Mentorship in Sri Lanka: how to find a mentor and what to ask

Three years into his career at a Colombo-based fintech startup, Nuwan had a solid technical record but no clear path forward. Then a senior engineer at WSO2 agreed to meet him for coffee once a month. Within 18 months, Nuwan had switched into a product management role, negotiated a 40% pay rise, and landed a regional leadership position. The mentor never pulled strings — they just helped Nuwan see around corners he didn't know existed.

Mentorship is one of the most underused career tools in Sri Lanka. Here's how to change that.

Why formal mentorship is rare — but informal mentorship thrives

Sri Lanka doesn't have a strong culture of structured mentorship programmes the way some Western companies do. What it does have is a deeply relational professional culture where who you know matters enormously. The best mentorships here tend to start with a shared university background (Moratuwa, Peradeniya, SLIIT), a professional body (CIMA, ICASL, IESL), or a common employer.

The implication: your best mentor is probably already in your network — you just haven't framed the relationship yet.

Where to actually find a mentor in Sri Lanka

Forget waiting for a company programme. Go directly to these channels:

• Professional associations — CIMA Sri Lanka, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL), IESL, and the BCS Sri Lanka section all hold events where senior members are open to engaging with juniors.
• LinkedIn outreach to Colombo professionals — A short, specific message gets replies. Vague messages don't. More on this below.
• Old-boy and old-girl networks — University alumni chapters are active. The University of Moratuwa Alumni Association and the University of Colombo Commerce Faculty alumni group both have senior members who mentor.
• Industry meetups — Colombo's tech scene runs regular meetups (SLASSCOM events, AWS User Groups, Google Developer Groups). Attend three, introduce yourself, follow up with the speakers.
• Your current employer — Senior colleagues at companies like IFS, Virtusa, Hemas, or John Keells Holdings are often willing to mentor informally — especially if you show genuine initiative rather than asking for a favour.

How to ask someone to be your mentor

The phrase "will you be my mentor?" is too big and too vague. Most busy professionals will politely decline. Instead, make a smaller, specific ask:

"I'm transitioning into data engineering and your work at Dialog has been something I've followed for a while. Would you be open to a 30-minute call once a month? I'd love your perspective on how to approach the CBSL's new data governance requirements from a product angle."

That message works because it's flattering without being obsequious, time-bounded, and shows you've done your homework. It also gives the potential mentor a clear sense of what they'd be contributing.

What to ask in the first three sessions

Once someone agrees, most mentees waste the first meeting by being too deferential or too general. Come prepared with one specific challenge and one career question per session. Good openers for Sri Lankan professional contexts:

• "How did you navigate moving from individual contributor to manager at your company? What surprised you?"
• "I'm weighing a move from a large corporate like Sampath Bank to a smaller fintech. What would you watch out for?"
• "The salary range I'm seeing for senior finance roles in Colombo seems quite compressed. How do you think about total compensation beyond the basic?"

Avoid asking questions Google can answer. Your mentor's time is worth most when they're sharing judgment and lived experience, not public information.

Making the relationship last

Mentorships in Sri Lanka often fade because the mentee treats them transactionally — asking for introductions and then going quiet. The relationships that last are genuinely mutual:

• Share something useful back. A relevant article, a heads-up about an industry shift, a connection they might not have.
• Update them on outcomes. If their advice helped you land a role at MAS Holdings, tell them. People like to know their time mattered.
• Respect the cadence. If you agreed to monthly catch-ups, hold them. Cancelling repeatedly signals you don't value the time.

One mentor is rarely enough

As your career evolves, you'll need different kinds of guidance. A technical lead at Virtusa can help you grow as an engineer; a CFO who has navigated the SEC's listing requirements can help you understand the financial governance landscape. Think of mentorship as a portfolio, not a single relationship.

The best careers in Sri Lanka are rarely built in isolation. Behind almost every senior professional at a company like John Keells or a regulator like the CBSL, you'll find a few key people who gave them real, honest, timely counsel — usually without a formal programme in sight. Build those relationships intentionally, and they'll compound in ways no salary increment ever will.