Leadership
Board of Directors
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Krishan Balendra
Chairperson
Krishan Balendra is the Chairperson-CEO of John Keells Holdings PLC. He is also the Chairman of the Employers Federation of Ceylon, Deputy Vice Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Hon. Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka. He is a former Chairman of Nations Trust Bank and the Colombo Stock Exchange. Krishan started his career at UBS Warburg, Hong Kong, in investment banking, focusing primarily on equity capital markets. He joined JKH in 2002. Krishan holds a law degree (LLB) from the University of London and an MBA from INSEAD.

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Gihan Cooray
Deputy Chairperson & Group Finance Director
Gihan Cooray is the Deputy Chairperson/Group Finance Director and has overall responsibility of the Group’s Finance and Accounting, Taxation, Corporate Finance and Strategy, Treasury, Information Technology and Corporate Communications functions. He was the Chairman of Nations Trust Bank PLC till 30 April 2023. Gihan holds an MBA from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, Houston, Texas. He is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, a certified management accountant of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia and has a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. He serves as a committee member of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

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Amal Cabraal
Non-Executive Director
Amal Cabraal is an accomplished business leader with over four decades of management experience in both local and international markets. He currently serves as the Chairman of Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, Ceylon Beverage Holdings PLC, Silvermill Investment Holdings, and CIC Feeds Group of Companies. In addition to his numerous leadership roles, he also serves as a Non-Executive Director of John Keells Holdings PLC and is a business advisor to several other companies. Previously, Cabraal served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Sri Lanka, where he gained extensive knowledge and expertise in the consumer goods industry. He has also completed the stipulated maximum nine-year tenure as a Non-Executive Director of Hatton National Bank PLC, providing him with deep insights into the banking sector. Cabraal is a member of the Board of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, and also serves on the Management Committee of the Mercantile Services Provident Society. As a marketer by profession and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, he brings a wealth of marketing and branding expertise to his leadership roles. Cabraal holds an MBA from the University of Colombo, and is an executive education alumnus of INSEAD, France.

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Dr. Sharmini Coorey
Non-Executive Director
Dr. Sharmini Coorey is a former senior official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and currently a member of the Presidential Advisory Group on Multilateral Engagement and Debt Sustainability advising the Government of Sri Lanka during the economic crisis. She joined the IMF through the Economist Programme in 1986 and, during her 35 year career there, worked in positions of increasing seniority in its African, Asia and Pacific, European, and Western hemisphere departments, as well as its Policy Development and Review Department. Prior to her retirement in November 2021, Dr. Coorey served for almost nine years as the Director of the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD), the IMF’s department for capacity building. As Director - the most senior staff-level position at the IMF - she was instrumental in establishing the ICD and providing strategic direction for the governance, management, and funding of the IMF’s capacity building activities. She also oversaw the IMF’s training for country officials worldwide and established its online programme which trained over 100,000 Government officials in policy-oriented macroeconomics during her tenure. Before heading the ICD, Dr. Coorey was the Deputy Director in the IMF’s African Department, where she oversaw the Fund’s work on many Sub-Saharan African countries including South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. In addition, she led the department’s financial sector work and research agenda. Dr. Coorey’s experience at the IMF also includes surveillance work on the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, and Canada as well as programme work on Korea, Estonia, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. She served on the Investment Committee of the IMF Staff Retirement Plan and on the Editorial Committee of IMF Staff Papers. She was also a visiting researcher at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington DC. Dr. Coorey holds a Ph.D. and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University. She has published papers on inflation and economic growth in transition and developing countries and edited a book on managing oil wealth in Central African countries.

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Suren Fernando
Non-Executive Director
Counting over 23 years with MAS, Suren is the Chief Executive Officer of MAS Holdings (Pvt) LTD and was previously the Chief Transformation Officer of the company oversseing MAS’ 2025 transformation. He was also the CEO of MAS Intimates, the largest division of MAS Holdings. Among many roles within the organisation, he also functioned in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer of MAS intimates in 2014, heading operations and taking leadership in providing strategic management directives. Suren holds a BSc. in Engineering from the University of Moratuwa and is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. He has received extensive overseas business exposure and training, including Executive Education at Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD Business School, Ashridge Business School, Henley School of Management, University of Waikato in New Zealand, and Harvard Business School (Program for Leadership Development). Suren is also a member of the board of directors at World Vision Sri Lanka, a non profitable relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

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Nihal Fonseka
Non-Executive Director
Nihal Fonseka is a career banker and served as the Chief Executive Officer of DFCC Bank from 2000 until his retirement in 2013. He is currently the Chairman of Phoenix Industries Limited, Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Investment Committee of Phoenix Ventures Limited and Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Group Audit Committee of Brandix Lanka Limited. He was a member of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 2016 to 2020 and also currently after he was reappointed in June 2022. He was the President of the Sri Lanka National Advisory Council of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, UK, from 2011 to 2021. Prior to joining the DFCC Bank, he was the Deputy Chief Executive of HSBC Sri Lanka. He is a past Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange and the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP). He has also served as a Director of the Employees’ Trust Fund Board and as a member of the Presidential Commission on Taxation (2009), National Procurement Commission and Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA). He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Ceylon, Colombo, is a Fellow of the Institute of Financial Studies, (FIB) UK and is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, FCSI(Hon), UK.

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Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya
Non-Executive Director
In his role as the Chief Executive Officer – Telecommunications Business, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya heads the pan-region Telecommunications Operations of the Axiata Group Bhd., spanning the markets of Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Axiata is Asia’s second largest Telecommunications Group. Up to the year 2016, Dr. Wijayasuriya functioned as the Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata PLC (Dialog), Sri Lanka’s leading multi-play connectivity provider, and one of the highest valued companies on the Colombo Stock Exchange. In the year 2016, Dr. Wijayasuriya was honoured by the GSM Association as the first recipient of the ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Asian Mobile Industry’ Award. Dr. Wijayasuriya is a past Chairman of GSM Asia Pacific – the regional interest group of the GSM Association. He was also named ‘Sri Lankan of the Year’ by Sri Lanka’s premier business journal, LMD in 2008. Dr. Wijayasuriya is the immediate past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka’s premier business chamber. During the period 2012-14, Dr. Wijayasuriya also functioned as the founding CEO of Axiata Digital Services – the Group-wide Digital Services Business of the Axiata Group. Dr. Wijayasuriya is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge UK, and obtained his PhD from the University of Bristol UK. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology UK, Dr. Wijayasuriya also holds an MBA from the University of Warwick.

Group Executive Committee
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Daminda Gamlath
President
Daminda Gamlath is the President of the Consumer Foods industry group and has been with the John Keells Group since 2002. He was the Sector Financial Controller for the Information Technology sector and then the Consumer Foods sector before he was appointed as the Head of Beverages in 2013 and the Sector Head in 2017. Prior to joining the John Keells Group, he worked at the Hayleys Group. Daminda holds a B.Sc. in Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, an MBA from the University of Colombo and is a passed finalist of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK).

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Zafir Hashim
President
Zafir Hashim is the Head of the Transportation industry group and the Plantation sector and has been with the Group for 17 years. He joined the Group in 2003, seconded to Lanka Marine Services where he served as CEO from 2005-2015. He has also served as a member of the Transportation Sector Committee from 2005. During the last 17 years he has held the position of CEO at John Keells Logistics Lanka Ltd. for a short time, and Mackinnons Mackenzie Shipping Co. Ltd., Mack International Freight Ltd and Mackinnons Travels Ltd. He has an MSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham (UK).

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Nayana Mawilmada
President
Nayana Mawilmada is the Sector Head of the Property industry at the John Keells Group. With extensive international experience in planning, facilitating, and managing large scale urban development and infrastructure projects across 15 countries, and working within both the private and public domains, Nayana brings a unique perspective to property sector endeavours. He is widely seen as a key advocate and spokesperson for sound urban development policy and planning in the country. Among his previous roles, Nayana has served as the Director General of the Urban Development Authority of Sri Lanka, Managing Director of York Street Partners (Pvt) Ltd a boutique investment bank in Colombo, and as an Urban Development Specialist for the Asian Development Bank based in Manila, Philippines. His academic training includes an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master of City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a Bachelor of Architecture from Hampton University in the USA. In recognition of his leadership in Sri Lanka's urban development space, he was also awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship in 2017.

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Suresh Rajendra
President
Mr. Suresh Rajendra has over 30 years of experience in the fields of finance, travel & tourism, hotel management, property development and real estate management and business development acquired both in Sri Lanka and overseas. Prior to joining the JKH Group, he was the Head of Commercial and Business Development for NRMA Motoring and Services in Sydney, Australia and Director/General Manager of Aitken Spence Hotel Managements (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka. He is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. He is a member of the Group Executive Committee of the John Keells Group. He is the President of the Leisure Group of John Keells and also responsible for Union Assurance PLC, John Keells Information Technology (Pvt) Limited and John Keells Stockbrokers. He serves as a Director of Asian Hotels & Properties PLC, Union Assurance PLC. , Trans Asia Hotels PLC, John Keells Hotels PLC and also in many of the unlisted companies of the John Keells Group. He is a member of the Tourism Advisory Committee appointed by the Ministry of Tourism.

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Charitha Subasinghe
President
Charitha Subasinghe is responsible for the Retail industry group of the Group. He has been with the John Keells Group since 2003. He was the Sector Financial Controller of the Supermarket business, before being appointed as the Chief Executive Officer in 2005. He was also employed at Aitken Spence Hotel Management as the Sector Financial Controller before moving over to John Keells. He is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) as well as a Diploma Holder of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). He also holds an MBA from the University of Colombo.

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Nadija Tambiah
President
Nadija Tambiah is a law graduate from the University of Manchester, UK, a Barrister at Law (Middle Temple), UK and an Attorney at Law in Sri Lanka. She heads the Legal and Company Secretarial functions of the John Keells Group where she has worked for 25 years. She also heads the John Keells Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of John Keells Holdings PLC and is part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the Group. She is a Trustee of the George Keyt Foundation, Geoffrey Bawa Trust, Lunuganga Trust, a member of the Executive Committee of the Colombo Museum of Modern Art and sits on the Council of the Sri Lankan Institute of Directors.

Group Operating Committee
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Sherin Cader
Executive Vice President
Sherin Cader is the Chief Financial Officer of the Financial Services industry of the John Keells Group. She has been with the John Keells Group since 1998, serving in many capacities across multiple sectors. She has played diverse roles across finance and operations in Financial Services, the IT Enabled Services sector and JKH Centre functions. She functioned as the Financial Controller at John Keells Holdings PLC from 2009 till 2012. Subsequently she took on the role of General Manager - Finance and Planning at Union Assurance PLC until her current role within the Financial Services industry group of JKH. Sherin also serves on the Board of Nations Trust Bank PLC as a Non-Executive Director. She is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK, and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of UK and is also a Chartered Global Management Accountant. She is also SAP Certified in Managerial and Financial Accounting.

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Nelindra Fernando
Executive Vice President
Nelindra Fernando is the Chief Financial Officer for the Consumer Foods industry group. Nelindra has been with the John Keells Group since 2013. Prior to joining the Group, she worked at the MAS group for 12 years and Ernst & Young, Chartered Accountants for 4 years. Nelindra serves on the Board of Ceylon Cold Stores PLC as an Executive Director and at Keells Food Products PLC as a Non-Executive Director. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of UK and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.

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Isuru Gunasekara
Executive Vice President
Isuru Gunasekera is the Chief People Officer of the Group, whilst also overseeing Group Sustainability, Enterprise Risk Management and Group Initiatives. He joined the Group in 2001 into the New Business Development Division and thereafter headed Group Initiatives and also new projects for the Transportation sector. He was the CEO of John Keells Logistics for 10 years and CEO of Mackinnons Travels for a short period. Prior to joining the Group, he was attached to J P Morgan Chase. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University, USA.

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Changa Gunawardane
Executive Vice President
Changa Gunawardane is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Leisure industry group and has been with the John Keells Group for over 15 years. He previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Information Technology sector, as well as the Sector Financial Controller of the Airlines and Logistics SBU within the Transportation sector. With over 26 years of experience as a finance professional in varying industries including Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Management Services, Electrical Engineering and Construction, Changa is also a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK and holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

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Nisreen Rehmanjee
Executive Vice President
Nisreen Rehmanjee is the Head of Corporate Finance, Group Tax & Social Entrepreneurship of the John Keells Group. Starting her career as an accounts trainee with KPMG in 1995, she rose to the position of Director Tax in 2001. She then joined the John Keells Group as Head of Tax Strategy in 2005. Her overseas experience includes a stint with the Global Tax Solutions team in London during her tenure with KPMG and a 3-year secondment to India with the John Keells IT/ITES cluster as Head of Corporate Functions. She was instrumental in conceptualising and launching the 'Plasticcycle' initiative of the John Keells Group, which is focused towards reducing plastic pollution across Sri Lanka. Nisreen is a Fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. Additionally, she is a member of the Tax Sub-committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, a past President of ACCA Sri Lanka and serves on the ACCA Sri Lanka member network panel.

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Ramesh Shanmuganathan
Executive Vice President
Ramesh Shanmuganathan is the Group's Chief Information Officer, a member of the Group Management Committee for the Information Technology sector, as well as Chief Executive of John Keells IT and John Keells X. Ramesh is also an Executive Director at John Keells IT, Infomate as well as John Keells Lanka BPO Services in addition to being a Non-Executive Director at Nations Trust Bank. He has over 25 years of experience in the ICT industry in Sri Lanka and the USA, with over 20+ years in C-level management. Ramesh is a Hayes-Fulbright Scholar and holds to his credit a Doctor of Philosophy (Technology Management) from Keisei International University (Seoul, South Korea), Master of Science (Information Technology and Computer Science) with Phi Kappa Phi Honours from Rochester Institute of Technology (New York, USA), Master of Business Administration from Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of Moratuwa. He is at present reading for his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at the International School of Management, Paris. He is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered IT Professional and a Fellow of the British Computer Society and Institute of Engineers, UK. He has active memberships in several other professional institutions and is a visiting faculty member for several post-graduate programmes. He is an active advocate of Digital Transformation and Open Innovation and speaks in many international events and forums in this regard.

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Hishan Singhawansa
Executive Vice President
Hishan Singhawansa is the Deputy CEO at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts of the Leisure industry group and overlooks Cinnamon’s entire portfolio of hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives including the development of the much-anticipated integrated resort project, Cinnamon Life Colombo. He has been with the John Keells Group since 2008 and started his career at the Retail industry Group of John Keells, where he headed Category Management and Supply Chain before being placed in the Leisure industry group in 2017. He holds a BSc in Engineering (Hons) Degree from the University of Moratuwa; and a MBA from the University of Wales.

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Mikael Svensson
Executive Vice President
Mikael Svensson is the CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and overlooks Cinnamon’s entire portfolio of hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives including the development of the much-anticipated integrated resort project, Cinnamon Life Colombo. Mikael brings with him extensive international senior leadership experience in managing and operating large scale luxury hotels across Asia, the Middle East and Australia, of which over 20 years was with the Hyatt Group. He was the opening General Manager of the landmark luxury hotel on the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah, the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah, Dubai and the Grand Hyatt Mumbai, India. He was also the General Manager of the Park Hyatt Canberra, Australia and Hyatt Regency Hua Hin, Thailand. Prior to joining the John Keells Group, he was the Senior Vice President of Louis T Collection, a Singapore based hospitality management and building solutions company which owns a portfolio of hotels across Asia and Australia.

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Aravinda Wanniarachchi
Executive Vice President
Aravinda Wanniarachchi is the Chief Financial Officer of Retail. He joined the John Keells Group in 2007 and was attached to the Corporate Finance and Strategy team prior to joining the Retail industry group. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK and holds a BBA Marketing (Sp.) degree from the University of Colombo.

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Devika Weerasinghe
Executive Vice President
Devika Weerasinghe is the Chief Financial Officer of the Transportation industry group, Plantation Services sector and Information Technology sector. She previously held the position of Sector Financial Controller of the Transportation sector. She also served as the Sector Financial Controller of the Airlines SBU of the Transportation sector during the period 1998-2004. An Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK, Devika also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

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Ravi Wijewantha
Executive Vice President
Ravi Wijewantha joined the Group in September 2003 and was appointed as Sector Financial Controller of the Property industry group in July 2006 and Chief Financial Officer of the same Industry Group in July 2017. He has over 24 years of experience in the fields of auditing and accounting. He is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK and holds an MBA from ICFAI University Dehradun India.

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Inoke Perera
Executive Vice President
Inoke Perera is the Sector Head of the Property industry at the John Keells Group. He previously held the position of Chief Operating Officer for the Property Group. Inoke joined the John Keells Group in September 2003 and was appointed as Head of Commercial Operations of the Property industry group in July 2006 and Head of Operations of the same Industry Group in July 2012. He started his career in accounting, holding positions in Financial Accounting, System Implementation, Management Accounting, Business Analysis and Finance. He then later switched to Project Management, Commercial and Operations. He has over 25 years’ experience in Venture Capital, Consultancy, Property Management and Property Development Industry. He is an Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Management Accounting, (Cima, UK). Master of Business Administration PIM (University of Sri Jayewardenepura), Currently reading for a Master of Laws (LLM) at Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. He is an executive committee member of the Condominium Developers Association of Sri Lanka (CDASL).

Leadership
Board of Directors
Krishan Balendra
Chairperson
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Krishan Balendra is the Chairperson-CEO of John Keells Holdings PLC. He is also the Chairman of the Employers Federation of Ceylon, Deputy Vice Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Hon. Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka. He is a former Chairman of Nations Trust Bank and the Colombo Stock Exchange. Krishan started his career at UBS Warburg, Hong Kong, in investment banking, focusing primarily on equity capital markets. He joined JKH in 2002. Krishan holds a law degree (LLB) from the University of London and an MBA from INSEAD.

Gihan Cooray
Deputy Chairperson & Group Finance Director
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Gihan Cooray is the Deputy Chairperson/Group Finance Director and has overall responsibility of the Group’s Finance and Accounting, Taxation, Corporate Finance and Strategy, Treasury, Information Technology and Corporate Communications functions. He was the Chairman of Nations Trust Bank PLC till 30 April 2023. Gihan holds an MBA from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, Houston, Texas. He is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, a certified management accountant of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia and has a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. He serves as a committee member of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Amal Cabraal
Non-Executive Director
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Amal Cabraal is an accomplished business leader with over four decades of management experience in both local and international markets. He currently serves as the Chairman of Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, Ceylon Beverage Holdings PLC, Silvermill Investment Holdings, and CIC Feeds Group of Companies. In addition to his numerous leadership roles, he also serves as a Non-Executive Director of John Keells Holdings PLC and is a business advisor to several other companies. Previously, Cabraal served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Sri Lanka, where he gained extensive knowledge and expertise in the consumer goods industry. He has also completed the stipulated maximum nine-year tenure as a Non-Executive Director of Hatton National Bank PLC, providing him with deep insights into the banking sector. Cabraal is a member of the Board of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, and also serves on the Management Committee of the Mercantile Services Provident Society. As a marketer by profession and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, he brings a wealth of marketing and branding expertise to his leadership roles. Cabraal holds an MBA from the University of Colombo, and is an executive education alumnus of INSEAD, France.

Dr. Sharmini Coorey
Non-Executive Director
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Dr. Sharmini Coorey is a former senior official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and currently a member of the Presidential Advisory Group on Multilateral Engagement and Debt Sustainability advising the Government of Sri Lanka during the economic crisis. She joined the IMF through the Economist Programme in 1986 and, during her 35 year career there, worked in positions of increasing seniority in its African, Asia and Pacific, European, and Western hemisphere departments, as well as its Policy Development and Review Department. Prior to her retirement in November 2021, Dr. Coorey served for almost nine years as the Director of the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD), the IMF’s department for capacity building. As Director - the most senior staff-level position at the IMF - she was instrumental in establishing the ICD and providing strategic direction for the governance, management, and funding of the IMF’s capacity building activities. She also oversaw the IMF’s training for country officials worldwide and established its online programme which trained over 100,000 Government officials in policy-oriented macroeconomics during her tenure. Before heading the ICD, Dr. Coorey was the Deputy Director in the IMF’s African Department, where she oversaw the Fund’s work on many Sub-Saharan African countries including South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. In addition, she led the department’s financial sector work and research agenda. Dr. Coorey’s experience at the IMF also includes surveillance work on the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, and Canada as well as programme work on Korea, Estonia, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. She served on the Investment Committee of the IMF Staff Retirement Plan and on the Editorial Committee of IMF Staff Papers. She was also a visiting researcher at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington DC. Dr. Coorey holds a Ph.D. and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University. She has published papers on inflation and economic growth in transition and developing countries and edited a book on managing oil wealth in Central African countries.

Suren Fernando
Non-Executive Director
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Counting over 23 years with MAS, Suren is the Chief Executive Officer of MAS Holdings (Pvt) LTD and was previously the Chief Transformation Officer of the company oversseing MAS’ 2025 transformation. He was also the CEO of MAS Intimates, the largest division of MAS Holdings. Among many roles within the organisation, he also functioned in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer of MAS intimates in 2014, heading operations and taking leadership in providing strategic management directives. Suren holds a BSc. in Engineering from the University of Moratuwa and is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. He has received extensive overseas business exposure and training, including Executive Education at Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD Business School, Ashridge Business School, Henley School of Management, University of Waikato in New Zealand, and Harvard Business School (Program for Leadership Development). Suren is also a member of the board of directors at World Vision Sri Lanka, a non profitable relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

Nihal Fonseka
Non-Executive Director
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Nihal Fonseka is a career banker and served as the Chief Executive Officer of DFCC Bank from 2000 until his retirement in 2013. He is currently the Chairman of Phoenix Industries Limited, Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Investment Committee of Phoenix Ventures Limited and Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Group Audit Committee of Brandix Lanka Limited. He was a member of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 2016 to 2020 and also currently after he was reappointed in June 2022. He was the President of the Sri Lanka National Advisory Council of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, UK, from 2011 to 2021. Prior to joining the DFCC Bank, he was the Deputy Chief Executive of HSBC Sri Lanka. He is a past Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange and the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP). He has also served as a Director of the Employees’ Trust Fund Board and as a member of the Presidential Commission on Taxation (2009), National Procurement Commission and Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA). He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Ceylon, Colombo, is a Fellow of the Institute of Financial Studies, (FIB) UK and is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, FCSI(Hon), UK.

Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya
Non-Executive Director
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In his role as the Chief Executive Officer – Telecommunications Business, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya heads the pan-region Telecommunications Operations of the Axiata Group Bhd., spanning the markets of Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Axiata is Asia’s second largest Telecommunications Group. Up to the year 2016, Dr. Wijayasuriya functioned as the Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata PLC (Dialog), Sri Lanka’s leading multi-play connectivity provider, and one of the highest valued companies on the Colombo Stock Exchange. In the year 2016, Dr. Wijayasuriya was honoured by the GSM Association as the first recipient of the ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Asian Mobile Industry’ Award. Dr. Wijayasuriya is a past Chairman of GSM Asia Pacific – the regional interest group of the GSM Association. He was also named ‘Sri Lankan of the Year’ by Sri Lanka’s premier business journal, LMD in 2008. Dr. Wijayasuriya is the immediate past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka’s premier business chamber. During the period 2012-14, Dr. Wijayasuriya also functioned as the founding CEO of Axiata Digital Services – the Group-wide Digital Services Business of the Axiata Group. Dr. Wijayasuriya is an alumnus of the University of Cambridge UK, and obtained his PhD from the University of Bristol UK. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology UK, Dr. Wijayasuriya also holds an MBA from the University of Warwick.

Group Executive Committee
Daminda Gamlath
President
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Daminda Gamlath is the President of the Consumer Foods industry group and has been with the John Keells Group since 2002. He was the Sector Financial Controller for the Information Technology sector and then the Consumer Foods sector before he was appointed as the Head of Beverages in 2013 and the Sector Head in 2017. Prior to joining the John Keells Group, he worked at the Hayleys Group. Daminda holds a B.Sc. in Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, an MBA from the University of Colombo and is a passed finalist of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK).

Zafir Hashim
President
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Zafir Hashim is the Head of the Transportation industry group and the Plantation sector and has been with the Group for 17 years. He joined the Group in 2003, seconded to Lanka Marine Services where he served as CEO from 2005-2015. He has also served as a member of the Transportation Sector Committee from 2005. During the last 17 years he has held the position of CEO at John Keells Logistics Lanka Ltd. for a short time, and Mackinnons Mackenzie Shipping Co. Ltd., Mack International Freight Ltd and Mackinnons Travels Ltd. He has an MSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham (UK).

Nayana Mawilmada
President
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Nayana Mawilmada is the Sector Head of the Property industry at the John Keells Group. With extensive international experience in planning, facilitating, and managing large scale urban development and infrastructure projects across 15 countries, and working within both the private and public domains, Nayana brings a unique perspective to property sector endeavours. He is widely seen as a key advocate and spokesperson for sound urban development policy and planning in the country. Among his previous roles, Nayana has served as the Director General of the Urban Development Authority of Sri Lanka, Managing Director of York Street Partners (Pvt) Ltd a boutique investment bank in Colombo, and as an Urban Development Specialist for the Asian Development Bank based in Manila, Philippines. His academic training includes an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master of City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a Bachelor of Architecture from Hampton University in the USA. In recognition of his leadership in Sri Lanka's urban development space, he was also awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship in 2017.

Suresh Rajendra
President
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Mr. Suresh Rajendra has over 30 years of experience in the fields of finance, travel & tourism, hotel management, property development and real estate management and business development acquired both in Sri Lanka and overseas. Prior to joining the JKH Group, he was the Head of Commercial and Business Development for NRMA Motoring and Services in Sydney, Australia and Director/General Manager of Aitken Spence Hotel Managements (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka. He is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. He is a member of the Group Executive Committee of the John Keells Group. He is the President of the Leisure Group of John Keells and also responsible for Union Assurance PLC, John Keells Information Technology (Pvt) Limited and John Keells Stockbrokers. He serves as a Director of Asian Hotels & Properties PLC, Union Assurance PLC. , Trans Asia Hotels PLC, John Keells Hotels PLC and also in many of the unlisted companies of the John Keells Group. He is a member of the Tourism Advisory Committee appointed by the Ministry of Tourism.

Charitha Subasinghe
President
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Charitha Subasinghe is responsible for the Retail industry group of the Group. He has been with the John Keells Group since 2003. He was the Sector Financial Controller of the Supermarket business, before being appointed as the Chief Executive Officer in 2005. He was also employed at Aitken Spence Hotel Management as the Sector Financial Controller before moving over to John Keells. He is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) as well as a Diploma Holder of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). He also holds an MBA from the University of Colombo.

Nadija Tambiah
President
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Nadija Tambiah is a law graduate from the University of Manchester, UK, a Barrister at Law (Middle Temple), UK and an Attorney at Law in Sri Lanka. She heads the Legal and Company Secretarial functions of the John Keells Group where she has worked for 25 years. She also heads the John Keells Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of John Keells Holdings PLC and is part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the Group. She is a Trustee of the George Keyt Foundation, Geoffrey Bawa Trust, Lunuganga Trust, a member of the Executive Committee of the Colombo Museum of Modern Art and sits on the Council of the Sri Lankan Institute of Directors.

Group Operating Committee
Sherin Cader
Executive Vice President
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Sherin Cader is the Chief Financial Officer of the Financial Services industry of the John Keells Group. She has been with the John Keells Group since 1998, serving in many capacities across multiple sectors. She has played diverse roles across finance and operations in Financial Services, the IT Enabled Services sector and JKH Centre functions. She functioned as the Financial Controller at John Keells Holdings PLC from 2009 till 2012. Subsequently she took on the role of General Manager - Finance and Planning at Union Assurance PLC until her current role within the Financial Services industry group of JKH. Sherin also serves on the Board of Nations Trust Bank PLC as a Non-Executive Director. She is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK, and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of UK and is also a Chartered Global Management Accountant. She is also SAP Certified in Managerial and Financial Accounting.

Nelindra Fernando
Executive Vice President
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Nelindra Fernando is the Chief Financial Officer for the Consumer Foods industry group. Nelindra has been with the John Keells Group since 2013. Prior to joining the Group, she worked at the MAS group for 12 years and Ernst & Young, Chartered Accountants for 4 years. Nelindra serves on the Board of Ceylon Cold Stores PLC as an Executive Director and at Keells Food Products PLC as a Non-Executive Director. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of UK and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.

Isuru Gunasekara
Executive Vice President
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Isuru Gunasekera is the Chief People Officer of the Group, whilst also overseeing Group Sustainability, Enterprise Risk Management and Group Initiatives. He joined the Group in 2001 into the New Business Development Division and thereafter headed Group Initiatives and also new projects for the Transportation sector. He was the CEO of John Keells Logistics for 10 years and CEO of Mackinnons Travels for a short period. Prior to joining the Group, he was attached to J P Morgan Chase. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University, USA.

Changa Gunawardane
Executive Vice President
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Changa Gunawardane is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Leisure industry group and has been with the John Keells Group for over 15 years. He previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Information Technology sector, as well as the Sector Financial Controller of the Airlines and Logistics SBU within the Transportation sector. With over 26 years of experience as a finance professional in varying industries including Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Management Services, Electrical Engineering and Construction, Changa is also a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK and holds an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Nisreen Rehmanjee
Executive Vice President
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Nisreen Rehmanjee is the Head of Corporate Finance, Group Tax & Social Entrepreneurship of the John Keells Group. Starting her career as an accounts trainee with KPMG in 1995, she rose to the position of Director Tax in 2001. She then joined the John Keells Group as Head of Tax Strategy in 2005. Her overseas experience includes a stint with the Global Tax Solutions team in London during her tenure with KPMG and a 3-year secondment to India with the John Keells IT/ITES cluster as Head of Corporate Functions. She was instrumental in conceptualising and launching the 'Plasticcycle' initiative of the John Keells Group, which is focused towards reducing plastic pollution across Sri Lanka. Nisreen is a Fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. Additionally, she is a member of the Tax Sub-committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, a past President of ACCA Sri Lanka and serves on the ACCA Sri Lanka member network panel.

Ramesh Shanmuganathan
Executive Vice President
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Ramesh Shanmuganathan is the Group's Chief Information Officer, a member of the Group Management Committee for the Information Technology sector, as well as Chief Executive of John Keells IT and John Keells X. Ramesh is also an Executive Director at John Keells IT, Infomate as well as John Keells Lanka BPO Services in addition to being a Non-Executive Director at Nations Trust Bank. He has over 25 years of experience in the ICT industry in Sri Lanka and the USA, with over 20+ years in C-level management. Ramesh is a Hayes-Fulbright Scholar and holds to his credit a Doctor of Philosophy (Technology Management) from Keisei International University (Seoul, South Korea), Master of Science (Information Technology and Computer Science) with Phi Kappa Phi Honours from Rochester Institute of Technology (New York, USA), Master of Business Administration from Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of Moratuwa. He is at present reading for his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at the International School of Management, Paris. He is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered IT Professional and a Fellow of the British Computer Society and Institute of Engineers, UK. He has active memberships in several other professional institutions and is a visiting faculty member for several post-graduate programmes. He is an active advocate of Digital Transformation and Open Innovation and speaks in many international events and forums in this regard.

Hishan Singhawansa
Executive Vice President
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Hishan Singhawansa is the Deputy CEO at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts of the Leisure industry group and overlooks Cinnamon’s entire portfolio of hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives including the development of the much-anticipated integrated resort project, Cinnamon Life Colombo. He has been with the John Keells Group since 2008 and started his career at the Retail industry Group of John Keells, where he headed Category Management and Supply Chain before being placed in the Leisure industry group in 2017. He holds a BSc in Engineering (Hons) Degree from the University of Moratuwa; and a MBA from the University of Wales.

Mikael Svensson
Executive Vice President
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Mikael Svensson is the CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and overlooks Cinnamon’s entire portfolio of hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives including the development of the much-anticipated integrated resort project, Cinnamon Life Colombo. Mikael brings with him extensive international senior leadership experience in managing and operating large scale luxury hotels across Asia, the Middle East and Australia, of which over 20 years was with the Hyatt Group. He was the opening General Manager of the landmark luxury hotel on the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah, the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah, Dubai and the Grand Hyatt Mumbai, India. He was also the General Manager of the Park Hyatt Canberra, Australia and Hyatt Regency Hua Hin, Thailand. Prior to joining the John Keells Group, he was the Senior Vice President of Louis T Collection, a Singapore based hospitality management and building solutions company which owns a portfolio of hotels across Asia and Australia.

Aravinda Wanniarachchi
Executive Vice President
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Aravinda Wanniarachchi is the Chief Financial Officer of Retail. He joined the John Keells Group in 2007 and was attached to the Corporate Finance and Strategy team prior to joining the Retail industry group. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK and holds a BBA Marketing (Sp.) degree from the University of Colombo.

Devika Weerasinghe
Executive Vice President
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Devika Weerasinghe is the Chief Financial Officer of the Transportation industry group, Plantation Services sector and Information Technology sector. She previously held the position of Sector Financial Controller of the Transportation sector. She also served as the Sector Financial Controller of the Airlines SBU of the Transportation sector during the period 1998-2004. An Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK, Devika also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Ravi Wijewantha
Executive Vice President
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Ravi Wijewantha joined the Group in September 2003 and was appointed as Sector Financial Controller of the Property industry group in July 2006 and Chief Financial Officer of the same Industry Group in July 2017. He has over 24 years of experience in the fields of auditing and accounting. He is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK and holds an MBA from ICFAI University Dehradun India.

Inoke Perera
Executive Vice President
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Inoke Perera is the Sector Head of the Property industry at the John Keells Group. He previously held the position of Chief Operating Officer for the Property Group. Inoke joined the John Keells Group in September 2003 and was appointed as Head of Commercial Operations of the Property industry group in July 2006 and Head of Operations of the same Industry Group in July 2012. He started his career in accounting, holding positions in Financial Accounting, System Implementation, Management Accounting, Business Analysis and Finance. He then later switched to Project Management, Commercial and Operations. He has over 25 years’ experience in Venture Capital, Consultancy, Property Management and Property Development Industry. He is an Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Management Accounting, (Cima, UK). Master of Business Administration PIM (University of Sri Jayewardenepura), Currently reading for a Master of Laws (LLM) at Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. He is an executive committee member of the Condominium Developers Association of Sri Lanka (CDASL).