By Deborah Wadsworth Muthukuda | THE BUSINESS ICON MAGAZINE
For more than three decades, Westgate Interiors has quietly shaped some of Sri Lanka’s most recognisable spaces. Founded in 1993 by finance professional–turned–entrepreneur Dilani Gomes, the company is now led by her daughter, Elisha, who took the helm just weeks before the first COVID-19 lockdown. In this conversation, Elisha reflects on stepping into her mother’s shoes, building a values-driven culture, and why discipline still beats talent every day.
“The interior design industry in Sri Lanka is still male-dominated, and I’ve been challenged more for my age and gender than for any real decisions I’ve made. But I’ve learned that you don’t argue your worth—you prove it.”
You’re at the helm of your mother’s legacy, which she founded more than 30 years ago, Westgate Interiors. Where do you see it heading next?
My mother, Dehara Gomes, is one of the strongest and most inspiring women I know. She had a background in finance & accounting, so it was a little far off from the world of design or interior solutions. However, she always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I suppose that is how she was able to identify a niche such as kitchen fit-outs. With a numbers background, she understood the relationship between cost and efficiency. That is why the beginning was small, with both the office and fabrication studio being at home, with sole focus on kitchen fitouts. Later she expanded the portfolio by collaborating with design studios and architects, which led to setting up the Panadura factory. Today we are a turnkey solutions provider focussed on corporate and commercial spaces. We actively invest in innovation and thrive at the forefront of the industry. We have over 100 employees, including our in-house design and manufacturing teams. Our end-to-end design to manufacture solutions are supported through a fully automated factory that is spread over 50,000 square feet.
I remember an “office” upstairs with nothing but a desk, two toddlers underfoot, and my mum laser-focused on custom kitchen units. She soon realised architects were desperate for reliable local manufacturers, so she leased a small factory, hired craftspeople, and positioned Westgate as the silent partner that made designers look good. That readiness to scale when the market called for it set the tone for everything we are today.
We aim to be the industry leader in Sri Lanka for corporate interior design and fitouts, and we work towards that through every project. Our future roadmap is to venture into the international market, especially the UAE. In terms of further international expansion, we want to expand our market to regions with fewer hurdles about material procurement and restrictions on sourcing. Another aspect we want to focus on, closely related to sourcing, is sustainability. I also envision incorporating and integrating various machinery, cutting-edge technology, and artificial intelligence into our day-to-day processes
How have you personally evolved as a leader since you took over Westgate Interiors more than five years ago?
If I would have to pin point to one significant aspect- it would be self-awareness. It began with understanding my own strengths and weaknesses clearly and gradually, without delusion. Looking at things for what it is, is immensely helpful in catapulting growth. This also allowed me to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of my team; helping build high performing units by fostering trust and accountability. It did take time to understand what motivates and drives different people. Self-awareness led to building on my own core competencies and then learning to delegate. Got better at people management, through experience and learning. Growth also comes from making mistakes, and there were MANY. A key factor in overcoming that would be to embrace the uncertainty, and I was always willing to learn.
I’m lucky. Quality and integrity were already baked into the culture my mum built. My challenge was to guide the team through change, not convince them change was necessary. We digitised workflows, fortified local supply chains, and deepened collaboration with architects who value craftsmanship as much as we do. Looking back, COVID accelerated improvements we might have taken years to make.
You originally planned a consulting career in London. What lured you home?
I was doing internships in London and fully expected to stay. But the more I looked at Sri Lanka, the more I saw potential, especially in a sector that blends commerce and creativity. Interior fit-outs are like consulting. Every project is a new puzzle with fresh constraints. I loved that. So I came back, moved our head office to the factory in Panadura, and dived straight in.
What do you love most about the business today?
Problem-solving. Each site is unique, every client’s culture different. We work with the country’s leading companies, so the standards are sky-high. That constant challenge feeds the competitor in me.
How has leading Westgate changed you?
First, self-awareness. You have to know your strengths, your blind spots, and hire people who complement you. Second, perpetual learning. I push the team to learn one new thing every day, technical or not. Last year was our best financial year in 35 years. This year we’re changing again, because what worked yesterday won’t guarantee tomorrow.
“We’ve moved past the idea that talent is enough. Talent without discipline is just wasted potential. I’ll take a consistent, committed team over a group of geniuses any day.”
Did you have to unlearn anything when you left London and returned to Sri Lanka?
Absolutely. I arrived with a naïve belief that transparency and accountability were industry standards everywhere. They’re not. I lost projects because I refused to over-promise on timelines. It was painful, but that stance has since built a reputation for trust that money can’t buy.
A bit of a harsh lesson in assumption. I used to assume the principles and ethics I follow, would automatically be reciprocated and respected. Call it naïve or simply optimistic, I just thought there was a standard and that it was essential for all to operate within that. Later I learned that people are diverse, agendas and goals are not always of face value, so, I learned about discernment and plan B’s.
You’ve said, “A business is only as successful as it is sustainable.” What does sustainability look like in your world?
I had a keen interest in sustainability from very early on, and it was centred around the internships I undertook at the time. As businesses, we are responsible for the solutions that we deliver, although profit will always be a key business goal, it’s equally important to be mindful of the impact we have.
This could be done in small and incremental ways, but it is imperative to be conscious of the decisions we are making when providing solutions. It is possible to implement at the stage of sourcing and manufacturing, through the teams we collaborate with. In a space where price / budget becomes a key factor in decision making, it’s our responsibility to educate the end users to understand the value we bring when working with teams who are focussed in long term impact vs short term.
To give an example, we were one of the pioneers to introduce “veneer” into the industry, which is an alternative for timber which was not commonly used across commercial spaces at the time. We refrain from using timber across our commercial spaces providing our clients with stronger alternatives.
We start small, measuring carbon footprints, choosing materials responsibly, and crucially educating our team and clients about the long-term impact of every choice. Sri Lanka’s palette of truly sustainable materials is still limited, but if we don’t begin now, when will we?
Leadership can feel calm on some days and like crashing waves on other days. What practices help you find stillness amid it all?
It really is the ultimate rollercoaster. I believe it’s all about routine, and for me it’s a 4-pillar approach; Movement / food / sleep / relaxation.
The final pillar of relaxation being the most essential. 90% of issues are related to stress, so it’s key to find techniques to manage this. Daily practises of solitude: it could be a walk / journaling / meditation / reading / breathwork. It’s so important to know that the best of days and worst of days at work will both pass, and finding ways to ground you during both days is what makes this journey more sustainable.
Sports taught me that both good and bad days pass. I keep non-negotiables, movement, quality sleep, decent food, and perspective, unless someone’s health is at stake, it probably isn’t worth the cortisol.
You led Sri Lanka’s synchronized swimming team to the Commonwealth Games finals in 2010. What did training at that level teach you that still shapes your work today?
I would say sports has essentially shaped the very core of my work ethic, so it definitely still shapes my work today. So many lessons. Yet I think perseverance and discipline stand tall among the rest. Not giving up is an attitude, and certainly not one that is developed overnight. I believe perseverance and discipline are still fundamental in achieving any goal. Just like we didn’t come up for air during strenuous training; even with work, we got to keep at it till we get it right. I encourage everyone to train and reframe the mind in any situation, because they will achieve wonders.
Discipline beats talent when talent isn’t disciplined. Consistency wins. And perseverance, if success were easy, everyone would have it. Those truths power everything from client relationships to product quality.
What has your experience been as a young female leader in Sri Lanka?
Female leadership in Sri Lanka is scarce and limited. We work with many leading MNC’s and larger local organisations, where the board is mainly or only male dominated.
Through personal experience I understand that work life balance as a woman is more challenging due to a diverse range of expectations. I believe in creating environments that assist instead of sabotage in the face of those challenges. I can also attest to the fact that women in leadership positions will always empower / encourage other women to achieve this.
The ecosystem can still be sceptical about youth and gender. My strategy is simple. Be fact-based, thorough, and deliver. Respect follows performance. Internally, we’re building policies. Longer maternity leave, flexible work that make leadership roles sustainable for women.
To be frank, I felt more challenged than celebrated. End of the day, it is a male dominated industry. However, apart from gender, my age and experience were also added to the list of challenges at the beginning. How I was perceived and received were both a daily battle at one point.
National and international awards have been earned by Westgate Interiors under your leadership. What mind-set do you bring to goal‑setting and execution that helped make that happen?
Just that anything is possible. You absolutely need to believe that, because it is truer than most of us dare to believe. There is a ‘can do’ attitude that I bring to every single day, and I believe it has also rubbed off on the team. It is not that there aren’t tough days, because there are more of those than the good ones. Just despite that, thrive. Hurdles are a part of the battle, but our focus will always be on the war, metaphorically of course.
How do you stay hungry once you hit a milestone? What keeps you and the team reaching for the next level?
I think it’s primarily to do with long-term goals and short-term goals, which closely tie back into the ‘anything is possible’ headspace. Our goals are vast and ambitious, there’s a long way to go. So, we focus on continuous improvement. That’s my work ethic. I constantly challenge myself and my team to be better. We are constantly evolving, growing and improving; knowing we have something to work towards.
You work across corporate, retail, and hospitality spaces. What shifts are you noticing in how Sri Lankan companies think about interior design today? Do you feel there’s a growing awareness that workspace design affects productivity and brand identity? What’s driving that change?
Post Covid19, the interior design landscape has gone through a massive transformation. Today, clients expect every space to be multifunctional, and also have hybrid spaces to improve productivity and motivate teams to come into work. This reflects the change in work culture and flex hours post pandemic. An office space represents your brand, and definitely helps in attracting the best / right talent. Employees also expect a more serene work environment, and this is an aspect we work on collaboratively with clients, to weave into the overall design.
Your company is known for its one‑stop, in‑house lean manufacturing. How has that model kept you competitive, especially with multinational clients?
In a nutshell, I would say ‘speed speed speed’. We are a solution driven organization, and we work around client requirements whether it was always in the plan or whether it is a last-minute addition. After sales service is also a key focus, because we believe in fostering relationships beyond a project invoice.
We completed a 10,000 sq ft office space, with a 7 week fit out for Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). During this short period we incorporated the beauty of Japan through modern design inspiration, combining biophilic architecture and Japanese cultural elements. We also completed a 120,000 sq. ft office space for IFS, a leading multinational IT company, within just four months. Its noteworthy that this was during a time where we were navigating many constraints in Sri Lanka.
You collaborate with both global brands and local clients. What differences do you see in how each think about space, identity, or even success?
Each brand has their own story, because regardless of geographic and cultural differences- every brand has a core aesthetic that stems from their history, values and goals. How they think largely depends on these factors, and not quite dependent on whether they are local or global brands. Sometimes, the more established global brands will have more standardized requirements with colour palettes, layouts and materials; to be on par with their global presence.
Every organisation has a culture that should echo in its physical environment. Our job is to decode that culture whether it’s a multinational chasing global consistency or a local brand expressing Sri Lankan roots and translate it into design and execution. Mutual respect and transparent collaboration are non-negotiable.
Partnerships with top architects and design firms are central to your projects. What makes those collaborations work, and how do you keep your own creative voice in the mix?
Collaboration is about understanding complementary skill sets. When we partner with some of the leading design studios in Sri Lanka, our focus becomes our expertise. Primarily this comes from advising on technical and manufacturing limitations. Our strength is to understand the possibilities, and offer solutions that fit a given timeframe and budget.
Balancing tradition and change is almost an art form. How do you approach that balance in a company with both deep history and forward momentum?
I believe change is a necessity. The conception of success breeds success doesn’t exist. So, while we can appreciate tradition, and incorporate what works; it is by no means an overriding factor.
When you walk into a space, what’s the first thing your eyes instinctively search for?
Being around the work we do has definitely honed in on certain visual perceptions. To keep it short, the first things I see would be;
- Bold Colours
- Textures
- Detailing
How do you know when a space is truly ‘done’? Is it instinct, feedback, data or something else?
It would definitely be data and feedback, we reserve instinct for during the process. There are certain metrics we follow in order to identify the functioning and overall completeness of a project. After that we clean up and proceed with a handover.
If you weren’t in design or business, where do you think your creativity would have taken you?
I think somewhere in the beauty industry. I’m particularly passionate about skincare, and the connection between topical care (serums, masks, facials, treatments) and internal care (diet, supplements, mental health). Holistic skincare truly fascinates me, because it has been such an integral part of my life from a very young age.
What excites you most about the future of design and manufacturing in the region?
The future of manufacturing and design is rapidly reshaped by technological advancements, environmental pressures, and changing consumer expectations. If we take a very basic peek into key trends and shifts defining what’s next, it would be a combination of things.
Smart and Connected Factories (Industry 4.0) would be a game changer, even if connected in small ways it would accelerate efficiency exponentially. Sustainable and Circular Production through recycled materials will be more energy-efficient. AI-Assisted and Generative Design could elevate the daily work of our design teams. Some major trends we see are urbanisation, well-being (wellness), and sustainability, especially post covid. So, these are interesting market opportunities to keep an eye on.
AI won’t replace creative thinking, but it’s already accelerating ideation, costing, and visualisation. As hardware prices fall, the firms that master these tools will outpace those that don’t.
What’s a question no one ever asks you, but you wish they would?
“How are you?” This industry is relentlessly fast and often male-dominated. A little kindness and empathy go a long way.
Elisha Gomes combines financial rigour, creative instinct, and athlete-level discipline to steer Westgate Interiors into its next chapter, one defined by trust, transparency, and technology. If the past five years are any indication, the spare-room start-up her mother founded is only just getting started.
