Head of Standards (Acting)
Udaya is responsible for the development and promotion of the AA series of standards. Based in our London office, he is a sustainability professional with over ten years of international experience across manufacturing, technology, financial services, and consulting industries. Udaya has contributed to a number of globally significant steering committees, working groups, and multi-stakeholder forums on corporate accountability.
Prior to joining AccountAbility, Udaya consulted on developing solutions for compliance and transparency challenges in multinational supply chains for global brands and retailers, including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Next. He has been part of numerous external funding driven development projects on socio-economic innovation in emerging markets, such as UpSkill, a UKAID/Government Department for International Development (DfID) funded ethical compliance e-learning platform for Bangladeshi garment factories. He has worked collaboratively with renowned research bodies including the University of Greenwich’s National Resource Institute (NRI) and the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) at the University of York to create and deliver shared value-driven impact assessments for public reporting.
Starting his career in human resource development in Sri Lanka, Udaya is a firm believer in holistic performance management integrating financial and sustainability data. He was part of the team that introduced Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting to Sri Lanka’s flagship telecommunications provider and South Asia’s first “quadruple” player, Dialog Axiata.
Udaya is certified in ISO31000 Application of Risk to Management Systems by BSI and in Social Systems Lead Auditing by SGS UK. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD, UK) and holds an MBA in Corporate Social Responsibility from the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (ICCSR) at the University of Nottingham, UK. He also has an MA in Human Resource Management from the University of Leeds, UK and a BA in Psychology from Bangalore University, India.