CL Synergy Announces New Appointments to the Board of Directors

March, 16, 2022

Leading digitally-enabled freight forwarding solutions provider with a global footprint, CL Synergy, has announced the appointment of 6 members to its Board of Directors. The announcement comes as the Company completes its transition from a Private Limited Liability company into a Public Limited Liability company, in preparation for an expansion plan, which will include an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and listing of its shares, once the necessary approvals are obtained. The new Directors will add value by bringing in a wealth of experience and expertise to guide the Company, as it embarks on the next phase of its growth journey.

The new additions to the Board of Directors of CL Synergy Limited include Mr. Dharma Dheerasinghe, who will serve as Chairman, Misters Nirosh De Silva, Thilan Wijesinghe and Sanjaya Bandara, who will serve as Independent/Non-Executive Directors and Misters Udara Widanagamage and Anuradha Sooriyaarachchi, who will serve as Executive Directors. All of these individuals are veterans and leaders in their respective fields.

The new appointments complete CL Synergy’s Board of Directors, which also includes its Managing Director/Co-Founder Roshan Silva, Director – Finance/Co-Founder Janaka Udamulla and Director Shehani Kulatunga, all of whom have been with the Company since its inception 17 years ago.

Announcing the new appointments, Roshan Silva – Managing Director at CL Synergy said, “It gives me great pleasure and pride to welcome each of our new Board Members. As we prepare to commence the next phase of our growth journey, we believe that these reputed, knowledgeable and competent individuals will help to guide CL Synergy on a sustainable upward trajectory, delivering outstanding value to all stakeholders.”

Mr. Dharma Dheerasinghe needs no introduction, having built a career as a respected and esteemed banker both in the public and private sectors. Mr. Dheerasinghe served as Chairman of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, while also having previously served as the Deputy Governor and Assistant Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, along with having functioned as an Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Mr. Dheerasinghe holds both a Master’s Degree and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Leeds and the University of Colombo, respectively.

A respected figure in the Investment Banking industry, Mr. Nirosh De Silva is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds a BA in Economics and Business Management from Franklin and Marshall College, and is presently the Managing Partner at Horizon Partners Limited. Previously, he has served as a Senior Manager at Ayojana Fund Management, and at Hatton National Bank PLC. Mr. De Silva has a wealth of experience in private equity and corporate finance.

Mr. Thilan Wijesinghe is a prominent investment banker, a specialist in public-private partnerships (PPP) and an entrepreneur. A well-known figure in the world of business, Mr. Wijesinghe holds three bachelor’s degrees, in Industrial Engineering, Economics and Business Administration. He is a specialist in investment banking and real estate. He is presently the Chairman and CEO of TWCorp (Private) Limited, the Chairman of Sapphirus Lanka (Private) Limited, and a Director at both Ceylon Tea Trails (Private) Limited and MJF Leisure (Private) Limited.

A fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and the Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka, Mr. Sanjaya Bandara Holds a BSc in Accountancy & Financial Management from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Colombo. He is presently the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, a Director at Prime Land Residencies PLC, a Partner at B R De Silva and Co. and serves as a Board Member of both the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants and the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board.

Mr. Udara Widanagamage is a marketer and Logistics & supply chain expert. He has also served as a Director of CL Synergy (Private) Limited, a role which he is now continuing in his new capacity at CL Synergy Limited. Mr. Widanagamage holds an MBA from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and is Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia (CMA), qualified.

A business development specialist, Mr. Anuradha Sooriyaarachchi has served as Director – Procurement & Business Development at CL Synergy (Private) Limited, a role which he is now extending in his new capacity at CL Synergy Limited. Mr. Sooriyaarachchi has also served as General Manager and Deputy General Manager at CL Synergy (Private) Limited. He has also functioned in roles such as Manager Sales (Sri Lanka/Maldives) at APL Lanka (Private) Limited and Senior Executive at Maersk Logistics Lanka (Private) Limited. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Ship Brokers. Anuradha’s contributions towards the development of the industry saw him being appointed as a member of the Logistics Advisory Committee to the Export Development Board (EDB) by the Minister of Trade, with effect from July 2021.

CL Synergy Limited was incorporated as CL Synergy (Private) Limited in 2004 as a fully-fledged freight forwarding company. The Company's objective is to provide professional, reliable and high-quality services. The Company prides itself on providing customers with a personalized atmosphere, flexibility, highly competitive pricing and efficient servicing.  CL Synergy has diversified its activities under a set of Associate companies which include fleet management, software solutions and Investments, along with other innovative ventures in the pipeline.

Image: From Left to Right; Mr. Anuradha Sooriyaarachchi (Executive Director), Mr. Udara Widanagamage (Executive Director), Mr. Roshan Silva (Managing Director), Mr. Janaka Udamulla (Director – Finance), Mr. Sanjaya Bandara (Non-Executive Director), Mr. Dharma Deerasinghe (Chairman), Mrs. Shehani Kulatunga (Executive Director), Mr. Thilan Wijesinghe (Non-Executive Director), Mr. Nirosh De Silva (Non-Executive Director)