Krishan Canekeratne, SLID Young Director of the Year

The fifth annual general meeting of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID) was held on May 16 at the Trans Asia Hotel, Colombo.

The Institute, which was launched under the banner of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in 2000, is today the premier forum for company stewards in Sri Lanka. SLID has grown beyond initial expectations and is supported by over 700 members today.

The newly elected Council of the Institute headed by Chairman/Managing Director, James Finlay & Co. (Colombo) Ltd R. L. Juriansz, as the President is comprised of Vice Presidents Mahen Dayananda. Chairman, Tea Tang Ltd and Chairman, John Keells Holdings Ltd Vivendra Lintotawela, and Councils Members, Chandra Jayaratne, Managing Director, Eagle Insurance Co. Ltd; Chandima Gunawardena, Managing Director, Carson Cumberbatch & Co. Ltd; Suresh Shah, Director/CEO, Lion Breweries Lanka Ltd; Prema Cooray, Secretary-Genera/CEO, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce; Roshanie Jayasundere Moraes, Director, Jaykay Marketing Services Pvt. Ltd; Marina Tharmaratnam, Chief Executive Officer, Union Assurance Ltd and Pravir Samarasinghe, Chief Operating Officer, Richard Peiris Group of Companies.

A. R. Rasiah , Vice President- Finance, Nestle Lanka Limited and Ranjit Fernando former Secretary Ministry of Enterprise Development and Industrial Policy who will continue to serve the Council as the Immediate Past President.

A special feature at the event was the presentation of the Award to the SLID Young Director of the Year 2005. This award was initiated by SLID with the intention of recognising a director who has made significant contributions to the Organization, the country and the world at large.

This year this prestigious award was presented to Krishan Canekeratne, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Virtusa Corporation. He had founded Virtusa in 1996, with his core belief that software development practices could and should embrace the same efficiencies achieved by mature industries such as automotive and manufacturing.

His stewardship has been the driving force behind one of the fastest growing software firms in the US with seven years of consecutive growth. Virtusa today spreads over three continents- America, Europe and Asia.