Shemara Wikramanayake


Shemara Wikramanayake is an Australian businesswoman. In 2018, she became the Managing Director and CEO of Macquarie Group Ltd.

Career

Wikramanayake worked as a corporate lawyer at Blake Dawson Waldron before joineing Macquarie Group Ltd in 1987.
In December 2018, she replaced Nicholas Moore as Managing Director/CEO of Macquarie Group. Prior to this, Wikramanayake was the group head of Macquarie Asset Management.
She is the only female CEO among Australia's 20 biggest companies by market value and the first Asian-Australian woman to head an ASX 200 listed company.

Personal life

She was born in England, where her Sri Lankan father was a doctor. She attended a state school in London before the family moved to Australia, where she went to Ascham School.
She studied commerce and law at the University of New South Wales.