Board of Directors
Tilak de Zoysa
(Chairman / Non-Executive Independent Director)
A well-known figure in the Sri Lankan business community, Tilak de Zoysa, FCMI (UK) FPRI (SL), Honorary Consul for Croatia and Global Ambassador for HelpAge International was conferred the title of “Deshabandu” by His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka in recognition of his services to the country. He was also the recipient of “The Order of the Rising Sun. Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” conferred by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan and the LMD Lifetime Achievers’ Award 2017.
In addition to being the Chairman of the Supervisory Board (AMW) and Advisor to the Al-Futtaim Group of Companies in Sri Lanka, he chairs Carson Cumberbatch PLC, Associated CEAT (Pvt) Ltd., Amaya Hotels and Resorts USA (Radisson), Jetwing Zinc Journey Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Trinity Steel (Pvt) Ltd.,CG Corp Global Sri Lanka, HelpAge Sri Lanka and Sasakawa Memorial Sri Lanka Japan Cultural Centre Trust.
He is also the Vice Chairman of CEAT Kelani Holdings (Pvt) Ltd and serves on the boards of several listed and private Companies which include TAL Lanka Hotels PLC (Taj), TAL Hotels and Resorts Ltd, Nawaloka Hospitals PLC, Associated Electrical Corporation Ltd., INOAC Polymer Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Cinnovation INC., and Varun Beverages Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. (Pepsi).
Mr. Tilak de Zoysa is a past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka, HelpAge International (UK), Colombo YMBA and served as a Member of the Monetary Board of Sri Lanka (2003-2009).
H. Selvanathan
(Deputy Chairman / Non-Executive Director)
Hari Selvanathan who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, is the Chairman of Bukit Darah PLC and Deputy Chairman of Carson Cumberbatch PLC. He is the Deputy Chairman/Group Chief Executive Officer of Goodhope Asia Holdings Ltd, the President Commissioner of the palm oil related companies in Indonesia, holds directorships in several subsidiary companies within the Carsons Group and is also the Chairman of Carsons Management Services (Private) Limited and Agro Harapan Lestari (Private) Limited, the Group’s management companies.
He is also a Director of Sri Krishna Corporation (Private) Limited and the Chairman of Express Newspapers (Ceylon) Ltd. He was the Past President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Past Vice Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (Sri Lanka).
M. Selvanathan
(Non-Executive Director)
Mano Selvanathan is the Chairman of Sri Krishna Corporation (Private) Limited and Selinsing PLC. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and is a Director in most of the Carson Cumberbatch companies in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and an active member of its Executive Management Forums.
He has served as the Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Indo Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and has also served as the President of the Rotary Club of Colombo North. At present, he is the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Chile in Sri Lanka.
Mano Selvanathan was conferred the National Honours in Sri Lanka the ‘DESAMANYA’ title by H.E. The President of Sri Lanka, in recognition of the services rendered to the Nation in November 2005.
In January 2011, he was awarded with the prestigious ‘PRAVASI BHARATIYA SAMMAN AWARD’ by the President of India. He also received the Presidential Honour of ‘ORDER OF KNIGHT COMMANDER’ in October 2013 awarded by the Government of Chile.
D. C. R. Gunawardena
(Non-Executive Director)
Chandima Gunawardena serves as a Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director of most of the Carsons Group companies in Sri Lanka and overseas.
He is also a Director of Bukit Darah PLC. Since assuming Non- Executive status in the Group, he serves as an advisor to the Group’s Strategic Planning and Management forums in Sri Lanka and serves on Board Committees, including the Audit Committees of the Group in Sri Lanka and overseas covering all operating sectors of the Group.
Mr. Gunawardena has over four decades of experience in varied fields of business and commercial activities and has held senior positions in corporate, mercantile and state institutions. He was appointed to the Carsons Group Directorate in 1990.
He has served in the Management Committee of
the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce for over 10
years and was a Founder Council member of the
Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID) and
continued to serve in the council for over 10
years.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered
Institute of Management Accountants, UK.
S. K. Shah
(Non-Executive Director)
Mr. Suresh Shah is Chairman of Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC , the start-up online grocery and household products marketplace, Providore and a Director of Carson Cumberbatch PLC, Bukit Darah PLC and Hemas Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd. Previously, he was Director and CEO of Ceylon Beverage Holdings PLC and Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, a position he held for 30 years.
He is a past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and of the Employers Federation of Ceylon. He has also served as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, a Member of Council of the University of Moratuwa and a member of the Monetary Policy Consultative Committee of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.
R. Theagarajah
(Non-Executive Independent Director)
[FCMA (UK), FCA (Sri Lanka), MBA (Cranfield) FIB (Hon), Sri Lanka].
Mr. Rajendra Theagarajah has been a veteran
banker with a wealth of experience in the
banking and financial services sector. He
counts over 38 years in banking both locally
and overseas.
Presently, Mr. Theagarajah
is a Senior Visiting Fellow of the Pathfinder
Foundation, a leading think tank in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Theagarajah served as the MD/ CEO of Cargills Bank Limited till 30th September 2020. Prior to Cargills Bank, he served as Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Development Bank PLC (NDB) from August 2013 till November 30, 2016 and as CEO/ Managing Director at Hatton National Bank PLC for 9 years until June 2013.
Mr. Theagarajah was also a past Chairman of the Sri Lanka Bankers’ Association (Guarantee) Ltd, Financial Ombudsman Sri Lanka (Guarantee) Ltd, former Director of Colombo Stock Exchange and former Chairman of the Asian Bankers Association. He has also served as a Council Member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.
He is a past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) Sri Lanka Governing Board. He was formerly a co-opted member of CIMA UK’s Global Council.
W. M. R. S. Dias
(Non-Executive Independent Director)
A banker by profession, Ravi Dias served Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC for nearly four decades and retired as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer. He is the Chairman of Seylan Bank PLC, Senkadagala Finance PLC and Ceylon Tea Marketing (Pvt) Ltd. He also serves on the Board of Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC.
He served as Managing Director of Commercial Development Company PLC and had also served on the Boards of Lanka Clear (Pvt) Limited, Lanka Financial Services Bureau Limited, Academy of Financial Studies of the Ministry of Finance & Planning and was a Council Member of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon.
He holds a Degree in Law and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (UK). He is also a Hubert. H. Humphrey Fellow and an alumnus of INSEAD Business School – France, having attended the Advanced Management Programme in Fontainebleau.
A. S. Amaratunga
(Non-Executive Independent Director)
Mr. Saktha Amaratunga is an Independent, Non-Executive Director of Hemas Holdings PLC, Chairman of Hemas Holdings PLC – Audit Committee, and a Commissioner of PT Agro Indomas Indonesia, a subsidiary of the Carson Cumberbatch Group. He is also an Audit Committee Member of MAS Holdings Ltd.
Previously, Regional Audit Controller (Asia Pacific) for British American Tobacco, he has more than 20 years’ experience with British American Tobacco, having performed senior finance roles for the Group in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom, and also being the Finance Director of British American Tobacco Operations in the Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Japan and Malaysia (IT Shared Services Organization).
Has many years of experience in Strategy Development, Business Restructuring, Risk and Governance, International Finance and People Development. He is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK and also a Member of CPA Australia.
Sharada Selvanathan
(Executive Director)
Sharada Selvanathan has been on the Board of Carson Cumberbatch PLC [CCPLC] since March 2019.
Sharada focuses on the Human Resources and Corporate Strategy functions of CCPLC’s oil palm arm, Goodhope Asia Holdings Ltd [Goodhope]. Sharada is a member of the Executive Committee of Goodhope and works closely with the senior management in making key decisions.
Prior to Goodhope, Sharada worked at BNP Paribas in London, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Beyond Goodhope, Sharada is passionate about education, especially for children with learning differences. She is currently a Trustee of an education-focused trust that provides a platform for students to reach their potential through alternative learning methods.
Sharada holds a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Warwick, UK, and an MBA from IMD, Switzerland.
M. M. Murugappan
(Non-Executive Independent Director)
M. M. Murugappan served as the Executive Chairman of the Corporate and Supervisory Board of the Murugappa Group India. He presently chairs the Boards of Carborundum Universal (CUMI – a material science company) and Cholamandalam Mitsui Sumitomo General Insurance Company Ltd. of the Murugappa Group.
After a brief stint in the field of Environmental Engineering Design in the United States, Murugappan joined CUMI in 1979.
In January 2004, Murugappan took over as Chairman of CUMI, playing a pivotal role in transforming CUMI into an international company. He has broken new grounds in positioning CUMI as a technology and innovation-driven organization. His strategic approach towards business partnerships with global leaders, has been one of the key factors contributing to CUMI’s consistent growth internationally.
Murugappan was appointed as the Non Executive Chairman of Cyient Ltd, Hyderabad in April 2021. He recently retired from the Board of Mahindra & Mahindra. He served on the Board of Governors of IIT Madras, for six years till November 2011 and has enabled many industry-academic partnerships. He now serves on the Board of the IIT Madras Research Park and is a mentor to many companies incubated there.
As Trustee of the Group’s AMM Foundation, he is actively involved in the development of various citizenship initiatives, particularly in education, health care, performing arts and sports.
Murugappan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the AC College of Technology, University of Madras, India and a Master of Science Degree also in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He is a member of the American and Indian Institutes of Chemical Engineers and the Plastics & Rubber Institute. He was elected as a Fellow Member of the Indian Ceramic Society in 2006.
Y. H. Ong
(Non-Executive Independent Director)
Mr. Yew Huat Ong is an Independent Non-Executive Director, Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of the Nominating Committee of Singapore Power Ltd. and Capitaland Group Pte Ltd. He is also a Director of Singapore Mediation Centre.
Mr. Ong chaired United Overseas Bank Malaysia Bhd till 2018 and was Chairman of the Tax Academy of Singapore. He also served as Independent Director of United Overseas Bank Ltd., Singapore.
During 2008- 2013, he served as a Director of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) of Singapore, a member of the Public Accountants Oversight Committee and chaired the Audit Committee of ACRA.
Mr. Ong is a Chartered Accountant and began his career with Ernst & Young’s London office. He returned to Singapore in 1983 and later led its transaction advisory and corporate recovery practice in the far East area. From 2005 to 2012, he served as the Managing Partner and later as Executive Chairman of Ernst & Young, Singapore, and as Chief Operations Officer of Ernst & Young Asia Pacific.
As a known supporter of the Arts, Mr. Ong was the Chairman of the National Heritage Board and Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI). He was awarded the Public Service Star in 2017 for his contributions to the Arts in Singapore.
Mr. Ong holds a Bachelor of Accounting (Honours) degree from the University of Kent at Canterbury. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Singapore.
