24 Women Breaking into Field Leadership in Sri Lanka’s Tea Plantations

The company launched the opportunity at estate level through posters, awareness discussions and direct communication with communities. The process targeted eligible women from plantation communities. More than 450 women applied.

TTE shortlisted candidates using minimum educational requirements, including completion of Ordinary Level examinations, and conducted interviews with experienced estate management personnel. From this process, 24 women were selected for the first cohort. 

The 24 selected women became the first female field supervisors in the industry’s history. They were assigned responsibilities including daily field supervision, worker coordination, communication between workers and estate management, monitoring field practices, and supporting discipline in field operations.

The selected women completed a six-month paid training programme covering tea cultivation, harvesting methods, field operations, productivity management, worker coordination, quality expectations, occupational discipline, communication, leadership and people management. 

The training included both theoretical and practical components. Participants gained exposure to field operations and factory processes, helping them understand the full tea value chain and how field-level decisions affect productivity, quality and worker wellbeing. 

Because field supervision had traditionally been male-dominated, the training also included coaching and confidence-building sessions. This helped participants prepare for the social and leadership challenges of exercising authority in the field.

Through the process, participants completed written and oral assessments linked to their training. This helped ensure that deployment was based on capability, discipline and readiness, rather than symbolic appointment.

TTE addressed workplace readiness through awareness and sensitization for executives, a gender grievance committee training, Gender-Based Violence prevention strategy and policy, women inclusion sessions and engagement with estate teams. This helped reduce resistance and support the acceptance of women in authority.

Beyond appointing the first cohort of female field supervisors, TTE focused on building a more robust talent pipeline for its female workers by promoting 30 female tea harvesters to team leader roles, creating an additional progression step between manual-grade work and formal supervisory positions. 

Building on these experiences, the company has expanded its approach through the EmpowerU initiative, which creates career pathways for young women and men from plantation communities into field, factory and office roles, helping strengthen the long-term talent pipeline for the plantation sector.

TTE monitored both quantitative and qualitative indicators to evaluate the programme’s impact. Quantitative measures included field workforce retention and new employee recruitment, while qualitative feedback focused on participants’ self-confidence, sense of dignity and aspirations for their children’s future. This feedback was gathered through direct one-to-one discussions with participants, random informal check-ins and anonymous suggestion boxes, helping the company assess both operational improvements and the broader social impact of the initiative.

Many selected women had strong potential but limited experience in formal leadership. TTE supported them through coaching, gender awareness, practical training and on-the-job learning.

The company recognized that success depended not only on preparing women, but also on preparing managers, male supervisors and field teams to accept women in authority. This meant fostering a more inclusive and diverse company culture where women in leadership were accepted and supported.

As the first women entering these roles, the participants had to prove that change was possible. TTE reinforced their legitimacy through written and oral assessments, senior management backing and formal deployment into operational roles.

TTE avoided treating the appointments as ceremonial. The women were trained for real supervisory responsibilities, including worker coordination, field monitoring, communication with estate management and operational discipline.

TTE’s lesson was that gender equality becomes actionable when the company identifies the exact point where women are excluded.

Symbolic visibility is not enough. The initiative worked because women were trained and deployed into formal supervisory roles with operational responsibilities, accountability and career value.

When a company challenges a long-standing norm, the first group carries extra pressure. Training, mentoring, assessments and visible leadership support helped make the appointments credible.

The central lesson is that inclusion is not only about women participating in the workforce. It becomes structural when women gain access to authority, recognition and career progression.