PIMA appoints Executive Committee for new impetus for year 2021/22

PIMA President and Executive Committee for the year 2021/22

Seated (from left): Treasurer Thimira Manamendra, Faculty Coordinator Samantha Ratnayake, Immediate Past President Jayalal Hewawasam, PIM Director and PIMA Patron Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri, President Denzil Perera, Vice President Shiranthi Theverapperuma, Secretary Ramesh Dassanayake, Editor Shantha Katipearachchi

Standing (from left): Ruvini de Silva, Mahesen Wijeratne, Asst. Treasurer Erande de Silva, Chandana Ekanayake, Lakshika Udawatta, Asst. Secretary Dhanajaya Ponnamperuma, Darshika Wickramasinghe, Chanaka Gunathilaka, Shuvo Hridayesh, Saman Wimaladasa, Asst. Editor Nilufa Nizam 

Positioned as Sri Lanka’s most active postgraduate alumni association, driven by the vision to transform itself into a leading think tank of the nation with a profound community of thought leaders, shaping and redesigning the nation’s socio-economic fabric, the Postgraduate Institute of Management Alumni Association (PIMA) held its Annual General Meeting recently, in which the association elected its President and Executive Committee for the year 2021/22.

Brand and business strategist Denzil Indrajith Perera was confirmed to continue as the President from the previous year’s executive committee as the previous committee was an interim committee appointed subsequent to a delayed AGM due to the prevailing pandemic situation that took the country by storm. 

Armed with over 16 years of experience in top Sri Lankan corporates such as Union Assurance, Hemas Consumer Brands, Marina Foods, ACL Cables Denzil has served in the fields of marketing, branding and sales giving leadership to diverse teams in reaching new heights in his journey of becoming a general manager which he started as a brand executive at SLIC back in 2005. 

An old boy of Ananda College, he completed his Bachelor’s degree specialised in Marketing at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, obtained his MBA at PIM with a merit pass and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from The Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). A business strategist, consultant, and a visiting lecturer for Strategic Marketing, he has previously held positions of Committee member, Secretary and Vice President of PIMA. Currently he serves as a board member of SANASA General Insurance and also as a Director of the National Design Centre.

The Executive Committee of PIMA for the year 2021/2022 also composed of Vice President Shiranthi Thevarapperuma – Head of Finance and Control at Ceylon Oxygen Ltd., Immediate Past President Jayalal Hewawasam – CEO of Allianz Insurance Lanka, Secretary Ramesh Dassanayake – Managing Director of Sunway Group of Companies, Assistant Secretary Dhananjaya Ponnamperuma – Chief Technology Officer of Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka, Treasurer Thimira Manamendra – Head of Affinity at Allianz Insurance Lanka, Assistant Treasurer Eranda Lasith De Silva – Director and Chief Financial Officer of Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC, Editor Shantha Katipearachchi – Chief Marketing Officer at InsureMe.lk and Assistant Editor Nilufa Nizam – Sales Specialist at DHL Global Forwarding (Sri Lanka).

Committee members include Chandana Ekanayake – Commissioner of Rehabilitation and Skill Development at Department of Prisons, Chanaka Gunathilake – CEO of Navil Logistics, Mahasen Wijayaratne – Head of Human Resources and Administration of Lankem Plantations, Saman Wimaladasa – Head of IT at Ferentin Tyre Corporation Ltd., Ruvini De Silva – Assistant Secretary (Reforms) at the Ministry of Justice, Shuvo Hridayesh – Chief Executive Officer of Zante Consultancy Ltd., Darshika Wickramasinghe – Group Managing Director of V-share Ltd. and Lakshika Udawatta – Manager Consumer Healthcare Marketing at Hemas Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Addressing the gathering, President Denzil Perera expressing his views and elaborating his plans for the tenure along with his able new team, Denzil stressed, “During this time of uncertainty which prevails in the country and the whole world, given the rising of the pandemic, it is essential to commit for a mindful and empathetic execution of strategies in the business and management fraternity which is at the heart of uplifting Sri Lanka’s economy.” He went on to mention that PIMA will also focus more on serving its members by introducing membership reward programs that will make them proud to be members of PIMA. 

With the completion of several longstanding projects, the Annual General Meeting witnessed the launch of a revamped website and the PIMA Membership Portal that allows members to interact with each other as one close-knit community. 

PIM made up of 3,500 corporate athletes, also celebrates 35 years of nurturing and producing innovative, strategic and competent leaders for the nation.