Brandix Careers
Innovation, values, work culture and social responsibility - all in a days work at Brandix
Milestones
Significant moments in the life of Sri Lanka's leading apparel exporter
Board of Directors
Ken Balendra joined the Board of Directors of Brandix Lanka Limited as its Non-Executive Chairman in 2001, following one of Sri Lan ka's most distinguished and respected active business careers. During an illustrious professional life, he served as chairman of several key institutions in Sri Lanka - John Keells Holdings Limited, Bank of Ceylon, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
In recognition of distinguished and highly meritorious services, he was conferred the national honour of Desamanya by the President of Sri Lanka, in 1998.
In 2000 at age 60, he retired as the first Sri Lankan Chairman of John Keells Holdings Ltd,.a highly diversified blue chip and the only Sri Lankan company to be listed amongst the world's best 200 small companies by Forbes Global magazine.
Mr Balendra was voted the most effective business leader in Sri Lanka since independence in an opinion poll conducted by the "Lanka Monthly Digest" in October 2003. The same publication had previously selected him as 'Sri Lankan of the Year' in 1998. Also in 2003, he co-chaired the Joint Study Group which prepared the Indo-Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that was presented to the Prime Ministers of the two countries. Immediately following the tsunami disaster of December 2004, he was also appointed by the President of Sri Lanka to the Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation, focusing on the Roads and Bridges Sector.
Ashroff Omar, Chief Executive Officer of Brandix Lanka Ltd, is a leading industrialist and a prominent figure in the apparel industry. The Brandix Group is the single largest apparel exporter in Sri Lanka and is positioned as a leading apparel solutions provider to many of the world's super brands.
Ashroff Omar was instrumental in the establishment of The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) - the apex body of the apparel industry primarily involved in driving strategy for the industry, which he chaired at its inception. He was also the former Chairman of The Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association and is a frequent spokesperson for the apparel industry.
He is a Director of Phoenix Ventures Ltd - the holding company of Brandix Lanka Ltd. He serves as a non-executive Director for the Colombo Stock Exchange and John Keells Hotels Ltd and also as the Hon. Consul General of the Republic of Finland.
Aslam Omar joined the business in 1984, and within a year began to successfully manage and develop a growing number of subsidiaries under the emerging Brandix Group. He was instrumental in forming alliances with Tyco A&E (USA), American & Efird Inc. (USA) and T&S Buttons (Hong Kong) leading to successful joint-ventures, namely Brandix Hangers, American and Efird Lanka and Bangladesh and T&S Buttons respectively. These companies have premium standings as trim suppliers to the apparel industry. In addition, he is the Director in charge of Brandix Textiles - a leader in fabric manufacturing today, with a customer base that spans the region.
He also holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Ventures Limited, the holding company of the Brandix Group in addition to the position of Managing Director of Phoenix Industries, Sri Lanka's largest plastic manufacturer. He is a Fellow Member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Chartered Accountants and a member of The Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Australia.
He began his career as Managing Executive of MKC Industries, which was the Brandix Group's maiden foray into the manufacture of knitted lingerie. He was an integral part of the growth of Brandix from its inception. With logical integration requiring a fabric processing mill, he fulfilled this need by converting a Greenfield site into Brandix Textiles - a leader in fabric manufacturing today, with a customer base that spans the region. Currently he is the Director in charge of Ocean Lanka and Quenby Lanka Prints, both of which he helped form, along with Ocean India and Brandix Casualwear Denim.
Feroz Omar, who has enjoyed singular success in India, was also instrumental in setting up the Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC) project - Brandix's "gateway" to India, where he currently serves in the capacity of Director in charge.
Ajit Johnpillai is the Director in charge of Brandix Casualwear, Brandix Finishing and Brandix Lingerie Limited. He is a former Financial Controller/Director of Smiths DIY Group Limited in New Zealand, a US$ 50 million group that traded in hardware, builder's supplies, and sports goods. Prior to this, he served as an Audit Manager with Ernst & Young, in Bermuda and New Zealand.
He was also an Audit Consulting Manager with Touche Ross, a firm of public accountants in Jamaica. In 1990, he entered the apparel industry as an Operations Manager with LWR Casualwear, a public listed company designing, manufacturing and marketing women's casual wear in New Zealand. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Sri Lanka and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK.
Udena Wickremasooriya is the Director in charge of Brandix Intimate Apparel and Brandix Essentials. He brings to Brandix extensive experience in the apparel industry with focus on strategy, business turnaround and building strong performance cultures and teams, both locally and internationally. Prior to joining the apparel industry, Mr. Wickremasooriya worked in the FMCG Industry with Unilever Ceylon Ltd and the Banking industry with NDB and held managerial positions in Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, IT and Human Resources. He holds an MBA from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK.
Trevine Jayasekara is the Group Finance Director of Brandix Lanka Limited and is responsible for the overall finance function of the group, as well as related support functions. As the former Group Finance Director of Aitken Spence & Co., he held similar responsibilities. Other positions Mr Jayasekara held at Aitken Spence, include Director Management Board, where he was responsible for finance, planning and IT for their entire group, and Director Corporate Finance, where he spearheaded project evaluation, long-term planning and treasury management.
Mr Jayasekara brings with him a wealth of experience in international banking, having worked at Arab Bank Limited in Bahrain and subsequently holding the post of General Manager with Deutsche Bank in Colombo. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. He is a non-executive Director of Lanka Ventures Ltd and a former non-executive Director of the Hayleys Board.
Priyan Fernando was appointed as a Board Director (Non-Executive) of Brandix Lanka Limited in November 2010. Priyan is the Executive Vice President of Global Business Services at American Express. He heads the organization that is responsible for Operations in Finance, HR, Procurement, Real Estate and Business Transformation for the American Express enterprise worldwide. Prior to assuming his current position, he was the President of Global Customer Group and Chief Operating Officer of American Express Business Travel. He is based at the American Express World Headquarters in New York City.
Priyan is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Management Accountant from the United Kingdom. He has an MBA from Indiana University, USA and is a member of the New York Society of CPA's. He has served on the Advisory Council of the Conference Board, the International Committee of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of UK and the board of Rearden Commerce. He also serves on the Board of the New York City Leadership Center.
Page Top