Keynote Speaker 1 - Mr. Manone Perera
Mr. Manone Perera possesses over 30 years of experience in both multinational and local industries, with expertise spanning supply chain management, operational excellence, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Total Quality Management (TQM). Having worked across Asia and Africa with leading multinational organisations, including The Coca‑Cola Company and Unilever, he has played a pivotal role in driving productivity improvement, TPM implementation and supply chain capability development across numerous manufacturing operations.
He currently serves as a visiting lecturer for master’s degree programmes at University of Colombo and University of Northampton, while also acting as the Lead Facilitator for the Chartered Management Institute professional consulting programme. In addition, he works as a freelance TPM/TQM consultant and trainer.
A certified TPM Instructor accredited by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance, Manone regularly undertakes consultancy assignments, conducts professional training programmes and leads operational excellence initiatives for organisations across Sri Lanka.
Beyond Efficiency: Strategising the Future of Facilities
Abstract
In the contemporary built environment, the rapidly evolving challenges of climate disruption, resource scarcity and accelerated digital transformation necessitate a fundamental paradigm shift in how facilities are managed. This keynote address appraises contemporary Facilities Management paradigms through the theoretical lens of Michael Porter’s seminal framework on competitive strategy. It posits that dominant industry trends disproportionately prioritise Operational Effectiveness - exemplified by automated building workflows, isolated smart technologies and incremental energy optimisation - which, while operationally vital, ultimately culminate in competitive convergence rather than sustainable distinctiveness.
To successfully operationalise the mandate for "Circular and Future - Adaptive Facilities," FM scholarship and practice must pivot away from generic benchmarking toward authentic strategic positioning and the execution of deliberate structural trade - offs. By mapping Porter’s concepts of strategic positioning and higher - order activity - system "fit" onto the core thematic tracks of the FMF 2026 conference - spanning climate resilience, circular waste systems and integrated occupant wellbeing - this address conceptualises the built environment not as an aggregation of rigid physical assets, but as an interlocking, dynamic ecosystem. Ultimately, this paper establishes a conceptual bridge between strategic management theory and macro - level asset management, challenging academic researchers and practitioners to advance the FM discipline from a legacy cost - minimisation function to a core driver of holistic lifecycle value across the triple bottom line of profit, people, and planet.
Keynote Speaker 2 - Professor Matt Tucker
Prof. Matt has been carrying out workplace research for the past 20 years, working on the cusp of academia and industry. Matt is the Director of Knowledge and Insights for the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and Professor of Workplace and Facility Management at Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK. As a Fulbright Scholar with over 80 publications and 2,500 citations from seminal industry reports, peer-reviewed scientific journals, book chapters, and conference papers, Matt has helped transform the workplace and facility management industry. Matt is a regular keynote speaker and thrives on being in front of an audience, speaking at leading international conferences or advising organizations on new ways of working. Matt's company, Connective Thought, is a culmination of experiences and expertise he has acquired during his career, enabling organizations to capture workplace research and insights.
The Rise of the FM Analyst
Abstract
As facility management (FM) evolves in the era of digital transformation, data analytics is becoming an essential component that underpins strategic decision-making, operational efficiency, and value creation. This keynote address introduces the concept of the FM Analyst, not necessarily a formal job title, but a hybrid professional profile that blends data literacy with deep FM knowledge. Drawing on insights from a new global research study by IFMA, which includes interviews with 37 professionals across six world regions, the keynote address explores how FM teams are integrating data into everyday practice and how this shift is redefining roles, skills, and organizational culture. Participants will gain a better understanding of the increasing alignment between FM and data analytics, and the strategic importance of developing data capabilities within FM teams. The session will analyze the FM Analyst as an emerging mindset, one that bridges operational experience with analytical thinking, and examine how this profile can address current capability gaps in the industry. Finally, it will introduce a practical framework describing six key traits of the FM Analyst mindset, enabling attendees to reflect on how these qualities can be cultivated in their own roles and organizations.