New Group Chairman for George Steuarts

Founded in 1835, the oldest company in Sri Lanka and one of the oldest existing companies in the world, George Steuart & Company introduced its new Chairman Jayantha Wimalagooneratne, passing the baton from outgoing chairman S Skandakumar who reliniquished his chairmanship after eight years, having served the company for 34 years to spearhead a new paradigm for the highly diversified Group.

Regarded as a visionary and an exponent of strong ethics and integrity and renowned for credible conduct, together with his newly structured fellow directors, he is billed to give pragmatic stewardship to the Group.

Wimalagooneratne, who has been associated with the Group for thirty years since 1978, is the 21st chairman of the company since its inception and its 11th since George Steuarts became a limited liability company.

In his inaugural briefing to a gathering of the media, Wimalagooneratne said, “I am blessed to hold such a position in the oldest mercantile establishment in Sri Lanka which has continued in business uninterrupted for 173 years. Guiding the destiny of the Company is the primary responsibility of Directors fulfilling in the process their obligation towards its stakeholders. In doing so, we also continue to be conscious of our responsibility to uphold and maintain the integrity and impeccable reputation of the Company built and sustained over this period of time.”

Having survived the coffee blight in 1870, George Steuarts’ visionary planning saw the formation of a diversified group of companies now highly involved in the export of tea, import and distribution of pharmaceuticals, inbound and outbound travel, telecommunications, manpower recruitment, insurance, freight forwarding, financial services, education and holding General Sales Agencies for airlines. The outgoing chairman therefore expressed pride and honour to have headed a company so rich in history and tradition, considering it a great privilege.

The Group’s new Board of Directors headed by Jayantha Wimalagooneratne includes Group Deputy Chairman Kandiah Neelakandan and Group Joint Managing Directors Dubsy Kanagaratnam and Duleep Daluwatte.