Pelwatte Dairy announces several key appointments

Pelwatte Dairy has announced several new appointments to its Board of Directors as well as a new General Manager recently.

The two non-executive directors are finance professional Darshana Perera and veteran banker Thilak Piyadigama. The new General Manager is Lasantha Silva.

Silva is a well-known veteran in the dairy industry armed with many years of experience. He holds a Master’s degree in Manufacturing Services and an MBA from the University of Colombo.

“Brands that have their purpose as serving the country in some way are very honourable, Pelwatte Dairy is a very good example of helping the country not only at a macro level but also at a grass root level by helping farmers. I could not be prouder to serve as the general manager for an organisation such as this,” Silva said.

Darshana Perera, a chartered accountant and with a MBA from the University of Colombo is armed with 20 years of experience in a spread of different industries has been appointed to the board as a non-executive director. He is a well-known finance marvel amongst the accountant and finance community and has mentored many young prodigies as well.

“It gives me great pride and pleasure to be part of an organisation whom I have always admired for their business practices and their ability to dream bigger. The future for Pelwatte is bright and I hope to contribute towards it,” Darshana added.

Pelawatte said Thilak Piyadigama, is one of the biggest names in the banking industry with a local and international career spanning over 30 years. As a Non-Executive Director Piyadigama will head the Board Risk Management Committee. Thilak holds an MBA from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and attended management development programs at INSEAD in France and at London Business School in the United Kingdom.

“Pelwatte Dairy is a brand that takes quality and food safety very seriously, and I admire that about the brand. The effort they put into ensuring that every drop of milk you consume, is truly commendable. I am delighted to have joined such an organisation and look to continue and improve the practices being followed,” Piyadigama said.

Both Darshana and Thilak have also been appointed to the Board Audit Committee which is chaired by Herschel Gunawardene who is a long-serving board member and a well-respected financial veteran.

Other members of Pelwatte Dairy Board of Directors are founder and Chairman Ariyaseela Wickramanayake, Akmal Wickramanayake, and Toshan Wickramanayake.

Pelawatte said strengthening of its administration and leadership team is part of its mission to grow and sustain itself as the flag bearer dairy brand in Sri Lanka and to depend solely on domestic dairy production.