Built to Inspire: Shamal Perera and Suhayb Sangani
On Built to Inspire on Raise The Bar, I am joined by entrepreneurs, changemakers, and visionary leaders who are creating impact through sport, wellness, leadership, and community building, both locally and internationally. These are individuals who are not only building successful ventures, but are also helping reshape industries, create opportunities, and inspire healthier, more connected lifestyles through innovative sporting platforms and experiences. In today’s segment, we feature an exclusive conversation with Shamal Perera and Suhayb Sangani, two individuals whose shared vision and leadership are helping redefine Sri Lanka’s sporting ecosystem through the Ceylon Golf League and the Island Invitational Golf League. What began as a bold idea to modernize golf has now evolved into a wider movement focused on community, accessibility, sports tourism, and international recognition. Together, alongside legendary cricketer Mahela Jayawardene, they are building platforms that combine competition, lifestyle, hospitality, and global engagement in ways that Sri Lanka’s golfing industry has never experienced before.
1. Ceylon Golf League is introducing a completely new format to a traditionally conservative sport. With your individual expertise and backgrounds, what made you both believe in this vision at its inception, and how did your combined strengths influence your decision to come on board?
The vision for the league emerged from witnessing how golf was evolving internationally. While the sport has traditionally been centred around individual competition and personal achievement, franchise-based formats were transforming the way audiences connected with the game. What stood out most was not only the competition, but the atmosphere surrounding it, with passion, identity, loyalty, and strong emotional connections between teams, cities, and supporters. That sparked the realization that Sri Lanka had the potential to create something similar while preserving the traditions and integrity of golf. The country already possesses talented players, beautiful courses, and a strong golfing culture, but lacked a modern platform capable of elevating the sport’s visibility and excitement. The partnership worked because each individual brought different strengths, from business execution and financial planning to deep golfing knowledge and franchise sport experience. The vision was never simply to create another tournament, but to build a long-term sporting platform capable of positioning Sri Lanka within larger international sporting conversations.
2. Golf has often been perceived as exclusive and niche. With your experience across industries, how do you see CGL reshaping that perception and helping move the sport forward in Sri Lanka?
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding golf is that it is only accessible to the privileged. In reality, many of Sri Lanka’s strongest golfers emerged from communities surrounding golf courses, including caddie communities and individuals who grew up around the sport without wealth or privilege. The challenge was never talent, but rather visibility, accessibility, and opportunity. Globally, golf has evolved into a far more inclusive sport, with younger audiences engaging differently and digital platforms helping break traditional barriers. Locally, however, the sport still lacked a stronger emotional connection with the wider public. The franchise structure introduced by the Ceylon Golf League has helped transform that experience. When players represent cities, teams, and communities, the game becomes larger than individual achievement.
Audiences begin supporting identities and stories, creating excitement, loyalty, and emotional investment. Families attended matches, younger audiences followed standings online, and more than a thousand spectators came through the Royal Colombo Golf Club during tournament weekend. Importantly, the objective is not to change golf’s traditions, but to modernize the experience while preserving the integrity, values, and discipline that make the sport unique.
3. As leading businessmen with exposure to multiple industries, what drew you specifically to golf, and how does that connect to the kind of wellness and lifestyle culture you hope the Ceylon Golf League will inspire?
Golf gradually becomes far more than just a sport. Over time, it becomes part of a person’s mindset, discipline, and character. For some, the connection began through professional environments where golf naturally played a role in networking and relationship building, while for others it was deeply rooted in family life across generations. What keeps people connected to the game is its emotional and mental nature. Golf teaches patience, resilience, discipline, and emotional control unlike almost any other sport. The game constantly humbles even the most experienced players, teaching them to reset mentally and return stronger after setbacks. Beyond competition, golf also creates meaningful human connections and lifelong friendships through shared experiences and community. The vision behind the Ceylon Golf League extends beyond promoting golf itself. It is about encouraging a healthier lifestyle centred around movement, wellness, discipline, and social connection. Golf naturally combines health, community, and longevity, making it uniquely valuable across every stage of life.
4. At its inception, being part of something this new comes with uncertainty. How did your experience as leaders help you navigate the risks, and what gave you the confidence that this could elevate Sri Lanka’s presence in the global sporting space?
Building something entirely new within a traditional sporting environment always comes with uncertainty, particularly when there is no existing blueprint to follow. The concept of a franchise-based golf league was unfamiliar in Sri Lanka, which naturally made the vision feel ambitious at times. However, years of experience in business and leadership helped shape the mindset needed to navigate those challenges. Every meaningful venture involves operational pressures, financial risks, logistical complexities, and unexpected obstacles. What ultimately matters is the strength of the vision and the ability of the team to adapt and execute under pressure. One of the most valuable decisions made early on was recognizing that nobody needed to excel at everything. Responsibilities were assigned based on expertise, while collaboration and openness became central to the league’s progress. Sri Lanka already possesses exceptional golf courses, hospitality, landscapes, and tourism potential. Through the Ceylon Golf League and Island Invitational Golf League, that potential is now being positioned on a larger regional and international stage.
5. CGL is not just a tournament. It is positioning itself as a movement to grow the sport and create wider impact. With your combined influence, how do you see yourselves contributing to building a stronger sporting ecosystem in Sri Lanka?
One of the biggest priorities moving forward is accessibility and outreach. While Sri Lanka has an impressive pool of golfing talent, opportunities have historically remained limited to certain communities and environments.
The long-term vision is to gradually break those barriers and create pathways for younger players from different regions and backgrounds to engage with the sport. This is one of the key reasons the city-based franchise structure became so significant. Each franchise has the potential to evolve beyond competition and become a platform for grassroots development, junior training, and community engagement. Visibility is equally important, as many talented athletes often go unnoticed due to lack of exposure. Through broadcasting, storytelling, digital media, and professionally organized events, the league aims to ensure players feel recognized and celebrated. One of the most inspiring aspects of the tournament was the overwhelming support from the golfing community, with volunteers and supporters coming together purely because they believed in the vision behind the league.
6. When you look at Ceylon Golf League on a global scale, how do you see this platform helping Sri Lanka establish itself in the international sporting arena, and what would success look like for you in the next few years?
Sri Lanka possesses all the natural ingredients required to establish itself as a respected international golfing destination. The country offers world class scenery, unique golfing environments, hospitality, tourism appeal, and a culture that naturally complements destination sport experiences. Globally, golf tourism is an enormous industry. Many countries across Asia have successfully positioned themselves around destination golfing experiences where sport, travel, lifestyle, and luxury intersect together. Sri Lanka has the ability to compete within that space while offering something culturally unique and distinct. That is where both the Ceylon Golf League and the Island Invitational Golf League become extremely important. The long-term objective is not simply to host tournaments. It is to create recurring international sporting experiences that players, tourists, and audiences across the region eventually look forward to annually. The Island Invitational in particular represents an important step toward building Sri Lanka’s reputation within the global golf tourism market. Over time, the hope is to attract greater international participation, media visibility, tourism partnerships, and global recognition. For the founders, success would ultimately mean seeing Sri Lanka recognized internationally as a respected golfing nation. More importantly, success would mean seeing young Sri Lankan golfers emerge onto larger global stages after developing through ecosystems and opportunities created by platforms like CGL.
7. Raise The Bar is about pushing boundaries and redefining standards. As individuals who have built credibility in your respective fields, how does this venture reflect your own philosophy of raising the bar, both personally and professionally?
Professionally, all three founders come from environments where discipline, accountability, consistency, and performance are already part of everyday life. However, sport introduces a far more emotional dimension than business alone. While business success is often measured through profitability and operational outcomes, sport creates something far more human through inspiration, community, and emotional connection. That is what makes this journey particularly meaningful. Golf, in particular, represents longevity in a unique way because it remains part of a person’s life across every stage of adulthood. The sport becomes deeply connected to lifestyle, wellbeing, and identity over decades.
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The two founders believe golf has the ability to shape emotional resilience, confidence, discipline, and long-term wellness far beyond physical activity itself. At the same time, raising the bar means continuously evolving standards internally. Every season must improve, and every experience must evolve further. Ultimately, the vision is about creating a lasting legacy that inspires future generations and elevates Sri Lanka on the international sporting stage.
