In the dynamic corporate landscape of Sri Lanka, a boutique firm is making outsized waves in the field of talent development. BrainHR (Pvt) Ltd, a homegrown learning and development consultancy established in 2012, has steadily earned a reputation as a premier training provider for businesses. Despite its modest size, BrainHR has delivered high-impact, evidence-backed training solutions to organizations across the island, helping transform teams and groom future leaders.
Over a Decade of High-Impact Training Excellence
With over a decade of service, BrainHR has proven that being a boutique is no barrier to making a significant impact. The company has trained over 25,000 professionals in Sri Lanka through its programs across various industries, including telecommunications, finance, healthcare, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Its customized HR interventions and workshops have collectively accounted for more than 2.5 million iman-days of advisory and training delivered – a remarkable figure that underscores the depth of BrainHR’s experience. Business leaders who partner with BrainHR often remark on the firm’s ability to punch above its weight class; though smaller in size, its influence on workforce capability building is significant. Established as a “trusted boutique HR advisory” firm, BrainHR prides itself on close client partnerships, agility in tailoring solutions, and an unwavering commitment to quality content delivery.
A Research-Based, Evidence-Backed Approach
One of the distinguishing features of BrainHR’s training methodology is its foundation in research and evidence-based practice. In an era where the effectiveness of corporate training is scrutinized, BrainHR stands out by designing programs grounded in organizational psychology and proven learning techniques. The team continually incorporates global best practices and local research findings to ensure that each workshop or coaching session is both relevant and impactful. For example, BrainHR’s flagship ‘License to Hire’ workshop emphasizes evidence-based interviewing techniques for recruiters, and all programs are regularly updated to reflect the latest insights in behavioral and cognitive science, leadership, and skill development. Participants in BrainHR training programs frequently cite the high-quality content delivery and practical frameworks provided – a testament to the firm’s philosophy that training should not only be engaging but also backed by evidence and data for real-world results. This research-driven approach resonates with discerning corporate clients who seek measurable outcomes from their learning and development investments.
Signature Programs that Empower Leaders
At the core of BrainHR’s offerings is a suite of signature programs, each targeting a critical competency area for professionals and executives. These programs are crafted with a blend of global insights and local context, ensuring they meet the needs of the Sri Lankan industry while introducing world-class concepts. Notable signature programs include:
- “License to Hire” – A comprehensive behavioral interviewing training for hiring managers, enabling them to identify and recruit top talent effectively. This program has already trained over 5,000 hiring managers in Sri Lanka in competency-based interviewing since its inception, underscoring BrainHR’s role in improving hiring practices nationwide.
- “License to Negotiate” – A multi-level negotiation skills curriculum offered in Fundamentals, Mastery, and Strategic tiers. This program develops participants’ negotiation skills from the basics to advanced strategies, helping business professionals close deals and resolve conflicts with confidence.
- Design Thinking Workshops – Interactive programs that introduce the principles of design thinking to drive innovation. Through hands-on exercises, leaders and teams learn to apply human-centered design to creatively and collaboratively solve business problems.
- Resilience Skills Training – In today’s volatile business environment, resilience is key. BrainHR’s resilience workshops coach individuals on coping strategies, adaptability, and mental toughness, building employees’ capacity to bounce back from challenges and thrive under pressure.
- Business Model Development – A program aimed at instilling entrepreneurial thinking within corporate teams. Participants learn to develop, test, and refine business models (for new ventures or internal projects) using proven frameworks, fostering a culture of intrapreneurship and agile innovation.
- Mentoring Skills Development – Focused on cultivating a culture of mentorship within organizations, this training equips senior professionals with the skills to mentor and develop junior talent effectively. It covers essential mentoring techniques, communication skills, and relationship-building strategies that strengthen succession pipelines.
Each of these signature programs is delivered by seasoned facilitators (often led by BrainHR’s CEO himself) and is continually refined through participant feedback and new research findings. The result is engaging, praxis-oriented learning experiences that have earned BrainHR repeat clients and public acclaim. It’s not uncommon for CEOs and HR Directors to send their teams to one BrainHR workshop and soon return with requests for multiple follow-up programs, impressed by the tangible performance improvements observed.
Bridging Sri Lanka’s C-Suite Leadership Gap
As Sri Lankan companies expand and evolve, a critical concern has emerged in many boardrooms: the leadership development gap at the top. Many organizations worry that their next generation of executives isn’t fully prepared for C-suite roles in a rapidly changing world. (In fact, globally, 80% of companies acknowledge a leadership development gap in their ranks, and Sri Lanka is no exception.) BrainHR directly addresses this issue by fortifying the leadership pipelines of its client organizations. Through its advanced programs – such as strategic negotiation for executives and the Leadership Challenge series – BrainHR grooms high-potential managers to step confidently into bigger roles. The firm’s focus on evidence-backed leadership models means that training goes beyond theory; they actively work on the mindset shifts and soft skills needed for effective executive leadership.
To further bolster its offerings, BrainHR has forged strategic partnerships with international leadership development experts. Notably, it collaborates with a renowned UK-based training firm, as well as a consultancy operating in Germany and South Africa, to bring global perspectives and content to Sri Lanka. These partnerships enable BrainHR to contextualize international best practices for local leaders, whether it involves introducing a cutting-edge talent assessment tool from Europe or co-delivering a cross-cultural management program. By combining regional expertise with global know-how, BrainHR ensures that Sri Lankan CEOs and future C-suite leaders are exposed to world-class development opportunities without having to leave home. In essence, BrainHR is helping to close the leadership gap by producing leaders who are not only adept in the Sri Lankan context but are also globally savvy.
The Visionary Behind BrainHR: Shan Yahampath
The driving force behind BrainHR’s success is its Founder and CEO, Shan Yahampath, who also serves as Lead Consultant and Master Trainer. Shan is a well-known figure in Sri Lanka’s HR and training circles, bringing over two decades of diverse industry experience to the table. His professional journey before founding BrainHR saw him in key roles at top-tier companies, including stints at Dialog Axiata PLC (Sri Lanka’s leading telecommunications operator) and WorleyParsons (a global engineering and consulting firm). Trained and mentored by these industry giants early in his career, Shan developed a firm grounding in corporate best practices, strategic HR management, and the art of effective training.
Since 2012, Shan Yahampath has leveraged that experience to build BrainHR as a platform for change. He is Sri Lanka’s leading trainer in behavioral interviewing and is reputed to have personally trained thousands of hiring managers through the “License to Hire” program. Under his guidance, BrainHR has partnered with some of the most prominent local businesses – including leading a nationwide behavioral interviewing capability-building initiative for a major telecommunications provider and enhancing the service culture of a top-tier private hospital group. Shan and his team have also consulted on restructuring recruitment processes for several large organizations, streamlining how companies attract and select talent to improve hiring outcomes significantly. Shan has also personally trained the island-wide sales forces of three multinational organizations, equipping frontline teams with practical tools in negotiation, resilience, and customer engagement. These success stories have solidified Shan’s reputation as a trusted training partner to business leaders. It’s not just his impressive client portfolio that stands out, but the genuine enthusiasm he brings to every training session – often peppering workshops with real-case examples from his own consulting experience and research. Colleagues describe Shan as an “expert generalist” – someone with knowledge spanning multiple domains – and as a thought leader who continuously researches topics like strategy execution in volatile environments and dynamic managerial capabilities.
In conversation, Shan often reiterates BrainHR’s core ethos: training must translate to business results. This founder’s passion for meaningful, research-driven training cascades through the entire BrainHR team.
Empowering Sri Lanka’s Future, One Leader at a Time
As BrainHR (Pvt) Ltd steps into the future, its mission remains laser-focused: to empower Sri Lankan organizations with the knowledge, skills, and mindset required to thrive in an increasingly competitive world. In a time when businesses must navigate economic uncertainties, technological disruption, and evolving workforce expectations, effective leadership, and resilient teams are the ultimate differentiators. BrainHR is helping companies cultivate these differentiators from within – whether through a transformative design thinking workshop that sparks the next big innovation or a mentoring skills program that creates a ripple effect of talent development across the company.
The tone BrainHR strikes is distinctly corporate yet accessible: every engagement is professionally executed but always with a human touch and cultural sensitivity. This balance has endeared it to many in Sri Lanka’s business community. It’s no surprise that CEOs and Heads of HR across industries – from finance and telecom to healthcare and manufacturing – are turning to BrainHR as a strategic partner for talent development. They know that with BrainHR’s research-backed methodologies and hands-on approach, training isn’t a checkbox exercise but a catalyst for organizational growth and performance improvement.
In summary, BrainHR has positioned itself as a boutique powerhouse in the learning and development arena. The firm’s evidence-based, high-quality training content, its portfolio of signature programs addressing critical skill gaps, and its blend of local and global expertise all establish BrainHR’s credibility as a leader in corporate training. More importantly, BrainHR’s story illustrates how a clear vision and commitment to excellence can bridge gaps – whether it’s the gap between strategy and execution or the leadership development gap in the C-suite. For Sri Lankan businesses seeking to nurture talent and accelerate leadership capacity, BrainHR offers a compelling proposition: a decade-long track record of impact, a research-driven approach, and a passionate team led by a visionary who believes in unlocking the brain power in HR. In the world of corporate training, BrainHR is proving that the right learning partner can indeed make all the difference.
Contact:
BrainHR (Pvt) Ltd – Orion City, Colombo 09, Sri Lanka
Email:info@brainhr.lk | Phone: +94 777 493 628
