Otara Gunewardene
 |
Otara Del Gunewardene | |
|---|---|
| Born | Otara Del Gunewardene August 3, 1964 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Occupation | Chairman of ODEL |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Children | Kiran (born 1994) Rakhil (born 2000) |
| Parent(s) | Norman Gunewardene Delysia Gunewardene |
| Website | Official website |
Otara Del Gunewardene is a Sri Lankan entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of the brand ODEL. Otara ventured into selling garments from the boot of her car. In 1989, having rented a small place on Lester James Peries Mawatha (Formally ‘Dickman’s Road) in Colombo 4, she opened ODEL - the first of a chain of retail outlets. ODEL.[1]
Otara is involved in many environmental and animal welfare activities. Some of these include work for Habitat for Humanity International and World Animal Day. In 2001, she initiated the Odel Foundation, a charitable organization that works in the areas of housing development, forest conservation, animal welfare and children in need.
Early Life
Born in Colombo, Gunewardena is the daughter of Norman and Delysia Gunewardena. Her father is a well-known corporate leader in Sri Lanka, and her mother has carried out considerable work for the Chitra Lane School for children with special needs. Her two brothers, Ajit and Ruchi are renowned professionals in the country’s corporate sector.
She studied at one of the country’s premier schools - CMS Ladies’ College, Colombo 7. An enthusiastic sportswoman, Gunewardena represented her school in athletics and swimming, and high jump and hurdles on an international scale. She continued her higher studies by reading for a Biology Degree at the State University of Bowlin Green, Ohio – USA. It was during one summer vacation that she took up modelling in a professional way. Once completing her higher studies, Gunewardena went on to model for high profile brands and became a familiar face on the catwalk.
In 1990, she married Raju Chandiram and the couple divorced 14 years later. They have two sons, Kiran (born in 1994) and Rakhil (born in 2000).
Odel
From being the sole proprietor of one store in 1989, Gunewardena fostered Odel into a growing chain of iconic lifestyle stores. In 1995, the first branching out of the Odel department stores begins, and it has been expanding rapidly ever since. Odel opened its flagship store at Alexandra Place, Colombo in 1999 which boasts of 33, 000 square feet of style. This outlet has often been compared to the likes of Harrods and Harvey Nichols. In 2004, Odel was re-launched with a new brand identity – Mind, Body & Soul, which played an important part in making it the international superstore that it is today. Despite the internal conflict in Sri Lanka and the more recent global recession, Gunewardena ensured that Odel continued to grow
Honors and Awards
- 2000 - Jaycees’ Most Outstanding Young Person in Sri Lanka
- 2001 - Federation of Chambers and Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) Entrepreneur of the Year 2001 Award
- 2002 - Zonta Woman of Achievement Award
- 2007 - Alankara Jewelry, Face of Alankara Brand Ambassador
- 2008 - Inducted into Bowling Green State University’s Dallas-Hamilton Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame
- 2008 - South Asian Association for Regional Corporation’s (SAARC) Woman of Achievement
- 2008 - Retail Leadership Award, Asia Retail Congress, India
- 2008 - Woman of Saabstance, Saab Cars, Singapore
- 2008 - World Animal Day, Sri Lankan Ambassador
- 2009 - Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill Ambassador
- 2009 - Colombo Jewelry Stores, Dior Brand Ambassador
- 2010 – Stevie Awards for Women in Business, Best Entrepreneur of the Year in the Non-Services Businesses – up to 2, 500 Employees
- 2010 – The SIAS Partnership Summit’s Achievers and Leaders Award for Excellence in Brand Building.
References
- ^ "Thashmi's wonderful world". The Nation on Sunday. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
External links
- Otara’s support to community dogs (The Sunday Times Online)
- Major women’s ware dealer on animal loving campaign (Asian Tribune)
- Otara Lanka’s Ambassador for World Animal Day (Daily News)
- ODEL founder and CEO Otara Gunewardene said they continue to witness significant same store growth and the addition of new stores has also contributed to this increased revenue. (Lanka Newspapers)
 | This Sri Lankan biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |