Our Leadership

Krishan Balendra

Non-Independent - Non-Executive Director, Chairperson

Mr. Balendra was appointed to the Board of Keells Food Products PLC from the 1st of January 2018.

Krishan Balendra is the Chairperson of John Keells Holdings PLC. He is the Deputy Vice Chairperson of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Hon. Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka. He is a former Chairperson of Nations Trust Bank and the Colombo Stock Exchange. Krishan started his career at UBS Warburg, Hong Kong, in investment banking, focusing primarily on equity capital markets. He joined JKH in 2002. Krishan holds a law degree (LLB) from the University of London and an MBA from INSEAD.

Gihan Cooray

Non-Independent - Non-Executive Director

Mr. Cooray was appointed to the Board of Keells Food Products PLC from the 1st of January 2018.

Gihan Cooray is the Deputy Chairperson/Group Finance Director and has overall responsibility for the Group’s Finance and Accounting, Taxation, Corporate Finance and Strategy, Treasury, Information Technology function and Corporate Communication. He is the Chairperson of Nations Trust Bank PLC. Gihan holds an MBA from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, Houston, Texas. He is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, a certified management accountant of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia and has a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. He serves as a committee member of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Daminda Gamlath

Non-Independent - Non-Executive Director

Mr. Gamlath was appointed to the Board of Keells Food Products PLC from the 1st of November 2017.

Daminda Gamlath is the President of the Consumer Foods industry group and has been with the John Keells Group since 2002. He was the Sector Financial Controller for the Information Technology sector and then the Consumer Foods sector before he was appointed as the Head of Beverages in 2013 and the Sector Head in 2017. Prior to joining the John Keells Group, he worked at the Hayleys Group. Daminda holds a B.Sc. in Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, an MBA from the University of Colombo and is a passed finalist of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK.

Nelindra Fernando

Non-Independent - Non-Executive Director

Ms. Fernando was appointed to the Board of Keells Food Products PLC from the 01st of January 2021.

Nelindra Fernando is the Chief Financial Officer for the JKH Consumer Foods industry group. Nelindra joined the John Keells Group in 2013 as the Sector Financial Controller of the Consumer Foods Industry Group. Prior to joining the JKH Group, she worked at the MAS group and Ernst & Young, Chartered Accountants. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of UK and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.

Shanil Fernando

Non- Executive- Independent Director 

Mr. Fernando was appointed to the Board of Keells Food Products PLC on 2nd of May 2025.

He is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Cut & Dry, a Silicon Valley-based platform revolutionizing the food service industry. Mr. Fernando is a founding member of Virtusa Corporation (NASDAQ: VRTU), where he served as Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, overseeing engineering teams across multiple continents. He co-founded and led Sysco Labs, the innovation arm of Sysco (NYSE: SYY), developing technology solutions that processed billions of transactions annually. He is also the founder of Fernando Ventures Pvt. Limited, an investment company focused on global real estate and agro-tourism development. Mr. Fernando holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Warwick and has been recognised as 'ICT Leader of the Year 2016' and listed among the top 40 under 40 leaders by Echelon magazine

Aroshi Nanayakkara

Non-Executive – Independent Director 

Ms. Aroshi Nanayakkara was appointed to the Board of Keells Foods Products PLC on 2nd of May 2025.

Ms. Nanayakkara has extensive professional experience in Strategic Planning, HR and Risk Management, serving in leadership roles at prominent organizations including ABN AMRO Bank NV, Deutsche Bank, Eagle Insurance, Delmege Group and Brandix Group of Companies where she held positions as Chief Risk Officer and CEO at Brandix Hangers (Pvt) Ltd. Ms. Nanayakkara currently serves as the CEO of the Global Consulting Company and is the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors. She holds positions as an Independent Non Executive Director at Sampath Bank PLC, Asian Hotels & Properties PLC, Royal Palms Beach Hotels PLC and Tangerine Beach Hotels PLC. Additionally, she serves as the Vice President of the Lanka India Business Association and is the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Women Corporate Directors (WCD) Sri Lanka Chapter. Ms. Nanayakkara holds a BSc. in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, a MSc. in Management from the London School of Economics, UK and ACMA and CGMA qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK

Janek Jayasekera

Non- Executive – Independent Director

Mr. Jayasekara was appointed to the Board of Keells Food Products PLC on 15th of May 2025.

Mr. Jayasekara is a senior corporate executive and Chartered Accountant with over 25 years of leadership experience across a wide range of sectors including banking and financial services, audit, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, retail and distribution, food and beverage, leisure, exports, and construction. He currently serves as the Group Chief Operating Officer of International Distillers Ltd. He has previously served in leadership roles both locally and internationally, including appointments as CEO, COO, and CFO at diversified business groups. He has held senior finance and operational positions at Al Rajhi Bank (Saudi Arabia and Malaysia), Standard Chartered Bank (Sri Lanka), John Keells Holdings PLC, Richard Pieris Group, and the Akbar Brothers Group. Mr. Jayasekara holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Colombo and a Master of Science in Finance and Accounting from the United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) and CPA Australia, and an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). He serves on the Board of the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka and actively contributes to several professional and voluntary organisations, including the Corporate Governance Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.