AMW strengthens staff portfolio with game changing expertise

Associated Motorways Ltd. (AMW) recently appointed four game changers – Chaminda Perera, Kelum Herat-Gunaratne, Upul Nawaratne Bandara and Rajith De Silva – to its already stellar management portfolio.

Chaminda Perera joined AMW as a Director, responsible for Commercial Vehicles. AMW represents commercial vehicle brands such as Piaggio, Case New Holland and Dong Feng. AMW being a visionary company forecasting the long-term growth of the commercial vehicle industry in Sri Lanka strategically acquired one of the best in the industry and will use his expertise to strengthen and enhance the company’s position in the market. He will lead and direct a young and dynamic team to identify new business opportunities and grow existing brands. Chaminda brings a wealth of automotive business acumen with over 17 years of experience in the industry. Previously he was the CEO of Jaguar, Porsche, Volvo, Proton, Mahindra and Mahindra two-wheelers franchise holders of Sri Lanka.

Kelum Herat-Gunaratne joined AMW as General Manager – Business D

evelopment at the end of last year. He is a Transaction Advisory Specialist and has over 18 years of experience at Ernst & Young Transaction Advisory Services (EYTAS) where he served as the Principal/Managing Director. Further, his exposure in working in overseas markets for both local and foreign clients will add great value to the group. He is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of UK and an Associate Member 

of the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK. Kelum will be responsible for recognizing and initiating new business for AMW, and strategising the company’s horizontal and vertical growth. His team will also work to improve the company’s market position and achieve financial growth. 

Upul Nawaratne Bandara is another game changer in marketing initiatives and accounts for many years of experience in the dynamic marketing arena. Joining AMW as the General Manager – Group Marketing and was previously attached to Dialog Axiata PLC as Head of Marketing. Upul has held the positions of Senior Manager Marketing at Sampath Bank PLC, Head – Deposits & Secured Lending/Wealth Management at Standard Chartered Bank. Upul holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from PIM - Universit

y of Sri Jayewardenepura, a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing (MCIM) and is a Chartered Marketer of CIM – UK.  He also holds a Post Gradu

ate Diploma in Business & Financial Administration from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and is a Certified Management Accountant from CMA Australia. Upul also holds an Executive Diploma in Business Administration (EDBA) from the University of Colombo. He will be responsible for changing the marketing dynamics of AMW and adapting multinational marketing practices focusing more on the AMW overall brand and its sub brands which are household names in the industry.

Rajith De Silva, General Manager – NISSAN, is an experienced automotive management professional who counts over 12 years of international exposure in Canada and in the UK. Prior to joining NISSAN – AMW, he represented NISSAN Canada, Kia Canada and Ford Canada. He is a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA). Rajith and his highly knowledgeable team at NISSAN – AMW ensure all prospective Nissan buyers are getting the best possible car-buying advice while ensuring a superior ownership experience throughout their vehicle ownership cycle. He is responsible for handling all the sales and marketing activities of NISSAN vehicles while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction among brand new NISSAN customers. His role also includes expanding the NISSAN network within the country.

The four latest additions would together help AMW to further sustain its position in the automobile industry. This strategic decision will also provide AMW a considerable edge over competitors with their respective strategies and plans for growing its business.

AMW is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Al-Futtaim Group which is a global conglomerate and leading multinational automotive in UAE. AMW having served in Sri Lanka for over 65 years has become the preferred brand with over 86% market share in the small car segment and 78% of market share in new car registrations for the year 2015. Today AMW focuses on four sectors, namely automotive, manufacturing, leasing, and finance and property, and is the only company in Sri Lanka that provides end-to-end solutions of automotive products to customers.