[1] Appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in June 2017, she succeeds Ahmad Alhendawi of Jordan, who served as the first Envoy on Youth from 2013 to 2017.

[2] Prior to taking her role as the Envoy, Wickramanayake led youth development efforts both on an international and national level in her home country, Sri Lanka.

[3] While at university, Wickramanayake became the runner-up in the first competition organized by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Youth Affairs to select emerging young leaders in the country.

[5][7] Later on, Wickramanayake went on to become a Senator in the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament (2013-2015) and Project Officer at the One-Text Initiative (OTI), which focuses on building political consensus and post-war reconciliation in the country.

Prior to taking the role of the United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, Wickramanayake was working as an Officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service.