SMEs and Corporates Companies

Ceylon Beverage group makes new Board appointments

Mahen De Saram joins Ceylon Beverage Holdings PLC and Lion Brewery PLC Boards
Ranil Goonetilleke appointed to Ceylon Beverages Board

Group companies Ceylon Beverage Holdings and Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC have appointed Mahen De Saram to their Boards as an Independent Non-Executive Director.

De Saram is an experienced professional with over 30 years of extensive experience in the corporate sector both locally and internationally. He commenced his professional career at Ernst and Young Chartered Accountants in Sri Lanka prior to joining the multinational British American Tobacco (BAT) Group of Companies. During his extensive career with BAT, he held a range of senior finance leadership roles across numerous BAT Group entities in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, and Australia where he played a pivotal role in developing and driving strategic objectives, delivering commercial value, ensuring fit for purpose governance and the adoption of transformative practices as the Group undertook a comprehensive change of its operating model.

De Saram currently serves as the Group Finance Director of the CBL Group of Companies. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Central Finance Company PLC where he serves as the Chairman of the Board integrated Risk Management Committee. Prior to joining the CBL Group, Mr De Saram served as Group Chief Financial Officer of an Australian-based group of companies engaged in construction, property development, and property management headquartered in Sydney.

He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL), a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK, and a member of CPA Australia. He also holds a MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Ceylon Beverages has appointed Ranil Goonetilleke to its Board as a Non-Executive Director.

Goonetilleke (FCMA), is a fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK (CIMA). He began his career at KPMG Sri Lanka, and thereafter joined Haycarb PLC to its Finance Division and progressed to be its Divisional Manager – Finance. Subsequent to his employment at Haycarb, in 1998, he joined Ceylon Brewery PLC as its Financial Controller and in April 2004 was appointed Director Finance Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC which post he held until his retirement in December 2023.

Currently he is a Non-Executive Director of Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, Pegasus Hotels of Ceylon PLC and Carsons Management Services Ltd., whilst he serves as a Non-Executive Independent Director of Namunukula Plantations PLC, Ceylinco Holdings PLC and the National Savings Bank. He also serves in their various governance committees including audit, risk and related party.

He is a Board Member of the National Council for Child & Youth Welfare, a charity organization providing shelter and care to destitute children through their 6 care centres located island wide. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Exporters Association of Sri Lanka of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

He has undergone executive training both locally and overseas in varied general management topics including Strategic Cost Management at INSEAD France and Formulating and Actioning Strategy, at the Wharton University, Philadelphia.

Source - Dailyft