LAUGFS Maritime CEO receives honorary doctorate from prestigious university in UK

Reinforcing the leadership strength of LAUGFS, Leslie Hemachandra, Director/CEO of LAUGFS Maritime Services, was bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration (majoring in Ship Management) from a prestigious university in the United Kingdom. It was awarded in recognition of his expertise, high impactful leadership and contribution to maritime administration as well as maritime training and education in Sri Lanka and beyond. 

Dr. Leslie Hemachandra has been spearheading the operations of LAUGFS Maritime Services since its inception, and has been instrumental in the company’s remarkable growth and taking it to the International sphere during a short period of time.

“As the global economic power is shifting steadily from West to East, our aim as a Sri Lankan conglomerate is to be part of this journey as a forward thinking thought leader. Strengthening our leadership team with industry experts such as Dr. Leslie Hemachandra is important in this endeavour, as we play an active role on an international platform,” commented LAUGFS Holdings Chairman W.K.H. Wegapitiya.

Having begun his distinguished career as a Special Apprentice (Marine) at the Colombo Port Commission, Dr. Leslie Hemachandra joined the Ceylon Shipping Corporation and rapidly progressed to become a Chief Engineer together with the marine engineering academic qualifications that he pursued at the Marine and Coastguard Agency (Maritime administration in UK), in the United Kingdom. Known for his astute depth of knowledge and expertise, he has functioned as the Chief Examiner of Marine Engineers of Sri Lanka with the Director General of Merchant Shipping. 

Being instrumental in obtaining recognition from the UK and the European Union for Marine Engineers produced in Sri Lanka, Dr. Hemachandra also acts as a Consultant to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations’ body on shipping that oversees Maritime Education, Flag State Activities, and Maritime Legislation. He is also a Member State Auditor for the IMO.

“We believe in the power of our people, as it is them who drive our growth as a sustainable business. With his exceptional combination of knowledge, intuition and strategic thinking, we are indeed delighted to have Dr. Leslie Hemachandra amongst our leadership forefront,” commented LAUGFS Holdings Group Managing Director Thilak De Silva. LAUGFS Maritime Services provides ocean freight services and related logistics to the LPG downstream Industry in the region by operating its own fleet of LPG vessels. With the vessels – Gas Courage, Gas Success and Gas Challenger – currently under its fleet, LAUGFS Maritime plans to continue to expand its fleet with the purchase of two more vessels in 2018. The company aims to cater to the growing LPG logistics requirements not only in Sri Lanka, but also within the region, by tapping into the expected growth in demand for LPG transportation. With a team of highly respected and illustrious business leaders at the forefront, LAUGFS has been strategically strengthening its presence in the Power and Energy Sector in Sri Lanka and within the region. It currently operates its LPG downstream businesses in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while it has also invested in strengthening its maritime logistics arm under LAUGFS Maritime. LAUGFS is one of the largest diversified business conglomerates and a trusted name in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1995, LAUGFS today has expanded across 20 industries in Sri Lanka and overseas, establishing a strong presence as a leader and pioneer in the power and energy, retail, industrial, services, leisure, logistics and real estate sectors. With over 4,000 employees and an annual turnover exceeding Rs. 28 billion, LAUGFS continues to expand and empower millions as a trusted Sri Lankan brand.