Dr. Ruwantissa I.R. Abeyratne
International Civil Aviation Organization, Montreal,
Canada
I work as a senior official in the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations specialized agency responsible for the regulation of international civil aviation. My work involves co-ordination of work in the Air Transport Bureau and projects assigned to the Bureau. I am also a Professor of Aviation Law and Policy, Sir John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal. Before joining ICAO in 1990, I worked at SriLankan Airlines (formerly Airlanka) as Chief Co-ordinator and Head of International Relations and Insurance for 8 years.
I was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and received my elementary and high school education at St. Joseph's College Colombo. I graduated from the University of Colombo as an internal candidate with the degree of bachelor of laws in 1978. Thereafter, I proceeded to Monash University, Victoria, Australia where I completed my master's degree in laws, specializing in international law and air law. My master's thesis was on manufacturer's liability for defective aircraft products.
I also hold the degree of doctor of civil laws from McGill University, where I wrote my thesis on aviation security laws in the university's Institute of Air and Space Law.
In 1998, I was conferred the degree of doctor of philosophy ( Ph.D) by the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, for my thesis on Computer Reservations Systems and Code Sharing Agreements in Air Transport which was published by Editions Frontieres, Paris.
I enjoy writing in my areas of specialization and my publications cover various aspects of aerospace law, trade law, communications law and intellectual property law. I have also published on contemporary international politics. I am a Fellow of both the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Chartered Institute of Transport of Great Britain. I am also a member of the International Law Association, in which I serve as a member of both the Association's International Trade Law Committee and the Space Law Committee.
In 1979 I married Anoma Abeyesekere who was studying with me in the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo and later completed her master's degree in laws at Monash University with me. After her graduate studies, Anoma worked as senior lecturer in law at the Open University of Sri Lanka and visiting lecturer in law in the University of Colombo. Her areas of specialization are in personal laws in which she has produced several publications as legal texts and journal articles.
We have two sons: Vishesh Alok, who attends St. George's; and Ayush Nirmith, who attends Hampstead School. We live in Montreal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|