Two new appointments to Board of Tea Smallholder Factories

Tea Smallholder Factories PLC has announced the appointment of Priyan Edirisinghe and Farzana Jameel as Independent Non-Executive Directors of the Company.

Priyan Edirisinghe is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of experience in the private sector and professional practice. He currently serves as the Managing Partner at Baker Tilly

Edirisinghe & Co., one of the leading audit, tax, and consulting firms in Sri Lanka. Bakertilly Sri

Lanka is a member of Bakertilly International, the 10th largest accounting network in the world.

In this role, he has been instrumental in steering the firm’s strategic direction and driving growth initiatives. His leadership is marked by a focus on outward growth technology-driven initiatives focus and operational efficiency, and ethical practices.

Edirisinghe’s professional journey is characterised by his commitment to leveraging technology for competitive advantage. He has championed the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, including AI and digital tools, to enhance operational excellence and drive strategic growth.

In addition to his role at Baker Tilly, Edirisinghe has made significant contributions to various organisations as an independent director. At Dialog Finance PLC, he serves as the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Related Party Transaction Committees. His responsibilities include leading audits, risk evaluation, and overseeing the financial reporting and disclosure process. He ensures transparency and equity in related party transactions, fostering trust and credibility among stakeholders.

Edirisinghe’s directorship at CT Land Development PLC involves similar responsibilities, where he leads the audit committee and ensures compliance and transparency in transactions. His strategic guidance and oversight have been driving the company’s various initiatives. 

Before his tenure at Baker Tilly, Edirisinghe held notable positions as the Regional Financial Controller at Dart Express Group, where he oversaw financial operations across 10 countries, and as the Financial Controller for Herowana Investments, the Nokia mobile phone distributor for Botswana and Southern Africa. In these roles, he was responsible for financial planning, risk management, and strategic financial oversight, contributing significantly to the financial stability and growth of the organisations.

His professional qualifications include being a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (ACIM) in the United Kingdom, and an MBA from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Additionally, he is a Chartered Wealth Manager (Level 4) from CISI in the United Kingdom and holds a Data Analytics certification from ICAEW in the United Kingdom.

President’s Counsel Farzana Jameel is a former Senior Additional Solicitor General. She is currently a member of the Board of Management of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights of the University of Colombo, and a Member of the Department Industry Consultative Board (DICB) of the School of Law, of the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, (SUIT).

She was called to the Bar in 1988. In her legal career that spans over 35 years, she has served as a litigator, law teacher and has, from 2016, served as a Visiting Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Fiji.

Prior to her retirement from the Attorney General’s Department in December 2022, she headed the Corporations Division and the Court of Appeal Unit of the Department. She has been a Criminal Prosecutor, and has also appeared as lead Counsel for the State in several landmark civil cases including in the subject areas of Constitutional and Administrative Law, Customs Law, Tax Law, Company Law, Labour and Land Law.

Jameel has been a Consultant to the Board of Infrastructure Investment (BII) of the Board of Investment, and the Southern Development Authority.

As a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Fiji, her judgments have covered inter alia, the subjects of tax law, tort, contracts, civil procedure, labour law, land law, law of succession, public law, shipping, and commercial law. She has taught at both undergraduate and post graduate level at the Open University, Sri Lanka, the University of Colombo and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Sri Lanka Law College. She taught Administrative Law, Law of Equity and Trust, Legal History and Systems and International Trade Law. She currently teaches Tax Law and Policy at post-graduate level at the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

In 2024 Jameel received the ‘IMRA’ Award for Excellence in Law and Advocacy. In 2023 she received the Award for Law and Social Justice from the Tamil Women’s’ Association of Sri Lanka for contribution to the legal profession for Law and Social Justice, and was also felicitated by Sampath Bank PLC, under its “Wonder Woman Initiative”. In 2016 she received the Gold Award in Law by Women in Management (WIM), and in 2011, she received the Zonta Award “Woman of Achievement for Law”.

She has been a speaker at numerous local and international conferences on topics such as Women and the Law, Gender Challenges, and Reconciliation of the Roles of Working Women. She has contributed to local journals and co-authored works that explore critical legal issues. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from University College London (UCL) a Master of Laws (LLM) in Constitutional and Administrative Law from the University of Colombo and a Bachelor in Laws (LLB) from the University of Colombo.

With the latest appointments, the Board comprises Krishan Balendra (Chairperson), E.H. Wijenaike, A.S. Jayathileke, J.G.A. Cooray, S.K.L. Obeysekere, A.K. Gunaratne, A. Goonetilleke, A.Z. Hashim, Priyan Edirisinghe and Farzana Jameel.