-- Thishani Rodrigo has received a 2025 Global Recognition Award for developing an integrated framework that links higher education, ethical international recruitment, and sustainable development throughout South Asia and beyond. The award recognizes her work in establishing pathways that connect academic credentials to international employment while maintaining rigorous ethical standards across multiple organizational platforms. Her leadership includes several institutions and demonstrates a capacity to manage high-impact organizations while addressing critical gaps in professional mobility, educational access, and community infrastructure.
Photo Courtesy of Thishani Rodrigo
Rodrigo holds several leadership positions at KIU University in Sri Lanka, serving as Chief of Global Strategic Partnerships, Assistant to the President, University Secretary, and Board Member. She serves as the Managing Director of EIPER International (Private) Limited, a licensed recruitment agency, and oversees environmental initiatives through Green Cross Sri Lanka as Director. Shortlisted applicants for the Global Recognition Awards are evaluated using the Rasch model, which creates a linear measurement scale for each category, allowing for precise comparisons between candidates who excel in different areas.
Building International Partnerships and Educational Pathways
KIU University has founded formal collaborations with institutions and employers in Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, New Zealand, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and China under Rodrigo's direction. These partnerships function as an educational resource and an employment pipeline while offering structured pathways for students and professionals to access international opportunities. The collaborations ensure academic and regulatory compliance that meets the standards of sending and receiving countries, creating a network that serves immediate placement needs and long-term career development.
Thousands of Sri Lankan nurses and caregivers have secured overseas placements through these channels, which combine language training, professional certification, and post-arrival support that extends beyond the initial placement period. Rodrigo designed the governance frameworks that allow KIU to scale these programs without compromising standards or exploiting participants, ensuring that every stage of the process reflects ethical principles and measurable quality standards. "The integration of academic preparation with international employment pathways creates opportunities that serve individual advancement and broader economic development goals," Rodrigo noted. The university's reputation has grown substantially under her leadership, positioning it as one of Sri Lanka's most active non-state institutions while creating pathways that alter individual careers and strengthen the country's position in global labor markets.
Establishing Ethical Migration Systems
EIPER International operates under Rodrigo's management as a recruitment agency that connects academic credentials to international employment opportunities while maintaining transparency and regulatory compliance throughout the entire migration process. The organization has launched migration pathways to Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Germany, with active development of routes to Canada, the UK, and New Zealand that will expand access to additional labor markets. Each pathway includes transparent contracting, predeparture orientation, and ongoing support after placement that addresses professional integration and personal adaptation to new cultural environments.
Rodrigo's model eliminates many of the predatory practices that have historically plagued international labor migration from South Asia, including hidden fees, contract substitution, and inadequate preparation for the destination-country work environment. The system integrates directly with KIU's academic programs, allowing students to complete nursing or caregiving credentials while preparing for overseas licensure examinations and language proficiency tests that match the requirements of their intended destinations. "Creating seamless transitions requires meeting Sri Lankan regulatory standards and the requirements of destination countries," Rodrigo explained. Rodrigo structured these programs to meet regulatory frameworks, creating a seamless transition that reduces barriers and increases success rates for participants while protecting workers from exploitation.
Expanding Water Infrastructure Across Sri Lanka
Rodrigo expanded the Smart Water Project across multiple districts in Sri Lanka through her role as project director and overseer for Green Cross Sri Lanka, bringing clean drinking water systems to schools and communities that lack reliable access to safe water and face persistent health challenges as a result. Partnerships with Green Cross Japan, the Embassy of Japan, Giorgio Armani's Acqua for Life, and Green Cross Switzerland provide technical expertise and funding, while local teams handle installation, maintenance, training, and sanitation education. The project has reached thousands of students and families in underserved regions, reducing waterborne illness and improving school attendance rates while creating measurable improvements in community health outcomes.
The Smart Water Project aligns with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to health, education, clean water, and global partnerships, demonstrating how targeted infrastructure interventions can address various development challenges simultaneously. Rodrigo's management ensures that installations are maintained by trained community members rather than external contractors, creating local employment and long-term sustainability that extends beyond the initial implementation phase. "Infrastructure interventions must be maintained by the communities they serve to ensure lasting impact," Rodrigo stated. The project demonstrates how international collaboration can address infrastructure gaps in low-income areas without creating dependency on foreign aid, building a model that other organizations have begun to study for replication in similar contexts.
Final Words
"Thishani Rodrigo has demonstrated an exceptional ability to translate vision into functioning systems that serve real needs across multiple domains," said Alex Sterling, spokesperson for the Global Recognition Awards. "Her contributions cover education, migration, sustainability, and international development in ways that few leaders manage to achieve within a single career," Sterling noted. Her work combines strategic vision with operational discipline, allowing her to execute complex initiatives that others might abandon as impractical or too challenging to implement at scale.
Rodrigo has built systems that connect education, employment, and environmental health in ways that produce measurable outcomes for thousands of people while setting new standards for ethical practice in international education and migration. Her work at KIU University has positioned the institution as a leader in global partnerships and professional training, serving individual advancement and broader economic development goals. Her management of EIPER International has created ethical pathways for labor migration that protect workers and meet destination-country standards. Her oversight of the Smart Water Project has delivered critical infrastructure to communities that governments and markets have failed to reach.
About Global Recognition Awards
Global Recognition Awards is an international organization that recognizes exceptional companies and individuals who have significantly contributed to their industry.
Contact Info:
Name: Alexander Sterling
Email: Send Email
Organization: Global Recognition Awards
Website: https://globalrecognitionawards.org
Release ID: 89173132
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