PRINCIPAL
Vinoda Basnayake is the Managing Partner of VS Global, a leading government relations and international consulting firm specializing in global partnerships and market entry.
Basnayake was previously President and Senior Advisor on Global Partnerships of Aspiration, a multi-billion dollar leading financial and sustainability services Public Benefit Corporation.
Previously, Mr. Basnayake was a partner at Nelson Mullins LLP, where he led the Sovereign Practice and chaired the D.C. Government Relations Practice, advising foreign governments on U.S. policy and diplomatic engagement. Earlier in his career, he served as Counsel at Patton Boggs, worked in the Development Economics Group at the World Bank, and on Capitol Hill for Congressman Ronald Dellums (D-CA).
He has organized and participated in congressional delegations, trade missions, and regional economic conferences for sovereign clients and advised sovereign funds and international corporations on strategic foreign policy and market entry. He has previously represented the governments of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Korea, African Union, India and Sri Lanka, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and numerous other sovereigns, funds, and leading global corporations.
Mr. Basnayake has been consistently recognized for his leadership, including being ranked in the Legal 500, named a Top Lobbyist by The Hill and the Top Lobbyist of 2020 by the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics, and recognized among the ‘Top 40 Under 40’ by the Washington Business Journal and Most Influential Washingtonians by Washington Life Magazine. His work has been profiled in outlets including the Washington Post, Vanity Fair, GQ, Complex, and Washingtonian.
Mr. Basnayake has been nominated and confirmed for numerous political appointments. In 2020, Mr. Basnayake was appointed to be the first Chairman of Culture and Nightlife of Washington DC by Mayor Muriel Bowser. He was previously appointed Commissioner of the Small and Local Business Opportunity Commission for DC by former Mayor Adrian Fenty. He also served on Mayor Muriel Bowser's Transition Team for Economic Development and was named to the ReOpen DC Advisory Committee for safe reopening during the pandemic.
He has spoken in panels across the globe on the topics of finance and sustainability including the Milken Institute’s Middle East and Africa Summit in Dubai, Abu Dhabi Finance Week and the US Department of Commerce’s Sustainable Technology Forum in Egypt.
He also sits on numerous nonprofit and political boards including the Washington Institute, the Asian American Pacific Islander Victory Fund, Planet Reimagined, Soho House (DC Committee), and Ned’s Club (DC Committee). He also sits on the Advisory Board of Georgetown University’s Entrepreneurship Institute where he also serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Mr. Basnayake was formerly the Chairman of the Board of DC Vote.
Mr. Basnayake is an honors graduate from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business where he was a double major and double minor. He received the Dean's Citation for Outstanding Contribution to the Campus, received the Outstanding Student Leader Award and was selected student graduation speaker by his class. He received a joint degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the Wharton School of Business. Basnayake was a Global Justice Fellow at UPenn and Senior Editor of the Journal of International Law.
Beyond government and business, Mr. Basnayake is an avid art collector and cultural entrepreneur. His collection includes works by Justin Bua, Shawn Michael Warren, Mr. Brainwash, MuckRuck, and Kanye West. He was also the executive producer of the award-winning film Sprinter with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. He is also the founder and CEO of Versus Equity, an award winning multi-vertical lifestyle brand with best-in-class hospitality venues, a cutting-edge marketing agency and an innovative venture arm.