Krishan Balendra takes over as JKH Chairman; Gihan Cooray as Deputy

With the retirement of Susantha Ratnayake on 31 December 2018, John Keells Holdings (JKH) yesterday announced that Krishan Balendra has succeeded as the new Chairman, a move announced a year ago. 

Gihan Cooray assumed office as Deputy Chairman, in addition to his role as Group Finance Director of John Keells Holdings PLC.

Krishan Balendra

Gihan Cooray

Balendra was appointed as Deputy Chairman of JKH on 1 January 2018 and as an Executive Director of JKH in November 2016. He is also the former Chairman of Nations Trust Bank PLC and was previously the President of the Leisure and Retail Industry Groups of JKH. 

Balendra joined JKH in 2002 as Head of Corporate Finance after stints at UBS Warburg, Hong Kong in Investment Banking and Aitken Spence Sri Lanka in Corporate Finance. Balendra, a former Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, holds a law degree (LLB) from the University of London and an MBA from INSEAD. He is also the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka and a Member of the Main Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

Cooray was appointed as Group Finance Director of JKH on 1 January 2018. He is the Chairman of Nations Trust Bank PLC and is an Executive Director of JKH since November 2016. Cooray holds an MBA from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, Houston, Texas. He is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, a Certified Management Accountant of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia and a Diploma holder in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. He serves as a Member of the Sub-Committee on Economic, Fiscal and Policy Planning of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.