SURINA piyadasa
​CEO & FOUNDER, DYNAMICALLY SPEAKING
SENIOR ​COMMUNICATION STRATEGIST, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TRAINER & EXECUTIVE COACH

As a Business Leader, Senior Communications Strategist to CEOs, Business Development Specialist, Professional Actor and former Technology Banker, Surina Piyadasa brings a unique skill set to accelerate client success across the global enterprise.  Her joy is empowering leaders and high potentials to learn and grow as speakers.

Clients include thought leaders as Featured Keynote Speakers at Career Builder, Deutsche Bank Leveraged Finance Conference, Cisco Global Sales Meeting, LinkedIn Sales Connect Conference and the Hoover Institution.  

Executives trust Surina when they need to deliver thought leadership during media interviews. Clients have appeared on Bloomberg Technology, MSNBC, CNBC, Nightly Business Report and WealthTrack. 

Before launching Dynamically Speaking, Surina held Vice President positions in Corporate Finance, Structured Finance and Institutional Sales.  Employers include The Brenner Group, Coast Partners Securities and Union Bank Capital Markets Group.  As Advisor, Surina has helped fast-growth companies raise over $1 billion in funding.  Her passion is equipping the next generation to advance as leaders of integrity in STEM careers.

Present and Past Affiliations:

• Commercial print model, professional actor and SAG-AFTRA member since 2004
• ​100 Women in Finance, member
• Pitch Mentor, LexisNexis/Lex Machina Legal Tech Accelerator since 2017
• Ambassador (since 2011) and Board member (from 2008 through 2011) to Water for People (four-star rating by Charity Navigator)
• Financial ​Supporter, Otinoa Village Children's Orphanage, Uganda since 2015
• Business Advisor/Mentor Eden Area Recreational Occupational Program (Hayward, CA) since 2017
• Co-Chair, Executive Committee, Business Forums International (San Jose and San Jose, CA Chapters 2005 - 2012)
• Mentor, The Founder Institute (Palo Alto Chapter, 2011)

Keynote/Workshop Presenter: 

•  "Present with Focus, Relevance and Results" , SF CFA Society
• "Think and Speak Like an Inspired Leader" , Cisco Global Supply Chain
• "Think Like a Champion to Soar as an Eagle" , Eden Area ROP
• "The Entrepreneur's Journey: What You'll Need to Succeed", Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
• "Turn Setback into Two Steps Forward" , Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
• "Create a First Impression to WOW Your Audience", Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
•  "Communicate to Influence" , Office of the CIO
•  "Deliver a Killer Elevator Pitch", Vistage International
•  "Clients X and Y Boardroom-style Presentations to Retail Store Executives" , StorePoint Retail

Surina knows the power of the spoken word to ignite positive action. Her undergraduate degree in Finance was fully funded through speech competitions, scholarships, grants and part-time work at Macy's. An avid learner, Surina earned an MBA in Finance from Golden Gate University in the evenings while working full-time as a Unit Manager in Bank of America's Corporate Trust Division.
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PASSION.  CURIOSITY.  EMPATHY.