First Capital strengthens board with top accountant Minette Perera

First Capital Holdings PLC has announced the appointment of Minette Perera as an Independent Director with effect from December 2011.

Perera, a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of experience, presently serves as the Finance Director of the MJF Group and on the boards of a number of Group companies including MJF Holdings Ltd., MJF Exports (Pvt.) Ltd., Ceylon Tea Services PLC, Kahawatte Plantations PLC and Forbes & Walker (Pvt.) Ltd.

A Fellow member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of UK (CIMA) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of UK (ACCA), Perera has also held key positions in finance at several leading local and multinational companies.  

She was the Finance Manager and a member of the Management Committee of Reckitt Benckiser from 1989 (previously Reckitt & Colman Ceylon Ltd) and was elected to its Board and appointed the Finance Director in May 1994.

During her 11 years with Reckitt Benckiser she played a pivotal role in a number of key international and regional initiatives of the Group in Finance and other sectors.

She also functioned as the Finance and Administration Manager of SriLankan Catering (previously Air Lanka Catering Services Ltd) and as the Chief Financial Accountant at Nestle Sri Lanka, which she served for seven years. Perera started her career at Ernst & Young as a Trainee and was subsequently appointed a Manager.

“With her wide experience in and knowledge of finance and the corporate sector, Ms. Perera can contribute significantly to the growth of First Capital,” said Manjula Mathews, the Group’s Executive Director.

“This appointment, following that of two other distinguished individuals, Deshamanya Lalith de Mel as Chairman and Eardley Perera as a Director earlier this year, represents a significant strengthening of the First Capital board.”

First Capital Holdings PLC is a leading financial solutions provider with an extensive product offering ranging from investments in treasury bills and bonds to margin trading, wealth management and corporate debt. The Group achieved a net profit after tax of Rs. 983.4 million and revenue of Rs 1.7 billion for the year ending 31 March 2011.

Following the appointment of Perera, the Board of Directors of First Capital Holdings PLC comprises of Deshamanya Lalith de Mel (Chairman), Nihara Rodrigo, Eardley Perera, Minette Perera, Manjula Mathews and Dinesh Schaffter.