Ex-Nestle Sri Lanka VP joins Cold Stores Board

M. Hamza

Ceylon Cold Stores Plc has announced the appointment of M. Hamza, a FMCG industry veteran, to its Board of Directors as an Independent Non-Executive Director.

Hamza has over 30 years of managerial experience in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry. He had a 28-year-long career with the Nestlé Group, holding senior marketing and general management positions in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Indonesia.

From 2008 to 2013, Hamza was Senior Vice President responsible for all the business units, marketing communication and sales division at Nestlé Sri Lanka. In this capacity he played a significant role in transforming the Nestlé business in Sri Lanka to achieve sustainable and profitable growth.

From 2005 to 2008, he was on secondment with Nestlé India as the General Manager for the Coffee and Beverages business across South Asia region with full profit and loss responsibility. In this capacity he was a member of the Nestlé South Asia Management Committee.

During his long career with Nestlé Lanka, Hamza has been instrumental in developing strong brands such as Nestomalt and Milo Ready to Drink, which are today the flagship brands of Nestlé in Sri Lanka.

During his overseas stints with the Nestle Group, he has spearheaded the development of award winning campaigns for important global brands such as Nescafe and Milo in Indonesia and India.

Hamza holds a B.Com degree from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, an MBA from the American University in Washington DC and a Post Graduate Diploma in General Management from IMD in Switzerland.

He is currently the CEO of Pencil Company Ltd., which owns Atlas, the leading school and office stationery brand in Sri Lanka.

With the latest appointment, the Board of Directors of Ceylon Cold Stores Plc comprises Susantha Ratnayake (Chairman), Ajit Gunewardene, J.R.F. Peiris, Jit Gunaratne, P.S. Jayawardena, U.P. Liyanage, A.R. Rasiah and M. Hamza.