Jagath Keerthisooriya is a Construction Contract Specialist and Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 26 years of experience in the construction industry, having practised in Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Qatar and New Zealand. He is currently engaged on the Al Maktoum International Airport Project in Dubai, representing the Turner & Townsend Post Contract Cost Management team as Team Lead for the substructure packages.
Jagath holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Quantity Surveying from the University of Reading, United Kingdom, and a Master of Laws (LLM) in Construction Law and Arbitration from Robert Gordon University, Scotland. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS), a Fellow of the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand (FAMINZ) and a Member of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors (MNZIQS).
His area of expertise covers contract claims, quantum analysis, expert advisory services, and negotiations leading to agreement and settlement. His practice places particular emphasis on claims and dispute avoidance rather than dispute resolution, assisting employers to identify and manage contractual risks at an early stage before they develop into formal disputes. He has extensive working knowledge of standard forms of contract including FIDIC, NEC and NZS 3910, as well as the many bespoke forms of contract used across the Gulf region.
Jagath is also an active mentor and speaker on contracts and commercial management. He regularly delivers training and presentations on FIDIC contracts, claims management and commercial risk, mentors candidates pursuing professional qualifications, and publishes articles on construction law, contract administration and commercial management.
