Two new additions to Vidullanka Plc Board

Vidullanka Plc yesterday announced the appointment of Sattar Kassim and Sidath Fernando as Directors on its Board with effect from 16 January 2012.

Kassim is one of the founder directors of Expolanka Holding Plc, which is one of the large diversified conglomerates in Sri Lanka.

He is the Group Director of the International Trading Sector with more than 30 years of senior management experience in private sector organizations locally and overseas. He is a pioneer in Commodity Trading business in Sri Lanka and is also actively involved in Entreport Trading, Import and Export of Agricultural Produce and also Executive Council Member of the Sri Lanka Pakistan Business Council.

Kassim is the Chairman of more than 27 Companies including; Bio Extracts Pvt Limited, pioneers in the manufacturer and marketing of Herbal food Supplements and Essential Oils in Sri Lanka and internationally; Expack Corrugated Cartons Limited, a leading Corrugated Carton Manufacturer and Expo Air Pvt Ltd, established in 1997 and the first private airline to be licensed for international cargo operations by the Sri Lankan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

It is also the only airline apart from the national carrier to have its own ground handling operations at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

Fernando is a successful business entrepreneur in Sri Lanka with business interests in Manufacturing, Real Estate, Property Management and information Communications Technology sectors.

Fernando is the principal Shareholder and Chairman of V.D.P. Fernando & Co. Limited, a family owned business establishment in 1938 and Managing Director of Crystal Holdings Pvt Ltd.

Fernando has been successfully managing their private family business V.D.P. Fernando & Co. Limited, since 1992. During this time, the Company has experienced substantial growth and diversification.

He has been the catalyst for Company’s development and expansion into global export markets for its Coir Fiber products. Fernando and Co. currently manages the complete lifecycle of the Coir Fibre Processing-from product R&D to Products/Market Development to Global sale Fernando also has extensive experience in the Real Estate and Property Development Business, he has been quite successful in both developing and managing large scale commercial and retail outlets in Colombo. He served as a Director of Sri Lanka Telecom from year 2008. He also served as a Director of Sky Network Ltd and SLT Manpower Solution Ltd.

Overall, Fernando has more than 20 years of hands-on experience in Business Management, Finance, Mat and Marketing gained while managing his own Small and Medium Enterprises. He also has served as a committee member of Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka and also a Rotarian at the Rotary Club of Colombo.