Lankem appoints Suren Goonewardene as MD

Conglomerate Lankem Ceylon PLC yesterday announced the appointment of Suren Goonewardene as Managing Director for its operations. The appointment is a strategic move to build in agility, create a robust governance structure, transform and steer the Company into the next tier of growth.

Lankem is a well-diversified conglomerate reputed for its market dominance in the areas of agriculture, consumer products, hotels, industrial chemicals, industrial flooring, food and feed ingredients, plantations, paints, and pest control. 

Commenting on the appointment, Lankem Chairman S.D.R. Arudpragasam said: “We are pleased to have Suren at the helm of Lankem Ceylon. Suren brings with him a rich domain experience of transforming entities and has an exceptionally strong track record of business success in each of his previous roles. 

Lankem appoints...

I wish him all the very best for his new role and look forward to working with him in the future.” As a leading corporate veteran and transformation leader, Goonewardene brings with him over two decades of rich domain experience, spanning across industries such as Telecommunications and Information Communication Technology. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Accounting from Monash University, Australia. 

Goonewardene is also a member of the Certified Practising Accountants –Australia and is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK and a Fellow Member of the Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. He was a Council Member of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon and a former Vice President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka.

Lankem Ceylon PLC was initially incorporated as Shell Chemical Company of Ceylon Limited in 1964. Initially formed as a crop protection company, it has grown its core operations to include Coatings and Industrial Chemicals. The Company also has invested in the packaging industry through J.F Packaging Limited, in the FMCG space through its investment in C.W. Mackie PLC and in leisure through its investments in Colombo Fort Hotels.

Lankem Ceylon PLC is a subsidiary of The Colombo Fort Land and Building PLC. The other members of the Board of Directors are Chairman S.D.R Arudpragasam, Deputy Chairman A. Hettiarachchy, Anushman Rajaratnam, P.M.A. Sirimane, A.C.S. Jayaranjan and R. Seevaratnam.