Gehan Talwatte

SpecialityNon-Executive Chairman, Entrepreneur and former CEO, Ascend
Gehan is an entrepreneur and investor who specialises in using data and analytics to help businesspeople make better decisions. With backing from LDC, Gehan transformed Ascend, an aircraft database business into the world’s leading provider of analytics, data and advice to the aircraft leasing and financing community – quadrupling revenues in the process. He has founded/co-founded and run a number of venture and private equity backed businesses including Hoovers Online (company information), eccelerate.com (trust and workflow software) and Cognizant Technology Solutions (IT services); all of which made strong trade or public market exits. Gehan currently holds several non-executive chairman roles on both sides of the Atlantic. He works closely with management teams to transform traditional media and database businesses into high value analytics companies. He has led strong exits for US and India based pharmaceutical research company Smart Analyst and AgriBriefing, a UK headquartered agriculture pricing and data. Gehan is also the publisher of MartiniMandate.com, the leading lifestyle blog for martini drinkers. Gehan was born and raised in Sri Lanka, educated in the US, and makes his home in London.