Expanding KIA Motors (Lanka) appoints Andrew Perera as COO

KIA Motors (Lanka) Ltd., has announced the appointment of Andrew Perera as Chief Operating Officer to support the company’s projected growth and the KIA brand’s extraordinary rise in popularity in the local market.

Announcing the appointment, Mahen Thambiah, Managing Director of KIA Motors (Lanka) Limited said: “We are in the process of implementing a substantial expansion of service and customer support infrastructure to keep pace with the growth of KIA’s market share in the automotive sector. Andrew’s knowledge and experience represents a significant reinforcement of the KIA team in Sri Lanka at an important stage of the company’s development.”

Commenting on his new role at KIA Motors, Perera said: “These are exciting times for KIA locally and globally, and I am eager to contribute to the brand’s growing success in Sri Lanka. “We have already acquired a three acre site at Malabe for an expansion plan that will lead to enhanced showroom space as well as a state-of-the-art Logistics Centrein close proximity to the super highway. I am delighted to be able to play a key operational role in bringing these plans to fruition.”

A management professional and an accomplished sportsman, Perera, prior to his move to KIA, was responsible for overall operations for two automotive brands, Jaguar and Porsche, as Group General Manager at IWS Holdings. Before joining the automotive industry, he held several key positions at MAS Holdings Ltd.

A past Head Prefect of Royal College, Colombo, Perera completed a B.Sc. (Hons) in Business Management and is currently in the final stages of obtaining an MBA from the University of Leicester.He received his Executive Education from the National University of Singapore (NUS) focused on Strategic Management.

Awarded College colours in cricket for three years, he has been a member of the Sri Lanka Under 17 team, and has also represented the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in the Premier League tournament.

For KIA, 2012 was a year of significant milestones and the company’s ongoing product offensive is expected to continue in 2013 with the start of production of eight next generation, upgraded or body style variants, including the all-new Carens and Soul as well as refreshed versions of the Optima, Sportage and Rio.

KIA sells more than 2.7 million vehicles a year worldwide.  The company has 15 manufacturing and assembly operations in 10 countries and a network of distributors and dealers covering 149 countries. KIA Motors Corporation’s brand slogan – ‘The Power to Surprise’ – represents the company’s global commitment to surprise the world by providing exciting and inspiring experiences that go beyond expectations.

KIA Motors (Lanka) Ltd. has represented the KIA brand in Sri Lanka since 1995.