Top blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) yesterday announced the appointment of apparel giant MAS Holdings Group CEO Suren Fernando to its Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director.
Counting over 23 years with MAS, Suren was previously the Chief Transformation Officer of MAS Holdings, overseeing MAS’ 2025 transformation. He was also the CEO of MAS Intimates, the largest division of MAS Holdings.
Among the many roles within the organisation, he also functioned in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer of MAS Intimates in 2014, heading operations and taking leadership in providing strategic management directives.
Suren holds a BSc. in Engineering from the University of Moratuwa and is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. He has received extensive overseas business exposure and training, including Executive Education at Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD Business School, Ashridge Business School, Henley School of Management, University of Waikato in New Zealand, and Harvard Business School (Program for Leadership Development).
He was bestowed the Silver award for CIMA Business Manager of the Year in 2004 and adjudged winner (Gold Award) of the Chief Financial Officer of the Year, 2007, at the CIMA Janashakthi Pinnacle Awards.
Suren is also a member of the board of directors at World Vision Sri Lanka, a non-profitable relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.
Suren was an active member of several working committees of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants Sri Lanka Division, as well as other CSR Project committees, one of which earned him the Certificate of Merit awarded by HelpAge Sri Lanka.
Having joined Slimline as a Financial Accountant in 1999, Suren was a Certified Lead Auditor for ISO 9000:2000 and progressed to the role of Commercial Manager, Slimline, and subsequently to Financial Controller, prior to being promoted as the Director of Finance and Management Control for the MAS Intimates Division in 2004. He moved into a marketing role in 2011, functioning as Director – Strategic Brands. From 2014 to December 2015, he was the Chief Operating Officer of MAS Intimates.
With the latest appointment, the Board of Directors of JKH comprise K. Balendra (Chairman), J.G.A. Cooray (Deputy Chairman), A. Cabraal, N. Fonseka, H. Wijayasuriya, S.A. Coorey and D.V.R.S. Fernando.–