Sri Lankan communications expert Meleeza Rathnayake has been recognised with the Youth Media & Humanitarian Communications Leader Award at the 7th Youth Top40 Awards 2026, acknowledging her contributions to strategic communications and humanitarian advocacy.

Meleeza Rathnayake, a Sri Lankan communications professional, received the Youth Media & Humanitarian Communications Leader Award at the 7th Youth Top40 Awards ceremony held at Shangri-La Colombo. The award was presented by the New Generation Chapter of Sri Lanka, an initiative of Women in Management, which recognised 40 young professionals for their contributions in leadership, innovation and integrity.

Rathnayake's recognition highlights her work in strategic communications, media relations and humanitarian advocacy. She currently serves as Media Outreach Officer for South Asia at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international humanitarian organisation. Her professional background includes previous positions at The Sunday Times, Ogilvy Public Relations and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, demonstrating extensive experience across media, corporate communications and humanitarian sectors.

The awards ceremony, conducted under the theme "Future Forward – Integrity First," attracted high-profile attendees including Türkiye's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Semih Lütfü Turgut as chief guest, Sri Lanka Cricket Chairman Eran Wickramaratne, and representatives from diplomatic, corporate and non-governmental organisations. Rathnayake holds postgraduate and undergraduate qualifications in digital marketing, communications, law and business management from United Kingdom universities and is currently pursuing her Attorney-at-Law qualification at Sri Lanka Law College.