In 2015, Ms. De Silva was named President & CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, one of the largest and most influential business organizations in North America. Prior to this role, she had 14 years of international CEO experience in Asia leading Sun Life Financial’s businesses in Hong Kong and Mainland China. She co-founded and later sold Retail China Limited, a company that worked with international retail brands operating their retail stores and managing their franchises in China. Ms. De Silva was also Dean of Ivey Asia, leading the Hong Kong campus and mainland China operations of Ivey Business School at Western University. She presently serves as a board member of Blue Umbrella Limited, a global compliance technology company headquartered in Hong Kong. She is a past member of the board of the Asian Corporate Governance Association. She has served terms both as Chair and President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Chair of the Canada China Business Council, Beijing.

In 2019, Ms. De Silva was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to represent Canada on the APEC Business Advisory Council. Ms. De Silva holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University and a Doctor of Law honoris causa from Thompson Rivers University.