Kelsey Homes strengthens board of directors with new additions

Kelsey Developments PLC, a member of the Janashakthi Group and the pioneering real estate developer in Sri Lanka, announced the appointments of two new board members, Air Chief Marshall (ACM) Gagan Bulathsinghala and Arul Sivagananathan, with effect from July 16, 2021.  As the pioneer in Sri Lanka’s housing and real estate market, Kelsey Homes’ reputation and success are built on a clear strategy that focuses on servicing the residential housing market. This is also an evolving and exciting period for the organisation as a result of the exponential growth strategies to further strengthen the group companies: First Capital, Janashakthi Life, Orient Finance and Kelsey Homes as Janashakthi Group. 

Being a stakeholder in the local housing market for over 35 years, the company has been credited with setting in motion the paradigm shift that has transformed residential housing into what it is today. These initiatives further strengthen the business strategies of Kelsey Homes to drive business growth and serve all aspiring homeowners. 

“We are pleased to welcome ACM Bulathsinghala and Sivagananathan to the board of Kelsey Developments PLC, at this important time of our organisation’s thrust in to the national housing construction business,” said Kelsey Developments PLC Chairman Eardley Perera. “They both bring extensive leadership experience and expertise, to help drive transformation through effective strategic planning and execution. The addition of these directors complements the current skills and experience of our board. We are confident they will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to transform the real estate industry to better serve our customers and communities, while keeping in mind the need to enhance value for all our stakeholders,” he concluded.

ACM Bulathsinghala is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College at Air University (United States Air Force) Alabama, USA and the prestigious National Defence College (India) New Delhi. In addition, he possesses postgraduate degrees, Master of Philosophy in Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Madras India and Master of Science in Defence Studies in Management from General Sir John Kothalawala Defence University. He is a Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Hawaii, the Near East South Asia Centre for Strategic Studies and National Defence University, USA.  He was appointed as Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force in 2015 and was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal from September 12, 2016. He was the former Sri Lanka Ambassador to Afghanistan.  Sivagananathan holds a BSc Engineering degree from the University of London, UK and an MBA from Cranfield University, UK. He is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. 

Sivagananathan was appointed to Hayleys Group Management Committee (GMC) as Managing Director of Hayleys Business Solutions and Hayleys Industrial Solutions. He was instrumental in winning large BPO deals for his organisation. He has a rare combination of being an engineer and an accountant. Former Senior Vice President of WNS, A NYSE listed BPO, he headed the operations for finance and accounting across India and Sri Lanka and managed over 2,000 accounting professionals. He is also a part-time lecturer at the PIM.

With the latest appointments, Kelsey Developments PLC board of directors comprises of Chairman Eardley Perera, Dinesh Schaffter, Ramesh Schaffter, Prakash Schaffter, Chandana de Silva, Roshni Fernando, Gagan Bulathsinghala and Arul Sivagananathan.