Sunshine Holdings announces new appointment to Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Sunshine Holdings PLC appointed Shalini Ratwatte, Head of Corporate, External and Legal Affairs – South Asia New Markets of Microsoft Corporation, as a Director of the Company. The appointment is effective 31 May, 2019. With the new appointment, the Board of Sunshine Holdings PLC will now be comprised of 10 Directors of which six are non-executive, independent directors.
A qualified legal professional, Shalini Ratwatte counts over 25 years of experience in coalition building, policy development, strategic planning, program implementation and legal action at regional, state, and local levels. During her career, she has organized and led policy initiatives on emerging technology, cybersecurity and data privacy, intellectual property rights and environmental protection across various countries.
“Shalini has leveraged extensive knowledge and expertise to consolidate herself as a true thought leader across government and industry on emerging tech trends, diversity and inclusion and women empowerment through technology. We are excited to welcome her to the Board of Directors of Sunshine Holdings,” said Vish Govindasamy, Group Managing Director of Sunshine Holdings PLC.
“We believe her strong experience in different business verticals will further strengthen our Board’s breadth of talent and background, and we are delighted to have identified such an outstanding individual. I am confident that Shalini is going to make an important and positive impact on our company,” Govindasamy said further.
Shalini holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Colombo and an Attorney at Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. She was the Country Representative for the Business Software Alliance (BSA) in Sri Lanka for six years before taking on her role at Microsoft in 2013. In her capacity as Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs, South East Asia New Markets, she covers six countries driving awareness and education, enforcement and policy on cybersecurity, data privacy, intellectual property rights and anti-piracy. Before specializing in Cyber Security and IP Law, Shalini was in the capital markets industry for over ten years though is better known for her passion for wildlife and conservation and the landmark cases she initiated as an environmental lawyer at the Environmental Foundation of Sri Lanka.
The Board of Directors of Sunshine Holdings PLC comprises M. Shaikh, G. Sathasivam, V. Govindasamy, S.G Sathasivam, H. D. Abeywickrama, A. Talwatte, A. Cabraal and S. Shishoo, Y Kitao.
About Sunshine Holdings
Sunshine Holdings PLC is a diversified holding company contributing to ‘nation building’ by creating value in vital sectors of the Sri Lankan economy – including healthcare, agribusiness, fast-moving consumer goods and renewable energy. Many of its business units are leaders in their respective sectors, have secured partnerships with top global brands and have won prestigious awards at the national as well as the regional level. The leading brands of the group include Zesta, Healthguard, Watawala Tea, Pedia Plus and Diabeta Plus. The Estate Management Services Limited (EMS), the agri-business arm of Sunshine Holdings PLC, manages Watawala Plantations, Sri Lanka’s largest palm oil producer. The company’s healthcare marketing unit is the second largest in its sector nationally. Its tea sector also consists of Sri Lanka’s best-selling tea brand locally. The group, which employs approximately 10,000, generates over US$ 125 million in revenue.
