EKTC prepares for growth in the hospitality sector with new GM appointments

From left: EKTC GM – Engineering Ajantha Vitharanage, MD Adil Mansoor, and EKTC GM – Sales and Business Development/Rational AG – SL Corporate Chef Thushara Gunawardhana

The folks at Euro-Kitchens Trading and Contracting (EKTC) live by the Bauhaus philosophy of ‘form follows function’- because nowhere does this count more than in a commercial kitchen. 

This month, EKTC announced two new appointments that embody the company’s mission to blend this commitment to functionality with a smooth and stylish workflow in commercial spaces; Thushara Gunawardhana assumes his responsibilities as General Manager – Sales and Business Development while Ajantha Vitharanage takes on the role of General Manager – Engineering.

Since its inception in 2012, EKTC (a member of the Promolanka Group) has offered solutions for best-in-class commercial kitchens, cold rooms and laundries which have found a home with high-profile clients in hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals and other commercial buildings based in Sri Lanka and the region. 

The company’s vision is to be the largest in Asia to assemble such spaces, which it does with a singular focus on functionality and style. EKTC kitchens, for example, are designed with the functional, budgetary and aesthetic design needs of clients in mind. 

EKTC’s unique capabilities include consultancy services that guide clients to improve the design, efficiency and quality of their kitchen operations. These capabilities proved to be especially relevant over the last two years as commercial spaces grappled with an unprecedented change in both demand and service norms. EKTC was ready to meet the challenge, closely supporting hospitality companies to keep their commercial kitchens running smoothly and cost-efficiently. The most significant challenge faced by those at the helm of commercial kitchens was related to staff shortages and cost efficiencies. With EKTC solutions, clients were able to re-engineer their operations to stay lean and flexible to manage the changing demands of the environment. Additionally, EKTC has built the largest maintenance team in the country which stepped up to their task admirably, servicing well-known clients in the industry with Annual Maintenance Contracts. 

To ensure that the company is able to meet the strong demand for its solutions, especially those needs arising as a result of the current business environment, EKTC has advanced two key staff members well suited to position the company for the anticipated growth of the sector in the immediate future. 

Ajantha Vitharanage assumes responsibilities as General Manager – Engineering. Ajantha is a qualified electrical engineer with extensive experience in the hospitality sector, including roles as the Chief Engineer at properties such as Cape Weligama, Ani Villas, Calamander, Avani Kalutara and more, and previously was the Chief Engineer – Maintenance at EKTC. 

“During the last two years our team has delivered excellent, customised solutions to clients who were seeking to manage their workflow efficiency whilst catering to a new environment,” he said. “Our clients are able to work with us closely from the planning stage onwards, and we will be with them long after the purchase stage to ensure that their kitchens continue to run very smoothly.” 

Thushara Gunawardhana was appointed General Manager – Sales and Business Development EKTC and Corporate Chef Rational AG in Sri Lanka. Thushara has worked as a Consultant Chef in Sri Lanka, India, Australia and New Zealand over a career spanning 16 years, graduating to working with well-known clients to deliver complete restaurant solutions, including the design of state-of-the-art kitchens that meet HACCP, GMP and ISO standards. Thushara has been leading the Sales and Business Development team at EKTC since (2019). 

He said of his plans: “I’m an industry insider, along with many others on the highly skilled EKTC team. Because we know what it’s like to both work in and lead a commercial kitchen, our clients trust our expertise-especially when they experience the results. 

“We are grateful to clients such as Le Meridien in the Maldives, Spar Supermarkets, William Angliss Hotel School, and Giga Foods – the largest cloud kitchen chain in Sri Lanka, along with many other standalone restaurants and hotels that have given us their support and confidence over the last two years. This has helped weather the turbulent times and we are now stronger than ever to cater to the industry requirements going forward. We are encouraged by the growth EKTC has experienced and plan to expand our capabilities and operations even further. We have some exciting projects in the pipeline which we look forward to announcing over the next few months.”