Pelwatte Dairy Industries Appoints Rajive Silva as non-Executive Board Director to Spearhead Digital Transformation and Innovation

Pelwatte Dairy Industries, a leading dairy producer in Sri Lanka, announced the appointment of Rajive Silva as its new non-Executive Board Director. This strategic hire underscores Pelwatte Dairy’s commitment to accelerating its digital evolution, enhancing operational efficiency, and leveraging advanced technologies to drive growth and innovation across its production, distribution, and decision-making processes.

Rajive Silva is a highly accomplished corporate leader with extensive experience in corporate strategy, digital transformation, and IT leadership. In his new role, he will be instrumental in positioning Pelwatte Dairy as a technology-driven leader in the dairy industry by implementing modern, efficient, and scalable IT solutions.

Rajive Silva’s impressive educational background includes a Master of Business Finance from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, a BSc in Information Systems from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, and he is a Fellow Member (FCMA, CGMA) of CIMA, UK. He is also an alumnus of St. Joseph's College, Colombo.

Further solidifying his expertise, Rajive Silva holds several prestigious professional certifications, including Certified Board Director, past certified ITIL Internal Auditor, and past certified ISO/IEC 20000 Auditor (IT Service Management). He is also a former PMP (Project Management Professional) Certificate Holder.

Throughout his distinguished career, Rajive Silva has demonstrated a rare blend of strategic foresight and hands-on leadership across the technology and innovation landscape. He co-founded Innovation ThreeSixty, a company that delivered enterprise software to global clients before pivoting into agrotech, leading to a successful exit. In parallel, he co-founded Azend Technologies through a joint venture with DIMO — a strategic move reflecting his long-term vision and alignment. Following his succeesful exit from IThreeSixty, he acquired full ownership of Azend by buying out all other shareholders including the stake held by DIMO.

As CEO, he has led Azend’s growth into a global digital solutions provider, generating 100% foreign revenue, creating over 100 high-value jobs, and expanding Sri Lanka’s technology footprint on the world stage. Rajive previously held leadership roles at MillenniumIT and the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). His tenure extended to LSEG where he helped establish its Business Services operation (BSL). He was later appointed to the C-Suite at Informatics International, where he reported directly to the Managing Director and Board, driving cultural and technological transformation.

He also gained early exposure to large-scale enterprise environments through roles at leading organizations such as John Keells Holdings, Brandix, and MAS. A two-time SLASSCOM General Council Member (including 25/26 year), he recently served on the Global Sourcing Association UK (GSA -UK), contributing to global best practices and ethical sourcing standards.

Rajive Silva’s vision for Pelwatte Dairy is to enable business growth through digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, process automation, and seamless supply chain integration. He is focused on leveraging cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, IoT, AI, and cloud-based systems to build a resilient and future-ready organization.

"I am incredibly excited to join Pelwatte Dairy Industries and contribute to its digital transformation journey," said Rajive Silva. "My goal is to provide strategic direction towards enabling our business through innovative IT solutions that will not only enhance our operational efficiency but also drive sustainable growth and solidify Pelwatte Dairy's position as a leader in the industry."

“We are thrilled to welcome Rajive Silva to the Pelwatte Dairy family,” said Pelwatte Dairy’s Managing Director, Akmal Wickramanayake. “His proven leadership and extensive experience in digital transformation will be invaluable as we continue to innovate and strengthen our position in the market. We are confident that under his guidance, our IT initiatives will reach new heights, driving significant value for our customers and stakeholders. Also, we would like to express our gratitude to The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors for their board placement services in appointing the new director.”