Achintha Hewanayake is a Veteran banker, Accountant, and IT specialist.

CL Synergy Limited (CLS), is a fully-fledged Freight forwarding company, prioritizing flexibility, efficiency, and competitive pricing. Founded in 2004, CLS firmly believes in challenging the status quo. This is part of the ‘why’ that the company operates on and is very much part of its corporate DNA.

Mr. Hewanayake discusses changing industries, ambitions for the company, and his involvement since its inception.

What’s your background and why did you join CL Synergy? 


I have spent 30 years in banking and joined Two startups in the service sector handling banking operations, credit, treasury, core banking systems deployment, recoveries, and personal financial services. Though relatively new to the Freight Forwarding industry, I have been casually involved with CL Synergy from its very start. Having been friends for a long time with Roshan Silva and Janaka Udamulla, the founders of CLS, we have always supported each other in our professional careers as well. From the sidelines, I have had the pleasure of watching CLS grow since 2004 as One of their biggest supporters and fans.

We are at an interesting juncture at present. Expanding into global markets while enhancing customer experience is the directive.  Logistics is starkly different from banking, yet there are many parallels to be drawn from the customer obsessed, technology driven service industry from which I hail from.

What made you passionate about logistics?

Like banking, It’s about people and there’s no physical product to sell. Everyone in this space has similar offerings, so service standards and relationships are key factors of success. Creating trust and staying committed to the customer experience is how we differentiate ourselves from the rest.

How will your background in finance help you in this industry?

My credentials are in Management Accounting, Finance, Business and Information Technology, and at the intersection between these two fields lives an ecosystem of digital utilities that can track and store vast amounts of data including even the smallest interactions. With such granular information, we can make better business decisions and offer more control to clients. Even with these technologies, effective financial management is crucial in times of scarcity.

What is your vision and goal for CL Synergy?

There is so much untapped value here. Interconnecting our handlers, customers, and databases will provide a more seamless experience. It will be ‘Omni-channel’, across all of our platforms and facilities, updated information and the same options will be available. Integrating more analytic tools into this system will cast insight on bottlenecks and potential improvements. Though great businesses leverage such technologies to earn an edge, deployment and maintenance is quite technically challenging and requires a finer touch. Drawing from my qualifications in IT and Finance, tempered with three decades of experience, I hope to connect the dots.

What do you think of the impact that the pandemic had on logistics, and of the present economic crisis? How would you help the company overcome these challenges?

All things considered, CLS weathered the storm with pride. Since a large portion of our traffic consists of exports, we avoided the worst of it. Of course, tribulations had to be overcome, but Roshan and Janaka enjoy a challenge. At present, fuel and power scarcity is a constant source of stress on logistics since both transports and storage facilities are energy demanding. Despite the complications, our staff continued to deliver, which is a testament to an Inspiring leadership team and solid contingency strategies in place. Going forward, expenditure will be an increasingly sensitive area and automation of digital processes, which I have previously overseen, will prove invaluable during times where frugality is pragmatic. Efficient use of available resources will help any organization remain resilient in times of crisis.

Any final remarks?

CLS has always been a home away from home and I had personally interacted with most of the staff over a number of years prior to joining the company. I am eager to call the vibrant staff members at CLS, my colleagues and I feel that we will be able to create new synergies with my experience, my in depth understanding of the team and their ability to deliver in difficult times.