Leadership

Chandana de Silva – Group Chairman

Mr. Chandana De Silva holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Management from the University of London, United Kingdom. He is also a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Sri Lanka. He has over 25 years of Managerial and Financial experience, of which over 23 years is in the UK, including as the Chief Financial Officer of a Nasdaq quoted data communication services organisation. 

After moving back to Sri Lanka in 2002, he worked in a variety of leadership roles including his role as a consultant specializing in Institution Building, Good Governance, Talent Management and Planning for success in family-owned businesses. 

Prakash Schaffter – Deputy Chairman

Mr. Prakash Schaffter is a graduate of Cambridge University and has over three decades of managerial and financial experience in both Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. Over the course of his tenure of leadership as the Executive Chairman of Janashakthi Insurance PLC., he has led Janashakthi through a growth phase that saw Janashakthi become the third largest Non-Life Insurer. He was instrumental in acquiring the Non-Life segment of AIA Insurance Lanka in 2015 and also led the divestment project of Janashakthi’s Non-Life segment in 2018.

Mr. Schaffter is a former President of the Insurance Association of Sri Lanka, and continues to impact the business sector through his membership on the council of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID). He served on the Boards of several listed and unlisted entities including the Bank of Ceylon and has been amongst the youngest Fellow Members of the Chartered Insurance Institute. He has also served as President of the Young Presidents Organisation of Sri Lanka.

Eardley Perera – Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr. Perera is a senior member (Honorary Fellow) and graduate of The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, with over 45 years of experience in Management. He has undergone Management training in the UK, Sweden, South Korea, India, Philippines and Singapore. He retired from active executive positions in 2005.

Since 1997 he was a member on the Board of Study of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura, until he stepped down in January 2021. He is also on the Advisory Boards of Aquinas University College and the Benedict XVI Catholic Institute of Higher Education. Mr. Perera continues to be actively engaged in Management education and consultancy.

Saliya Wickramasuriya – Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr. Saliya Wickramasuriya holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Engineering Physics from Loughborough University, UK.  He possesses extensive experience in a wide spectrum of technical and marketing disciplines as well as areas of strategy, regulation and national policy development.

Mr. Wickramasuriya began his career when he joined the upstream oil and gas industry in 1984, working for Schlumberger, the world’s largest petroleum services company. After 20 years in oil and gas exploration and production worldwide, he returned to Sri Lanka in 2004, when he was appointed Chairman/Director General of the Sri Lanka Board of Investment.

Nathan Sivagananathan – Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr. Nathan Sivagananathan holds a BSc in Engineering Management from the University of Hertfordshire and has completed the General Management Program at Harvard University, USA.

A supporter of local entrepreneurship and small businesses, as well as an active angel investor in the country, Mr. Sivagananathan is the co-founder of Hatch, a revolutionary workspace designed to support start-ups and budding entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. In recognition of his work as a venture capitalist for start-ups he was honoured as an Eisenhower Fellow in 2015 and a Kauffman Fellow three years later in 2018.   

Manjula Mathews – Non-Independent Non-Executive Director

Ms. Manjula Mathews holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Cambridge. She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. She counts over three decades of experience in Finance, Marketing and General Management. 

Having served in the capacity of Chairperson and Managing Director of Dunamis Capital PLC for a period of almost ten years, she stepped down in 2017 to pursue an alternate career as a counselor and coach. She is the current Chairperson of Habitat for Humanity, Sri Lanka, an organization serving the housing needs of vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Ramesh Schaffter – Group Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director

Counting over three decades of experience in Finance & Marketing, Mr. Ramesh Schaffter is a Fellow Member and former Council Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Sri Lanka, and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He has served on the Boards of several public listed and unlisted companies. 

A social entrepreneur and life coach, he is an accomplished public speaker and a multiple award winner at national and international level Toastmasters’ contests. He is the former President of Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka and a former Board Member of World Vision Sri Lanka. He is a Co-Founder of cable television channel Swarga TV.

Mr. Schaffter also serves on the Council of the Colombo Theological Seminary, a graduate and postgraduate educational institute and is a former Chairman of the Incorporated trustees of the Church of Ceylon.

Minette Perera – Independent Non-Executive Director

Ms. Minette Perera has a distinguished career as the former Group Finance Director of the MJF Group, where she played a pivotal role in managing finance functions across a vertically integrated tea operation. During her employment with the MJF Group, Ms. Perera was appointed a Director of the MJF Group of Companies, including MJF Holdings Limited. She continues to hold board positions in several companies within the MJF Group. Additionally, she has served as a Director on the Board of First Capital Group, and Orient Finance PLC. Her expertise spans over 40 years, during which she has held CFO and Finance Director positions in leading local and international companies. Ms. Perera is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of the UK, and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of the UK.
 

Vishnu Balachandran – Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr. Vishnu Balachandran has an extensive background in investment banking, having served as the Head of Investment Banking (Executive Vice President) at Capital Alliance Partners Limited, a prominent investment bank in Sri Lanka. His skills in Corporate Finance, Valuation, Financial Analysis, Equity Research, and Equity Valuation are well-established. Mr. Balachandran’s previous experience at Amba Research and Kreston MNS & Co. further enhances his knowledge and capabilities in the finance industry. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Colombo.