K. Pathmananthan is a distinguished education and international development professional with over 40 years of experience in education, leadership, community development, humanitarian response, and institutional strengthening. His career spans the Government of Sri Lanka, United Nations agencies, international non-governmental organisations, and the private sector, where he has led transformative initiatives that have strengthened education systems and improved opportunities for
children and communities.

As the Country Director of Room to Read Sri Lanka, he provides strategic leadership to programmes that promote literacy, girls' education, life skills, and system strengthening through collaboration with government institutions, universities, and development partners. Throughout his career, he has also held senior leadership positions with the Ministry of Education, UNICEF, UN-Habitat, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Save the Children, contributing to national education reforms, post-disaster recovery, community development, and organisational capacity building.