon we realized how incomplete we would all be without her presence. Her energetic mind and hurried footsteps bouncing off the open spaces, when Megan pays you a visit, you know she’s got no time to twaddle. She says her spirit animal is the majestic elephant, but Megan’s personality makes it hard for us to imagine her spirit animal could be anything other than a very adorable panda-koala hybrid. She loves spending time alone as much as being social. However, we’re not fooled into thinking she’s all sweetness and light. With 7+ years of experience in the travel industry, when it comes to getting her work done, Megan ensures every journey is peppered with precision, exclusive experiences and local flair.

Popularly known as Lassie, she can be tenacious when it comes to paying our vendors. She is often bullied for her domestic adventures and is often intimidated by such remarks.According to her, with age she has lost her interest for music but continues to love shopping for Leopard skinned clothing. We now discover she is into yoga and spiritualism.

Meet Shazna, the lady who looks after all of us and roots for our well-being. With over 9 years experience in HR and Administration, Shazna makes sure to deal with the burn of sorting out all our administrative and human resource requirements when we’re busy organizing hundreds of trips made each year to the country, dealing with suppliers and activities. And through it all, Shazna performs miracle work orchestrating the administrative and HR department running like clock-work, although she may not travel quite as much as some of her colleagues.

Shazna only asks for one thing in return, a decent cup of Cappuccino at the start of every day!

Managing our Finance department is Farzana. With 24 years experience in the area of finance, Farzana is a well-versed expert in handling and overlooking our accounts and payments flowing in and out of the company while making sure all work is done in an orderly manner.

Farzana could be counted as someone who keeps to herself but gets work done on time. But whenever it’s time to let out her social skills, she’s not too shy in kicking up her heels to have fun with the rest of us.

All who know Anuruddha would agree that he’s got a “larger than life” personality and of course being around him, there’s never a dull moment. With a smile so contagious and an attitude of always looking at things on the bright side, the guy’s desire to spring up a story explaining eventful incidents from his pastime is just side-splitting!

Anuruddha joined Authenticities in April 2020 and quickly made his way to fit into our culture. With 11 years of experience in tourism, he’s now a celebrated industry veteran who’s got more hobbies than his fingers and toes combined. His fluency in French proved to be very useful during the time of COVID-19 when he decided to offer French lessons as a way of keeping our productivity occupied. Although he’s a Sri Lankan, we believe Anuruddha’s heart is as much a Frenchman’s as it could be. His love for road trips and travelling across Europe is surreal. Exploring the Galle Fortress seems to be another interest during free time where he loves to chat up with visitors over coffee and drinks.

With over 8 years experience, Prabhodha is the lady who manages our funds and coordinates with mainstream operations on a daily basis. Her role in the company is by no means an easy job and through it all, when it comes to following a tidy schedule and adhering to procedures, There’s no one more suited to do the job than Prabodha.

With nearly 5 years of experience in tourism, Harshi is the oil that keeps Voyageurs Du Monde and UK departments for Authenticites run like clockwork. As a person who is relatively quiet in nature, when it comes to matters at hand, she is both proactive and cut out to handle a myriad of tasks, booking hotels and keeping our office space in better shape.

During her free-time, Harshi loves watching Sinhala Classics, reading, swimming, cycling and devoting time to the gym. Kicking up her hiking shoes to go exploring the hills and learning the island’s colourful history is among her top favourite things to do.

Known as "Muddy", Madara became part of the team in September 2020 and currently serves as the Head of Impact Travel for the company's latest low-carbon travel project - Renew. With a decade of experience in the hospitality sector, she has concentrated on immersive and educational travel ventures in Sri Lanka. Madara is deeply committed to sustainable tourism and possesses a talent for travel writing. Her previous endeavours include coordinating CSR initiatives and volunteer schemes for schools and universities in Australia and the USA. She is currently responsible for transforming our travel narratives into compelling written pieces.

During most weekends, you can catch Madara at home engaging in activities like cooking, sketching, or stargazing, rather than following her friends' suggestions. She is determined to complete the works of the renowned author Tolkien and enjoys listening to hard rock while savouring a quiet whiskey. Madara's preferred bands include TOOL and Chevelle.

With 9 years of experience in the trade, Ushani joined Authenticities in 2019 and won everyone’s heart with her wit and commitment to do the job to perfection. Often speaking fluent French with an obvious sort of a Sri Lankan accent, she works as a Travel Consultant for Voyageurs Du Monde and holds the title of being the main organizer of any events that we celebrate.

Ask anyone who’s worked with Ushani in the past and see how they get overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia. A total foodie, Ushani is usually known as the life of the party getting everyone off their seats to dance. Her tastes in music, movies and hobbies draw a wonderful menagerie that can be described with one word: character. A worshipper of jungles and beaches, Ushani mentioned on several occasions that Australia and Singapore are among her favourite travel destinations. Because of her love for nature and wildlife, she’s also a skilled photographer and hoards beautiful snapshots for our image library.

Ishara joined Authenticities initially as an intern but quickly proved to all of us that she doesn’t belong anywhere else but our growing family. Always dressed in a bubbly personality, her role at Authenticities is to make sure all operations are run smoothly for North America and Australia.

No one ever really notices her exceptional organizational skills. To keep all the bookings in check, managing a million phone calls made each day, especially when the busy seasons come hurling is, by all means, no easy task. As a superhero-Robin who works behind the curtains, Ishara deserves all the credit she could possibly get!

Being in love with the idea of travel his whole life, Vivian joined the tourism industry, in 2008, and became one of best at handling operations for some top-notch tour operators in Europe. After joining the Authenticities family in 2019, Vivian continues to excel in handling all operational tasks for our growing US and Australian regions.

An ardent fan of Cricket as most of us, Vivian likes spending his leisurely hours playing softball Cricket and devoting time for movies and reading DC comics.

Like any classic serial entrepreneur, Dilini is a lot of things. She’s done a great many things in her twenty-plus-something decades on the earth, including earning a Bachelor of fashion design and technology. Dilini’s embraced a life brimming with ambitions, friends, routines, excitement, worries and inherited flamboyance – an epic story that certainly entitles to be shared in our family book.

With a whopping 8-years of experience in the tourism and hospitality background, Dilini hails as a trip planning maestro while finding time for designing and stitching her own clothes whenever there’s a bit of extra time in her hands. Although Dilini may sometimes drop subtle hints of preserving an old soul, she’s very much in touch with her inner child and devoted to keeping her social presence humming for her 15K+ followers on Instagram. A lover of all things tropical, hashtag food aficionado and sunny beaches, Dilini looks at life with almost a religious awe. Her heart is set on another mission to raise funds to rescue animals in Sri Lanka by doing events with her friends. With all of the above, Dilini’s also your go-to person for any party-related affairs. As she inherits a personality that blends well with extroverts and introverts alike, she knows how to break the ice over a shared drink of gin and tonic!

Prabhath is arguably one of the most important personalities that keeps all logistics at Authenticities running like clockwork. With his background in tourism for over 36 years, He’s well tailored for managing all our operations and logistical requirements ensuring we retain only the best chauffeur guides and suppliers for our guests.

Prabhath is known to all of us as someone who calls a spade a spade. With his extensive experience in the trade as well as being an All Island Justice of peace, Prabhath is our right-hand-man to solve any day-to-day issues at the workplace.

A man of action, experience and skill, Aponsu has been in the world of tourism since some of us were even born. In 1993 when the island was facing some of its most challenging times, Aponsu stood in bravery at the airport welcoming visitors from around the world as a true testament to our island’s resilience and clemency. For someone who knows and speaks the French language by the back of their hand, Alponsu’s smile is something that reflects our hospitality and warmth.

A mixologist among many talents, Aponsu’s bartending skills are a not-to-be-missed revelation at Authenticities outings or parties. Armed with a colourful personality, Aponsu loves sharing anecdotes from yesteryear and is quick in his ways of handling emergencies with deliberation and flexibility.

Meet Roshan, our regional expert executing all operations and leg work in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and the rest of the Central Province. What drives Roshan is his passion for travel and… motorbikes! Always on the look for unearthing new experiences, trailing through the misty hills of the tea country, life spent exploring on two wheels, every day is blazing with excitement and new opportunities for this man. And you ask, who could be more suitable to have as our regional expert and guide than Roshan?

Hailing from magnetic Northern Sri Lanka is Kabilan. Born and raised in Jaffna, Kabilan’s routine is every bit exotic as you could think of. His passion and admiration for culture, history and archaeology drive Kabilan deep into his roots like a moth to a flame.

Armed with a network of connections, Kabilan is the perfect fit as a regional expert for Authenticities when it comes to developing new experiences and discovering personalities. On a relaxed evening, Kabilan is more than willing to sip through a cup of tea and share old wives’ tales about Jaffna. More than the hyped-up city walks and usual sites, the true beauty of Jaffna is measured in its rich interior, lifestyle, farming, cuisine and hidden treasures.

Meet the spiritual explorer who is also adventure savvy in treks, marathons, cycling and mountain climbing. Hailing from the hub of the cultural triangle – Habarana, Nuwan could be described as a guy with a dynamic personality full of gusto for life. Equipped with close relationships and networks in the area, we can’t think of anyone more suited than Nuwan as our regional expert for Authenticities.

A flair for creating off the beaten track treks, walks and cycling routes, Nuwan is Authenticities very own trip-planning maestro we call upon when piecing together an experience related to spirituality and Buddhism or even accompanying specialised group movements in the cultural triangle.

A lover of adventure, spirituality and folklore, Nuwan brings great soul to his work. His experiences tend to wheel in on the personalities and storytellers who provide emotion on a human scale, then wheel out to explore the adventurous aspects of the trip, just the way we like it.