Kapruka, Sri Lanka’s largest locally owned e-commerce enterprise with a global presence, recently welcomed two new members to its Board of Directors. The new Board members, Mrs. Priyanthi Pieris, Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Solicitor of England and Wales, will serve as a Non-Executive Independent Director, and Mr. Tishan Subasinghe, Fellow and Council Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, will also serve as a Non-Executive Independent Director.
Announcing the new appointments, Dulith Herath, the Founder and CEO of Kapruka said, “A diverse corporate governance team, comprised of highly qualified and experienced individuals can ensure the stability, growth and sustainability of a business. We are strengthening our dynamic leadership team to ensure that we are able to deliver maximum value to our stakeholders. On behalf of Kapruka, I take this opportunity to welcome both Mrs Pieris and Mr Subasinghe, to our Board and look forward to working together with these two high-achieving and respected individuals as we begin the next stage of Kapruka’s growth journey.”
Mrs. Priyanthi Pieris, has over 40 years of experience in the field of Corporate/Securities Law. Her expertise spans across handling corporate restructuring, privatizations, capital market transactions, takeovers, mergers and amalgamations. Mrs. Pieris also serves on the Boards of JAT Holdings PLC, Associated Electrical Corporation Limited and MTN Corporate Consultants (Private) Limited and is the Chairperson/Consultant of P W Corporate Secretarial (Private) Limited – a firm that provides capital markets-related services. She has also served as a legal advisor to the Ministry of Finance, as a legal consultant to the Colombo Stock Exchange and as a member of the SEC’s Committee on Takeovers and Mergers Code. She also served as a member of the Corporate Governance Committee set up by the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a member of Sri Lanka Law Commission.
Mr. Tishan Subasinghe is the Managing Director and Joint Managing Partner of Moore Stephens Consulting (Private) Limited and Moore Stephens Aiyar, respectively. Additionally, he is presently a Council Member of the University of Moratuwa, Chairman of the Sanasa General Insurance Company Limited and a Director at Amana Bank PLC, having previously served as the Head of Audit and Assurance at BDO Partners. Mr. Subasinghe holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Colombo and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA-USA). His influence and expertise are global, as he maintains working relationships with PwC in New York, Philadelphia and Botswana. He has received international training in the USA, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Malaysia, Indonesia and Rome in areas such as Sarbanes Oxley section 404 integrated audits, audit software and the adoption of IFRSs. He is also a visiting lecturer and a trainer at leading local and foreign universities, while also being a member of the Presidential Commission for the Simplification of Laws and Regulations, and a member of the CBSL’s Advisory Committee for the revival of failed Licensed Finance Companies.
Founded in 2002, Kapruka is Sri Lanka’s first and largest locally owned e-commerce enterprise. The company, through its website, facilitates online purchasing of goods for its Sri Lankan and expatriate customer base. The Company has a well-integrated supply chain and sells its own-label products, predominantly, Kapruka cakes, flowers and value-added fruits and vegetables. The Company partners with over 500 high-end brands and executes order fulfilment and last-mile delivery for its online orders. Kapruka strives to provide a non-marketplace model and a superior online shopping experience to consumers.
The Company caters to over 1.1 Mn expatriate Sri Lankans, predominantly in the USA, who regularly use Kapruka to send gifts to their families and friends in Sri Lanka. Further, the Company offers Sri Lankan brands on global e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Walmart, and is the e-distributor/e-commerce retailer for well-established brands such as Dilmah, Akbar, Link Samahan and many more. Kapruka is also one of the few e-commerce companies in Sri Lanka that generates US dollar revenues by serving expatriate Sri Lankans and other global customers. The Company has its central office located in Colombo, along with offices in the USA, the UK and Australia.