Kumarasingha Sirisena takes the helm at SLT

23 January 2015 04:20 am Views - 2182

P. G. Kumarasingha Sirisena, one of President Maithripala Sirisena’s younger brothers assumed duties as Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) Group Chairman yesterday.“I am extremely happy to take this opportunity to lead SLT from being a very successful company to one that achieves even greater excellence. Sri Lanka Telecom has a great responsibility towards the people of this country as well as the national economy in lieu of being one of its largest contributors,” he said.


Prior to this appointment, Sirisena was the CEO/General Manager of the State Timber Corporation and holds the post of Board Director at the Land Reclamation and Development Company Ltd., LRDC Services (Pvt) Ltd., and is also the Financial Consultant for the Araliya Group of Companies (Pvt) Ltd. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Wayamba University, Master of Public Management from Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration, a post Graduate Diploma in Accountancy and Financial Management from University of Sri Jayawardanapura and a Diploma in Project Management from the University of Sri Jayawardanapura, among other qualifications.


He also counts more than 30 years of experience in a multitude of roles in both the state and private sectors.Sirisena became the 8th Chairman of SLT following the company’s privatization in 1996.SLT’s Board of Directors, subsidiary CEOs, senior management and Trade union members gathered at SLT headquarters for a simple ceremony to mark his appointment


Treasury Secretary owns 49.5 percent of the shares in SLT, and Global Telecommunications Holdings NV, a unit of Malaysia’s Maxis group owns 44.98 percent.However, President Maithripala Sirisena during his election campaign emphasized that he would not give prominence to family ties and bonds over appointments, a feature of the former regime criticized by many.