Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson
 | This biographical article is written like a résumé. (April 2025) |
Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 January 1969 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Education | Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, alumni of the Executive Leadership Programme Harvard Business School |
| Alma mater | Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya |
| Occupation | Managing director non-executive director |
| Organization | Hemas Holdings PLC |
| Known for | Group CEO of a public quoted conglomerate, president of the Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI), captain of the National Basketball Team in 1989 |
| Spouse | Divorced |
Kasturi Angela Chellaraja Wilson (born 7 January 1969) is a Sri Lankan businesswoman and the chief operating officer of 5hour International Corporation.
She holds positions as a non-executive director at Capital Alliance Holdings Limited and NDB Bank PLC and is on the board of the Ceylon Chambers of Commerce. She made history in 2020 as the first female group CEO of a listed conglomerate in Sri Lanka, following her appointment as group CEO of Hemas Holdings PLC..[1] [2]
Kasturi is a dual-sport national athlete, having represented Sri Lanka in both netball and basketball, and captained the National Basketball Team in 1989.[3][4][5][failed verification].
Career
[edit]| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 7 January 1969 | ||
| University | Institute of Management | ||
| Netball career | |||
| Playing position(s): C, GD | |||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | |
 Sri Lanka | 70 | ||
Medal record | |||
Kasturi is a former student of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya.[2] She was a member of the National Netball and Basketball Teams.[3][4][5] Kasturi is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and an alumna of the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School. [6][7]
She began her career in 1988 as an audit trainee at Someswaran Jayewickreme & Co. (now Deloitte).[8] She served as an audit manager and director before being appointed as financial controller at Aramex Airborne Lanka.[8] For a short time, she was financial controller at Confifi Hotels. She joined Hemas Holdings PLC in 2002, as director of finance at HemTours and continued to hold many senior management positions, including chief processing officer and managing director of the Hemas Transportation Sector.[9]
Her portfolio also included Hemas Aviation, Hemas Logistics and Hemas Maritime Services. In 2016, she was appointed as the managing director of Hemas Pharmaceuticals, Hemas Surgicals and Hemas Diagnostics[10] and in 2020 she became the group CEO of Hemas Holdings PLC and became the first female group CEO[1] of a public quoted conglomerate in Sri Lanka.[2]
She is on the board of National Development Bank PLC and Capital Alliance Holdings Limited as a non-executive director and on the board of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. She was appointed as the Regional Champion for the World Bank for South Asia in April 2022 and UNICEF Sri Lanka Business Council (Child Rights and Business Principles) [11] in April 2023.
She is the immediate past president of the Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry and was the first female to be elected as president of the Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI).[12] She was a council member of the National Sports Council of Sri Lanka until March 2022. She has been on boards of Hemas Holdings, and several Hemas subsidiaries in the healthcare, consumer and mobility sectors, SLID ( Sri Lanka Institute of Directors ), CIMA Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka[13] and Lankan Angels Network (LAN) – a leading start up eco system in Sri Lanka.
Awards
[edit]In 2019, Kasturi was recognised as one of the twelve Top Women Change-Makers in the country by the Parliament of Sri Lanka and USAID.[14][15][16][17] Kasturi was also the recipient of the Career Role Model Award in 2013[18] by Women in Management,[19] Sri Lanka and the IFC, a World Bank Group. In 2016, she also won the Women Super Achiever Award at the World Women Leadership Congress Awards, India.[20] She was also recognized as one of the ten ‘Wise Women’ impactful leaders of Sri Lanka by the Ministry of Skills and Vocational Education in 2022 and was named as the ‘Business Leader of the Year’ at the SAP Dare to Dream Awards in 2023.[21]
Personal life
[edit]Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson is a mother of two and has spoken openly about the challenges and rewards of balancing motherhood with a corporate career. She became a single mother at the age of 29, a turning point that led her to focus on building her career while raising her children.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "President, PM congratulate Kasturi Wilson". Daily News. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson appointed as the Group CEO of Hemas Holdings plc". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Hemas". Hemas Holdings PLC. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson elected as new President of the Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry". island.lk. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Pharma industry delivers bitter pill on pricing cap | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Speakers ⇽ AMCHAM Modern Workplaces: Empowering the female workforce | American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka". EventBank. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Kasturi to succeed Steven Enderby as Hemas Group CEO". ft.lk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "The best of both worlds". The Morning - Sri Lanka News. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "The best of both worlds". The Morning - Sri Lanka News. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Kasturi Wilson appointed Managing Director of Hemas Transportation Sector".
- ^ "UNICEF Sri Lanka Launches Business Council to Drive Sustainable Development and Child Rights Agenda". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Kasturi Wilson elected new SLCPI President | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "AmCham appoints new Director Board for 2018/2019". Daily News. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "50 Most Powerful Women – #8 Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson – Echelon". echelon.lk. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Kasturi of Hemas Group honoured as a change maker in Sri Lanka | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Kasturi of Hemas honoured as a Change Maker in Sri Lanka". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka parliament celebrates Sri Lankan Women Changemakers". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "2014 – Women in Management Awards". Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Women In Leadership, - We are Hosting Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson | Startup Grind". www.startupgrind.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Royal College Class of '72 to hold forum on inspiring leadership | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "SAP and John Keells IT recognize Digital Leadership by launching Dare to Dream Awards 2023 Sri Lanka". EconomyNext. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.