- Prasad Hapuarachchi on his appointment as AWPC Executive Director
The Asian Wildlife Photographers’ Club (AWPC) is a Hong Kong-based initiative – with offices in Singapore, UAE, Sri Lanka, and Nepal – which aspires to be one of Asia’s most powerful wildlife brands. It hopes to connect 50,000 Asian and international wildlife photographers and one million fans worldwide by 2025.
Recently, AWPC appointed local photographer Prasad Hapuarachchi as its Executive Director.
Hapuarachchi is a highly regarded leader in his multiple chosen fields. In his leadership capacity, he comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience in travel, tourism, wildlife and wildlife photography, nature conservation, and management. He was the Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourist Board – Western Province from 2016 to 2018, and he was elected to the Head Table of Tourism Leaders Summit held in China in 2017. Furthermore, Hapuarachchi was Chairman of the Association of Tourism Leaders – South Pacific Countries in 2017. He has also contributed immensely as a volunteer member for wildlife conservation, and has been a member of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Society of Sri Lanka since 2000.
Brunch spoke to Hapuarachchi on his new installation and how it came about. Hapuarachchi told us he has been involved in the field of wildlife photography for over 25 years. He was also actively involved in many conservation projects and awareness campaigns regarding wildlife and the environment – his work here resulted in the AWPC contacting him two years ago and promptly offering him the post of Country Representative for the Sri Lankan office. He was later promoted to Country Director, which allowed him to communicate and collaborate with many other photographers internationally and help build a good tourism portfolio for Sri Lanka.
At the moment, Hapuarachchi told us, he oversees the entire Asian region as the Executive Director for the AWPC, and is only second to the co-founders and the other Executive Directors. He is also the first Sri Lankan to be appointed to such a high position within the club, he noted.
“They may have seen me as a valuable asset to their cause, which is why they wanted me to get on board,” he said.
AWPC’s goal is not only to highlight the best wildlife encounters captured by Asian and international wildlife photographers, but also to provide them with exposure, value, recognition, and opportunities. Hapuarachchi told us that AWPC will also prioritise contributions to Asian wildlife and ocean-life conservation projects, with the primary focus being on organising workshops, exhibitions, expo events, awareness campaigns, award ceremonies, publications, and a variety of other activities. This year, he revealed, AWPC will appoint a country representative for each of the 15 Asian countries among its membership.
Hapuarachchi assured us that he will try his level best to improve tourism in our country with his new appointment, as he strongly believes that it is the solution to our current situation.
“The experience I gathered as Tourism Board Chairman will help me in this endeavour. While I was appointed, I made several contacts with foreign tourism representatives, and we share everything we practice in our respective countries, so I have knowledge on what the tourism industry looks like internationally,” he commented.
In terms of improving tourism, he noted that it was a challenge to work with the Government, as many proposals get shut down, which he claimed was because several officials prioritise holding on to their positions over identifying projects that would benefit the country.
“The situation in the country politically seems to be changing right now and we can only hope for better leaders that have the best interest of our motherland at heart and not themselves,” he added. He also noted that he has a great opportunity right now, and if the tourism authorities are willing, they can get on board with the AWPC and help initiate these plans.
Currently, the AWPC has initiated a conservation project called Gentle Giants in Sri Lanka, of which Hapuarachchi is the Head of Operations.
“Gentle Giants Project is focused on conservation for wildlife and ocean life,” he told us, adding that the pilot project has already started in Sri Lanka and will be spread throughout Asia for the protection of wildlife and ocean life.
At the moment, the AWPC consists of a group of skilled and committed professionals from a variety of backgrounds – developers, marketers, wildlife photographers, brand strategists, conservationists, entrepreneurs, and investors – who Hapuarachchi believes will make a difference in Asian wildlife.
