Shehara is an international Communications and branding specialist with over 40 years experience in media, marketing, strategic planning, advocacy and competitiveness consultancy. She is currently on the board of several Trusts and Companies including Keells Food, The Neelan Tiruchelvam fund Ex-pack Corrugated Cartons and Amana life insurance She has been on the boards of -The Environment Foundation Limited (EFL) ,The Music Project and the Threads of History Museum, The Arthur C Clark Centre for Science and Technology, Eagle Fund Management and Tharuna Aruna (Sri Lanka National Youth Employment Network). Most recently she was Deputy Programme Director USAID/IESC Youlead an. Also a regional expert resource for the Commonwealth Foundation PAN Commonwealth civil society network on HIV Aids. She worked in the development sector with ILO, Internews, USAID, NORAD, GIZ, Plan International etc. Previously, Managing Director of Interbrand Malaysia '.She led strategy for Tourism Malaysia and ran the global digital marketing and PR Campaign for Malaysia’s Medical and Mice tourism. She has worked on political campaigns and for destination strategy for several Govt agencies from positioning Singapore as an arts hub to Kuala Lumpur Education city and developed the global repositioning for Hasbro’s Playdoh, In Colombo She led brand transformations for -Singer in retail, Janashakthi in Insurance and NDB in banking. As an advocate of Women on Boards and has mentored a next generation of Women CEOs and Entrepreneurs. She wrote the 5 year National action plan for Gender and Disability as ILO specialist advisor -UN YEN(Youth Employment Network) , conducted training on Personal leadership branding for the ‘Women as Architects of Change ‘ workshop that launched the Australia Awards South and West Asia Women in Leadership Network helping prepare selected women alumni from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to become architects of change, She was a Women of Courage/ Asia Pacific founder member the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights in Asia & the Pacific’s (UAF AP) in Colombo and the Planning group dialogue in Manila .She has sat on several advisory boards and think tanks, judged and mentored several startups and judged Innovation and leadership awards from the Eisenhower fellowship and Ray awards, to MIT global startups and the Roger Herschel creativity award, GIZ film awards . She has spoken extensively at international conferences and won several International marketing and women leadership awards.