MILESTONES OF CHAIRMAN AND IWS HOLDINGS
The Chairman of the group of companies Mr. Arthur Senanayake has achieved many milestones as a driving force behind IWS Holdings. Introducing cellular mobile communication in South Asia led to the establishment of the first cellular company in the South Asian Region and the Founding Chairman of Celltel (now known as Etisalat).
He was also the driving force behind instituting many subsidiaries with estimable businesses such as mobile trunking radio system named Trunknet with Motorola Solutions, prime 24-hour English television broadcasting channel as ART TV, and sole authorized importer, distributor, and partner of diverse global brands from automobile, mass media, and entertainment television in Sri Lanka.
Having served as the Honorary Trade Representative of Sri Lanka to the Government of Singapore for eight consecutive years (1993-2001), Mr. Senanayake was among the first to pave the way for strong business ties with global partners in Sri Lanka. He is a Founding Director and Former Chairman of Sampath Bank PLC and a Former Chairman of other high-profile business enterprises such as Sampath Leasing & Factoring, Siyapatha Finance, SC Securities and is currently the Chairman of Sampath Centre. During his tenure as Chairman of Sampath Bank PLC, the bank was voted Bank of the Year 2009 to 2011 by the Financial Times of London.
Mr. Senanayake was one of the founders of Sampath Bank PLC and was a Director from its inception in 1988. In 1998 Mr Senanayake become Sampath Bank’s Deputy Chairman and its Chairman between 2008 and 2011. During his three-year tenure as its Chairman and thanks to the team he assembled, Sampath bank expanded from 52 to 215 branches island wide and saw its share price rise from Rs.65 to Rs.307.
He is the Founding Chairman of Trident Shipping Line Lanka who is a member of Neptune Orient Line, and the sole shareholder of APL Sri Lanka, subsequent to the business transfer that became the largest purchase of a foreign principal by a Sri Lankan individual. He is also the current Chairman of APL Logistics.
