Dr. Anura Ekanayake appointed as Hemas Deputy Chairman

• Ranil Pathirana appointed as Independent Non-Executive Director

Hemas Holdings PLC yesterday announced the appointment of Dr. Anura Ekanayake as the Deputy Chairman of the company with effect from January 1, 2023.

Before the latest appointment, Dr.Ekanayake was serving in the Hemas Holdings director board as an Independent Non-Executive Director from October 2013.  Dr. Ekanayake has had an illustrious career in the public service, serving as a Senior Economist of the Mahaweli Authority, Director on the Boards of the State Plantations Corporation and JEDB, Director of Planning to the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Director General of the Ministry of Public Administration. 

He has held directorships in all 23 regional plantation companies and also served on the Tea Research Board, Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture and Plantation Housing and Social Welfare Development Trust. 

Dr. Ekanayake is a firm advocate of developing human capital and people transformation. Following his two-decade long public service, he joined Unilever Sri Lanka and served as Director – Human Resources and Corporate Relations for eight years. 

He holds a B.A. (Hons) and MSc (Agriculture) from the University of Peradeniya and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Australian National University. He is also a Fellow Member of the Institute of Certified Professional Managers. 
Dr. Ekanayake serves on a number of boards of listed companies and non- listed companies. 

He is also a former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Association of Sri Lanka and The International Natural Rubber Council. 

Meanwhile, Hemas Holdings also announced the appointment of Ranil Pathirana to its board as an Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from January 1, 2023.

Pathirana has extensive experience in finance and management in financial, apparel and energy sectors. 
He serves as a Director of the Hirdaramani Group which includes apparel, leisure & investment holding companies. He is also the Managing Director for Hirdaramani International Exports (Pvt) Ltd. The Hirdaramani Group has apparel manufacturing facilities across Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Ethiopia.  He also serves on the Boards of several listed entities. Pathirana is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK (FCMA - UK) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.