Typefi challenges gender bias in tech, with Sri Lankan women leading the way

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Earlier this year, Typefi welcomed Chathini Uduwana, the Sri Lankan Country Head for Typefi, to its Global Leadership Team. Chathini is a Business Information Technology graduate from Staffordshire University, UK, and has just completed an MBA from Bedfordshire University, UK. Chathini joined Typefi in 2014 and brings over 12 years of management and leadership experience to the team.


Profile photo of Chathini Uduwana.
Typefi Global Leadership Team member and Typefi Country Head, Sri Lanka, Chathini Uduwana

Founded in 2001 on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, Typefi is the world’s leading single-source automated publishing platform that optimises the production process for print, online and mobile outputs. With Typefi, companies such as Lonely Planet and the World Health Organisation can publish their content up to 80% faster—without compromising accuracy or design quality—by harnessing the power of Adobe InDesign Server. Typefi now has offices in the USA, UK, the Netherlands, and Sri Lanka, where most of Typefi engineering is based.

Typefi CEO Chandi Perera said, “Chathini brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Typefi and has been integral to the success of our teams in Sri Lanka. The IT graduates and software engineers joining Typefi bring diverse skill sets and an innovative, agile approach to problem-solving. Under Chathini’s guidance, we are developing a tech talent pool in Sri Lanka of software engineers and architects with skills that are hard to find globally. This talent underpins Typefi’s ability to deliver innovative software solutions to customers around the globe continually.”

Adding Chathini to the Leadership Team cements Typefi’s commitment to Sri Lanka and to contribute to the region’s economic growth.

The Australian-based software company proudly embraces a diverse and inclusive workforce that helps drive innovation and foster creativity. “We’re confident that Chathini’s leadership and dedication will help Typefi create a thriving future for our customers and staff too.”

Deloitte predicted that in 2022, the overall female workforce represented in large technology companies would be 32.9%, with just 25% of those women in technical roles.[1] Typefi exceeds these predictions, with women making up 36% of the Typefi workforce globally and 52.4% of the workforce in Sri Lanka—of which 90% are in technical roles—a momentous achievement in gender equality.

“In Sri Lanka, it is rare to find women who can code and are in senior positions. ‘Women in tech’ is something that Typefi has, and I am very proud of that. Of our five engineering teams, two are female-led. They are a small group in a huge industry, challenging the cycle of ‘normal’ life for Sri Lankan women,” Chathini explains. “When I joined Typefi, I saw no glass ceiling—not for being young, female, or from Sri Lanka—I was given an opportunity and entrusted to do the job. Working in a largely male-dominated industry, the support from Typefi has always been tremendous.”

Despite cultural, linguistic, and geographical differences, the Sri Lankan office is well-connected to the rest of the company. “Typefi is not about one-way directives or lone wolves. We’re truly a global team, and we work hard to communicate and collaborate well with each other,” says Chathini. “I’m proud to work for a company that values cultural diversity, knowledge exchange, and staff development.”

[1] Hupfer, S., Mazumder, S., Bucaille, A. and Crossan, G., 2021. Women in the tech industry: Gaining ground, but facing new headwinds. [online] Deloitte Insights.

This article was first published in Sri Lanka on July 31, 2022, in LMD (August 2022 edition) and the Sunday Observer (Vol.95, Business section, pg 5).


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