HRH Princess Anne visits MAS Holdings as first stop on her official visit to Sri Lanka

HRH Princess Royal gestures during her tour at MAS design and development centre ‘Nirmaana’, accompanied by MAS Active Director-Innovations Gihan Philips and MAS Active Director-Product Development and Technical Anura Wijayaratne  

MAS Holdings was honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, The Princess Royal on her official visit to the Island, marking 75 years of diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka. 

The Royal delegation, including Princess Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, made the first stop on their visit at an MAS Holdings facility in Katunayake accompanied by British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Andrew Patrick. MAS Holdings is Sri Lanka’s largest exporter and the country’s largest private sector employer.

The Princess Royal and Sir Timothy toured MAS Nirmaana, the product creation and development centre of MAS Active, which showcased the company’s apparel expertise and innovative capability. The leadership of MAS Holdings, including MAS Holdings Group CEO Suren Fernando and MAS Active CEO Muditha Ferdinando, escorted the Royal delegation.

Nirmaana, a global design hub, boasts state-of-the-art technology and capabilities from trend research to digital product creation. As a development facility, Nirmaana is at the forefront of design and innovation in the global apparel industry.

Reflecting on the visit, MAS Holdings Group CEO Suren Fernando stated, “Hosting HRH Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence at one of our facilities has been a true honour. UK, as one of our key markets, has played a critical role in our 36-year journey in apparel. As we celebrate a longstanding history between Sri Lanka and UK, this is an equally momentous occasion for MAS as it is for the UK-Sri Lanka relationship.”

MAS Holdings is the largest apparel tech company in South Asia, providing design-to-delivery solutions in apparel and textile manufacturing. Home to a community of over 100,000 people, today, MAS spans 15 countries, with established design centres located in key fashion hubs across the world. MAS’ product categories include intimate wear, at leisure, training and performance, swim, and shape wear, as well as adaptive apparel for persons with disabilities. Catering to the demands of a dynamic and ever-changing industry, the MAS portfolio has expanded exponentially; into wearable technology, fem-tech, health tech, start-ups, raw material supply chain, and fabric parks internationally. Over 30 years of operations MAS has gained global recognition for its ethical working environment and sustainability through social development, women’s empowerment and the organisation’s tireless efforts to make more sustainable products.