Dr Mothilal de Silva
Chairman/Non-Independent Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 4 November 2024
Directorships in Subsidiaries/Board Committee Memberships
Chairman/Director of eChannelling PLC, Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd., Sri Lanka Telecom (Services) Ltd.,
Director of SLT Human Capital Solutions (Pvt) Ltd., Galle Submarine Cable Depot (Pvt) Ltd., and Mobit Technologies (Pvt) Ltd.
Member of the Technology Subcommittee, Group Senior Tender Governance Committee, Nominations and Governance Committee.
Skills and Experience
With a career spanning over many decades, Dr Mothilal de Silva is a result oriented multidisciplinary C-level executive in the telecommunication industry having experience in Sri Lanka and multiple countries in Asia and Pacific regions. He is a turnaround specialist and a strategist.
Under his leadership as Group Chief Executive Officer, he turned around the Fiji’s state-owned telecommunication company Telecom Fiji Ltd., sustainably after 5+ consecutive loss-making years. During his tenure at Telecom Fiji, the Company registered consistent growth in profit, dividend and investment for network modernisation. He was also the Group Chief Strategy Officer and Group Chief Corporate Officer of Dialog Axiata, General Manager (Sales, Marketing and Customer Service) of MTN Networks Pvt Ltd and Vice President Process Excellence and Group Operations of Axiata Group Malaysia. He sat on the Board of Directors of Lanka Communication Services Pvt Ltd., a telecommunication service provider for enterprises in Sri Lanka.
As a C-level executive at Dialog, Dr Mothilal set up Corporate Planning, Strategy, MIS, Business Intelligence, Performance Management, Quality, Process Reengineering, Enterprise Programme Management and Corporate Development divisions from scratch while apprenticing young set of managers who had progressed to become leaders in Dialog and Axiata Group subsidiary companies. He was also instrumental in winning GSMA Awards, International Asia Pacific Quality Award, Asia CSR Award for Dialog Axiata and many national awards.
Dr Mothilal had delivered over 60 presentations in various international forums as a speaker, panelist, session Chairman, and Workshop leader mainly on the Next Generation Networks, Corporate Venture Capital for Telco, Platform Economy, Business Intelligence, Sustainability and Business Integral CSR. Dr Mothilal received Bizz NXT Awards 2022 under the category of Top 50 Business Growth Leaders in technology at BizTalk World Conference, Dubai. He served as a member of the High-level Advisory Council of the World Internet Conference, Wuzhen, China as a nominee of Minister of Cyberspace Administration, China from 2015 to 2017.
Dr Mothilal obtained Doctor of Business Administration from PPA Business School, Paris, with a distinction for his dissertation “Corporate Venture Capital as an engagement model for co-creating 5G ready services”. He has a MSc in IT from Keele University UK, MBA from PIM, SL, BSc (Engineering) SL, Post Graduate Diploma in Strategic Management from Maastricht School of Management,Netherland and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Management from PIM SL.
Mr Chan Chee Beng
Non – Independent, Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 5 June 2008
Directorships in subsidiaries/Board Committee memberships
Director of eChannelling PLC and Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd.
Member of the Remuneration Committee and the Nominations & Governance Committee
Skills and Experience
Mr Chan counts over 40 years of experience in investment banking, general and financial management and accounting. He worked at Ernst & Young and Morgan Grenfell & Co. Ltd., prior to joining the Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd (UTSB) Group in 1992 as Head of Corporate Finance.
He holds an Honours Degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
Other Appointments
Director of the Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd. Maxis Communications Berhad, Binariang GSM Sdn Bhd, UTSB Management Sdn Bhd, Pan Malaysian Sweeps Sdn Bhd, BGSM Management Sdn Bhd, BGSM Equity Holdings Sdn Bhd, True Happiness Capital Sdn Bhd, Ace Pursuit Sdn Bhd, Yu Cai Foundation, Versa Asia Sdn Bhd and Carsome Group BVI.
Mr Niel Unamboowe P.C.
Independent, Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 4 November 2024
Directorships in subsidiaries/Board Committee memberships
Director of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd.
Chairman of the Nominations & Governance Committee and the Remuneration Committee
Member of the Group Senior Tender Governance Committee
Skills and Experience
Mr Niel Unamboowe, President’s Counsel, has 38 years of experience as a lawyer. Currently engaged in private practice, he served in the Attorney General’s Department, until his retirement in 2019 as Additional Solicitor General. Whilst in the Attorney-General’s Department he headed the prosecution for the Presidential Commission of Inquiry and Investigation into Alleged Irregularities at Sri Lankan Airlines, Sri Lanka Catering Limited and Mihin Air Limited.
Throughout his career in the Attorney General’s Department, he was involved in significant inquiries, including the Presidential Commission into the Affairs of Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital in 1994 and the inquiry and investigation into involuntary disappearances in 1995. He played a key role in the Revenue Unit, providing legal guidance to the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury, and to various Government departments including Customs and Inland Revenue.
Mr Unamboowe was a recipient of scholarships from the WIPO Worldwide Academy and from the World Bank and holds two Master’s Degrees in Intellectual Property Law from the University of Turin, Italy and the second LL.M. from George Washington University, Washington D.C. USA. Further, he holds certificates in Commercial Law, Cyber Law and Air Law from the National University of Singapore and the National Law School of India University (Bangalore). He has received specialised training in areas such as Nuclear Safeguards and Intellectual Property Enforcement.
With extensive supervisory experience across various legal subjects, he has also served as Head of the Civil Division of the Southern Province and as a legal consultant for several governmental organisations including the Atomic Energy Authority of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Standards Institute and the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority. Additionally, his commitment to legal education is evident in his roles as a member of the Board of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, a Supervisor for diploma dissertations, and as a visiting lecturer and examiner in legal programs at various institutions, including the National Institute of Social Development and the University of Moratuwa contributing to shaping the next generation of legal professionals.
Other Appointments
Member of the Law Commission
Director of Sri Lanka Insurance Ltd., Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Life Ltd. Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation General Ltd. and Canowin Hotels & Spas (Pvt) Ltd.
Mr Raghvendra Madhav
Independent, Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 13 November 2025
Directorships in subsidiaries/Board Committee memberships
Director of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd.
Chairman of the Related Party Transactions Review Committee
Member of the Group Senior Tender Governance Committee and Group Audit Committee
Skills and Experience
Mr Madhav worked with Price WaterHouse in Management Consulting in London, UK Office and subsequently as a Director of the management consulting service in India. He worked on several large consulting projects both in the UK and in India focusing on systems and processes, strategy etc. across the entertainment, telecom and media sectors.
Since 1995 till recently, Raghvendra worked in different capacities with the UT Group Companies as Director South Asia, CEO of AOL - focused on the international business including India.
He sat on the boards of the UT Group companies in India including Aircel (Telecom), Sun Direct Television, Red FM and SAFL (Radio) etc.
Mr Madhav also sat on the audit and risk committees for these companies.
He holds a Hons Degree in Economics at the Undergraduate level from St. Stephens College, India. He is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, India. He also did his Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.
Mr A N Hapugala
Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 13 November 2025
Directorships in subsidiaries/Board Committee memberships
Director of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd.
Member of the Group Audit Committee and Related Party Transactions Review Committee
Skills and Experience
Mr A N Hapugala Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance, Sri Lanka, has served in the public sector for more than thirty years, beginning in 1992 as an Accountant of the Sri Lanka accounting service including twenty years in Treasury.
Mr Hapugala holds a Master’s degree in Financial Economics from the University of Colombo and a Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.) in Management from Sri Jayewardenapura University in Sri Lanka. Additionally, he has obtained two Post Graduate Diplomas in Accountancy from the University of Sri Jayewardenapura in Sri Lanka and Diploma in Public Finance Management in the Institute of Development Administration. Further, he is a CPFA Member of the Association of Public Finance Accountants from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.
Other Appointments
Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Director, Housing Development Bank and Member, Insurance Regulatory Commission.
Mr Chandrasiri Kalupahana
Independent, Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 4 November 2024
Directorships in subsidiaries/Board Committee memberships
Director of eChannelling PLC
Chairman of the Group Audit Committee
Member of the Related Party Transactions Review Committee and Remuneration Committee
Skills and Experience
Mr Kalupahana is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) and holds memberships in several other professional bodies. He commenced his professional career at KPMG Sri Lanka and has served as a Governing Council Member and Chairman of the Business School of CA Sri Lanka for four years.
He has served as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committees and Related Party Transactions Review Committees of Lanka Hospitals Corporation PLC and Lanka Hospitals Diagnostics (Pvt) Ltd.
Mr Kalupahana previously served as a Group Chief Officer of Sri Lanka Telecom PLC, with responsibility for Internal Audit, Revenue Assurance, and Fraud Management. Prior to this, he was the Chief Financial Officer of the Regional Development Bank and served as Assistant General Manager at Pan Asia Bank. He has also held senior management roles, including Senior Deputy General Manager and Chief Internal Auditor, at licensed finance companies.
He has held the position of General Manager (in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer) at regulated entities in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Angola, and has also worked in Saudi Arabia. His international exposure includes participation in professional engagements and stakeholder meetings held in the USA, UK, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Australia and India.
He currently serves as an Executive Council Member and Vice President of the Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA), the apex body representing 52 professional associations across 34 disciplines, with a membership exceeding 60,000 professionals.
He has received extensive overseas exposure and professional training in banking, finance, auditing, telecommunications, and education.
Other Appointments
Director – Softlogic Finance PLC
Chairman – Audit Committee, Related Party Transactions Review Committee, Nomination & Governance Committee
Member – IT Security & Steering Committee
Mr Suren J Amarasekera
Independent, Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 8 December 2022
Directorships in subsidiaries/Board Committee memberships
Director, eChannelling PLC, Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka Telecom (Services) LTD and Galle Submarine Cable Depot (Pvt) Ltd.
Chairman of the Technology Subcommittee.
A Member of the Nominations & Governance Committee and Remuneration Committee
Skills and Experience
Mr Amarasekera brings over 30 years of experience in the global telecommunications industry, including more than 25 years in senior leadership roles as a Board Member, Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, and C-suite executive. He has held pivotal positions with internationally renowned operators such as the Singtel Group, SLT-Mobitel Group, Axiata Group, and Maxis Group, carrying multi-billion-dollar P&L responsibility and playing a central role in reshaping the telephony landscape across five regional markets.
His leadership has consistently driven innovation-led transformations from traditional Telco models to TechCo operating paradigms, delivering sustainable profitability and long-term strategic growth. Mr Amarasekera’s strong cultural adaptability is underpinned by extensive multi-year assignments across Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, and Malaysia.
Mr Amarasekera commenced his career in 1992 with the Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) Group. Over a 13-year tenure, he developed deep expertise in multinational best practices and advanced telecommunications technologies. During this period, he was awarded a comprehensive sponsorship by Singtel’s Career Development Council (CDC) to pursue an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Illinois, USA.
Since 2020, Mr Amarasekera has been actively engaged in AI-driven digital transformation initiatives and advisory roles, with a particular focus on the application of multimodal and vernacular native-AI solutions. His areas of interest also include the Tactile Internet, 5G/6G technologies, and the development of SuperApps.
During the period 2017–2019, Mr Amarasekera served as Strategic Projects Director for the South Asia region at Axiata Group Berhad. In July 2017, he was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ncell Axiata, where he further strengthened the Company’s market leadership and led a comprehensive digital transformation. Under his leadership, Ncell achieved an annual turnover of USD 575 Mn. with an EBITDA margin of 60%, reinforcing its position as the distinctive leading telecommunications operator in the market. A notable achievement was his leadership in conceptualising and establishing the Enterprise Business as a best-in-class capability integrating IDC’s with native-cloud services, IoT solutions and highly resilient connectivity to support mission-critical enterprise requirements. This initiative was executed as a pre-emptive strategic response to the formidable threat posed by OTT players and the rapid decline in international termination revenues. Within a short period, it transformed the competitive landscape, with Ncell recognised as the segment innovator delivering cutting-edge enterprise solutions to the market.
From 2014 to 2017, Mr Amarasekera served as Chief Enterprise Officer of Aircel Limited, with responsibility for 4G LTE services, Enterprise, Wholesale, and Carrier businesses. During this period, he led the deployment of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) using 4G technology and oversaw the migration at large scale links of WiMAX connections supporting rural branch networks. He also played a key role in facilitating the sale of 20 MHz of Aircel’s 4G spectrum across eight circles for approximately USD 600 Mn., as part of a strategic debt-reduction initiative.
From 2011 – 2013, Mr Amarasekera served initially as Executive Vice President of Maxis Communication Berhad and thereafter as Joint Chief Operating Officer of Maxis Berhad, Malaysia. During his tenure, he guided the Company to become the first operator to commercially launch 4G services in Malaysia on 1 January 2013 and held overall P&L responsibility, overseeing annual revenues in excess of USD 2 Bn. with an EBITDA margin of approximately 50%. He served as a Board Member of the Bridge Alliance, Singapore, a leading consortium of 36 globally renowned operators collectively presently serving around two billion customers worldwide.
From 2005 to 2011, Mr Amarasekera served as Chief Executive Officer of Mobitel, where he drove revenue market share growth from 12% to over 27%, elevating the Company to the second-largest operator in a highly competitive market with five mobile operators. A notable achievement was his leadership in conceptualising and launching Upahara as a pre-emptive initiative ahead of Airtel’s market entry in January 2009. This innovative offering transformed the competitive landscape and, within months, positioned Mobitel as the market leader in the post-paid segment, with approximately one million new subscriber additions.
Mr Amarasekera was with Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) in Singapore from 1999 to 2005, holding several senior management positions. Prior to this, from 1992 to 1998, he was among the first non-Singaporeans to lead an overseas Singtel operation, serving as Managing Director of Lanka Communication Services and Lanka Cellular Services. In this role, he was instrumental in the successful divestiture of Call Link, enabling a smooth transition to Hutchison in August 1997.
He has also been invited and had served as a Member of the Board of Governors of the Sir Arthur C Clarke Institution for Modern Technologies.
Mr Amarasekera holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Computer Systems Engineering from Syracuse University, New York, USA, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Illinois, USA.
Other Appointments
Director of the Bensons Private Ltd., Akin Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Akin Pte Ltd. (Singapore) and Akin KL Sdn Bhd. (Malayasia).
Mr T M Thilakaratne
Independent, Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 4 November 2024
Directorships in subsidiaries/Board Committee memberships
Director of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd., SLT Human Capital Solutions (Private) Limited, and Sri Lanka Telecom (Services) Limited.
Member of the Technology Subcommittee, Group Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Skills and Experience
A seasoned telecommunications professional with decades of industry experience, holding a National Diploma in Technology from the University of Moratuwa. He has a strong foundation across Operations, Maintenance, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Quality Management, and Project Management, making him a versatile and resourceful professional in the telecom sector.
Throughout his career, he was consulted on numerous telecommunications projects, bringing a wealth of knowledge and insight into both technical and business domains. His strategic input and operational expertise have been instrumental in driving project success and adapting solutions to meet diverse market needs. Additionally, he has worked with Tritel Services (Pvt) Ltd for over 15 years, where he played a key role in expanding the payphone network across Sri Lanka, contributing significantly to both sales and operations.
He has also undergone extensive training in telecommunications operations and business management, both locally and internationally, enabling him to stay aligned with global standards and industry innovations.
At present, he has successfully completed one year of service as a Director at Sri Lanka Telecom PLC and Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd., during which he made significant contributions by leveraging his extensive expertise and insights in the telecommunications sector.
Mr Nihal Fonseka
Independent, Non-Executive Director
Date of Appointment: 26 June 2025
Directorships in subsidiaries/Board Committee memberships
Director of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd.
Chairman of the Group Senior Tender Governance Committee
Member of the Group Audit Committee, Related Party Transactions Review Committee and Nominations & Governance Committee
Skills and Experience
Mr Fonseka is a retired banker and served as the Chief Executive Officer/Director of DFCC Bank from 2000 until 2013. Prior to joining the DFCC Bank, he was the Deputy Chief Executive of HSBC Sri Lanka for 11 years.
Mr Fonseka is a Member of the Governing Board and Monetary Policy Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka since July 2022 after also having served as a Member of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from 2016 to 2020. He is also currently a Director and Chairman of the Group Audit Committee of Brandix Lanka Limited, one of the largest apparel exporters in Sri Lanka. He is the incumbent Chairman of Phoenix Industries Limited and Chairman of the Investment Committee of Phoenix Ventures Limited.
Mr Fonseka was the Senior Independent Director of John Keells Holdings PLC, Sri Lanka’s largest public listed conglomerate with a market capitalisation of over USD 1 Bn. for 10 years until June 2024.
He is a past Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange and the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP). He has also held non-executive public sector positions as a Director of the Employees’ Trust Fund Board, and as member of the Presidential Commission on Taxation (2009), National Procurement Commission and Strategic Enterprises Management Agency (SEMA).
Mr Fonseka holds a B.Sc. from the University of Ceylon, Colombo, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Financial Studies, (FIB) UK and is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, FCSI (Hon), UK.
Mr Mahesh Athukorale
Group Company Secretary
Date of Appointment: 1 November 2014
Skills and Experience
Appointed in November 2014 as the Company Secretary. His career spanning over 30 years, he has more than 23 years of experience in the SLT Group and over eight years in the mercantile and financial sectors. Mr Mahesh Athukorale is an Attorney-at-Law. He holds an MBA from the University of Colombo and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the Open University of Sri Lanka. He is an Associate Member of the Chartered Governance Institute of the United Kingdom. He also functions as Company Secretary for Board Subcommittees and subsidiaries of SLT Group.