Kasturi Wilson becomes first female Group CEO of a Sri Lankan conglomerate
June 25, 2020 04:50 pm
Hemas Holdings PLC announced the appointment of Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson as Group Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st October 2020, succeeding Steven Enderby.
As part of a planned succession, Kasturi will take on the role of Deputy CEO and be appointed to the Board of Hemas Holdings PLC, effective 1st July 2020.
Husein Esufally, Chairman, Hemas Holdings announced, “The Board decided to appoint Kasturi as Group CEO following a thorough selection process in line with our company’s succession plans, which prioritise developing internal talent. Kasturi is no stranger to Hemas, having been with us since 2002, and we are delighted that a long-standing colleague has risen to occupy the highest executive position in the Group.”
Commenting on the transition Esufally added, “Steven’s leadership over the last six years has enabled Hemas to become a more streamlined, purposeful and effective organization, which will stand us in good stead as we look to the future. The Board joins me in thanking Steven for his immense contribution to Hemas over the years. Further, we are happy that Steven will continue to be associated with us as a member on the Boards of our Hotel ventures.”
“The future presents many exciting opportunities in Sri Lanka and in the Asian region, not only to scale our existing businesses, but also to expand into ‘new growth’ areas of Consumer, Healthcare and Mobility, which constitute our core verticals. Hemas’ revenues have doubled over the last five years, and we are certainly looking for a faster pace of growth in the years ahead,” said Esufally.
In a career spanning two decades at Hemas, Kasturi rose through the ranks to become the Chief Process Officer and thereafter in 2011 she took on the leadership of the aviation, travel and mobility businesses of the Group.
In 2016, Kasturi was tasked with leading Hemas Pharmaceuticals, where she worked closely with all stakeholders to satisfy emerging patient needs whilst delivering sustainable growth in a challenging regulatory environment.
Kasturi is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. She has attended many leadership programmes over the span of her career, most notably the Senior Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School. Over the years, she has actively contributed to industry forums and committees.
She serves as a Board member of Capital Alliance Ltd and is the President of the Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry. Kasturi was also recognized by the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 2019 and awarded a position on its prestigious list of Women Changemakers.
The appointment makes her the first female Group CEO of a Sri Lankan conglomerate.
Headquartered in Sri Lanka, Hemas also has operations in Bangladesh, West Bengal and Myanmar with products and services in Consumer, Healthcare, Mobility and Hotels.
