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Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Tuesday, 22 November 2011 01:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Expolanka Holdings PLC recently appointed two top professionals Shantanu Nagpal as Head of Strategic Planning and Business Development and Paddy Weerasekera as Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications.
With nearly two decades of experience in asset management and equity research, Shantanu Nagpal joins Expolanka as Head of Strategy and Business Development. He was Managing Director at SAC Capital in Hong Kong and, prior to that, worked at Brevan Howard and Ellerston Capital as lead Portfolio Manager for its Asian Equity Hedge Funds.
Nagpal read for a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy Politics and Economics at Oxford, where he went on a Radhakrishnan Scholarship. He also holds an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau where he was a Misys Scholar on the Dean’s List.
He began his career at the Tata Administrative Service, the elite management cadre for the Tata Group where he worked on business development assignments at Tata Steel, Titan, Taj Hotels and Tata Tea.
He then joined UBS as a research analyst in Hong Kong and London where he researched the metals, autos and pharmaceutical sectors.
Nagpal who has been a long time investor in Sri Lanka and knows the corporate landscape said, “I scanned the markets for value and found exceptional value in Expolanka. The way I have invested in emerging markets is based on quality of management, focus on area of expertise and lots of unlocked value. Expo has all that and an unmatched sub-continent footprint.”
Paddy Weerasekera, a veteran marketing and communications specialist counts over 17 years of experience in both local and multi-national companies. Prior to joining Expolanka Holdings, he was Head of Marketing at Janashakthi Insurance PLC and led the Brand Management, Customer Relationship Management, Research and Telemarketing teams.
Weerasekera was instrumental in revamping Janashakthi’s corporate visual identity and also introducing a number of innovative products to the industry including Vehicle Emergency Policy, Sports Policy, Pet Insurance and Hotel Plus. His work has been key in winning many local and international awards for the organisation at the World Brand Congress, Asian Leadership Awards, SLIM Brand Excellence and Business Excellence Awards.
Prior to this he was General Manager of the multinational communications agency Bates Asia /141(part of the global communications giant WPP) in Sri Lanka.
He headed the strategy development for a number of key local and international brands including Nokia, Benson and Hedges, Mitsubishi, Carlsberg, 3M, Hutch, DHL, Lanka Bell and Mobitel.
He was a Board Member and Vice President of the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association and served the board for three years. He was also in the panel of judges at the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing Advertising Awards in 2005.
He has obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM UK) and an MBA from the University of Wales (UK).
Weerasekera was also a lecturer at the Academy of Design and Sri Lanka Professional Advertising and Creativity School (SPAACS). He was recently bestowed with the coveted “Distinguished Brand Leader Award” at the prestigious Asian Leadership Awards held at the Taj Palace Hotel in Dubai.
