Manufacturing tyres and tubes and marketing locally and internationally and in importing tyres of certain sizes to meet the market deficit.
Kelani Tyres PLC originally was the Sri Lanka Tyre Corporation established in 1962 under the State Industrial Corporations Act No. 49 of 1957 to manufacture pneumatic tyres and allied rubber products.
In October 1990, the Sri Lanka Tyre Corporation was converted as Kelani Tyres Limited (KTL) under the Conversion of Public Corporations & Government Owned Business Undertakings into Public Companies Act No. 23 of 1987.
In October 1993 Kelani Tyres Ltd became a public quoted company when the Secretary to the Treasury of the Government of Sri Lanka offered shares held by the Government, under the scheme of People-isation of Kelani Tyres Ltd.
In 1999, Kelani Tyres Ltd formed a strategic alliance with CEAT Ltd of India, who were manufacturing pneumatic tyres in Sri Lanka under a company named Associated CEAT Pvt Ltd. As a result of the strategic alliance, a 50:50 joint venture was formed by pooling all tyre manufacturing related assets and liabilities of Kelani Tyres Ltd and Associated CEAT Pvt Ltd under CEAT KELANI HOLDINGS PVT LTD.
At present, Kelani Tyres PLC owns 50% of CEAT KELANI HOLDINGS Pvt Ltd which manufactures and markets pneumatic tyres under the brand name CEAT.
Our Team
Mr. Chanaka De Silva
Chairman
Mr. Chanaka De Silva possess over 40 years of management experience of which more than 30 years has been at Director/Chairman level.
He has been the Chairman of Kelani Tyres PLC since privatisation (in 1992) and the Chairman of Ceat Sri Lanka Group Companies since the formation of the Joint Venture (in 1998) and also the Chairman of Silverstock Holdings Group of Companies – the major shareholders of Kelani Tyres PLC.
He has held the position of Chairman of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, TransAsia Hotels Ltd, Club Robinson, and also founder Chairman of Union Commodities (Pvt) Ltd, Union Export Ltd and first Chairman of the Union Bank of Colombo Ltd. He has been a Director of Sri Lankan Airlines Ltd, Sri Lankan Airline Catering Ltd, Intercontinental Hotel, Oberoi Hotel and Lewis Brown & Co. Ltd.
Mr. Rohan T. Fernando
Managing Director
Mr. Rohan Fernando is one of the most experienced persons in the tyre trade in Sri Lanka having been actively involved in the tyre trade for more than 30 years.
In addition to his position as Managing Director of Kelani Tyres PLC he also holds the position of Executive Director of Ceat Sri Lanka Group of Companies.
He is also the Managing Director of Silverstock Holdings Group of Companies – the major shareholders of Kelani Tyres PLC
Mr. Eraj T. Fernando
Executive Director
Mr. Eraj T. Fernando has more than 20 years of experience in the Rubber and Commodity Trade. He was the former Chairman of the Corporative Wholesale establishment (C.W.E).
Mr . Eraj T. Fernando is also a Director of CEAT Sri Lanka Group Companies, Hangover Hostels (Pvt) Ltd and Revognah Leisure (Pvt) Ltd.
Mrs. S.Saroja Jayatilaka
FCA, MBA
Non Executive Director
Mrs. Saroja Jayatilaka is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Colombo.
She has well over 40 years of experience in key managerial positions in the field of Accounting and Finance of which 25 years is in fields related to Tyre Industry and Exports.
Mrs. Jayatilaka is a Director of CEAT Kelani international Tyres (Pvt_) Ltd a company in CEAT Kelani Joint Venture and she is also the chairperson of the Audit Committee of the CEAT Kelani Joint Venture.
She has held the position of Director Finance at Union Commodities (Pvt) Ltd until 31st March 2023.
Mrs. Jayatilaka resigned as a Director of the Company w.e.f. 30th October 2024, and was reappointed to the Board w.e.f. 7th August 2025 as a Non- Executive Director.
Mr. R.P. Weerasooria
BSC in Marketing (Bently College – USA)
Director
Priyanjith is the Group Managing Director of FINCO Holdings (Pvt) Ltd and has over 25 years of experience across manufacturing, apparel, consultancy, financial services & leisure industries.
Priyanjith provides strategic direction and leadership to the CEO’s of group companies in Hostels and Travel Sector, Manufacturing, Energy and the Consultancy Practice.
In 2011, Priyanjith divested FINCO’s interest in apparel following and lead the group’s expansion into the leisure industry with UGA brand of hotels. The investment into bespoke travelling planning with the formation of TFG in 2014 complimented FINCOs existing businesses of general sales agents of Korean Air, Alpha Travels & Holidays (Pvt).
Under his leadership, RDC – a pioneer consulting practice in Sri Lanka registered with international lending organizations including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JAICA) Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFCD), Fund for International Development (OFID), has successfully completed several projects, both locally and internationally.
The 2018 divestment of FINCOs construction industry investments allowed Priyanjith to add investment in financial services and renewable energy businesses to the FINCO portfolio.
Priyanjith services on Board of CEAT Kelani Holdings since 2013, Kelani Tyres board since 2016 and many other non-listed companies.
He is an alumnus of Bentley College U.S.A., where he obtained a degree in Bachelor of Science in Marketing.
Mr. Prabodha Samarasekera
BS in MIS, MBA
Independent Non-Executive Director
Probodha Samarasekea is a versatile leader with 25+years of CEO experience across financial services including asset management, private equity and banking.
His track record includes leading a team as, the CEO of NDB Wealth Management, to build Sri Lanka’s most successful private-sector asset management firm, with assets under management of over USD 1Billion.
A versatile individual with a multi-dimensional skill set encompasses strategy, innovation, digital, operations management, mergers & acquisitions and personnel development. A hands-on leader with a track record of successful P&L responsibility, execution and implementation, focused on driving transformation, team building and culture change.
The preceding is complimented by his business valuation skills which can unleash value to clients requiring expertise in portfolio investments, private equity of mergers & acquisition transactions.
Has excellent experience in working with government institutions, private sector firms and regulators.
He holds a BS in Management Information systems and a MBA from the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, USA. His 25+years of experience in financial services is complemented by his education and
professional training in Sri Lanka, USA, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Rachini Rajapaksa
Independent Non-Executive Director
Ms. Rajapaksa, a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK and a Chartered Financial Analyst of the CFA Institute, USA, counts over 30 years of experience in the fields of fund management and finance.
At present, Ms Rajapaksa serves as an Independent Non Executive Director at Sri Lanka Accounting and Auding Standards Monitoring Board, First Capital Holdings PLC, Asia Siyaka Commodities PLC and few unlisted entities.
Previously she has also served as a director at Nations Trust
Bank PLC and CFA Society Sri Lanka.
Mr. Tarusha Weerasooria
Alternate Director to Mr P. Weerasooria
Professional Background: Tarusha Weerasooria began his career at Sony in 2019, where he gained valuable industry experience. After a year, he returned to Sri Lanka and transitioned to roles at RDC and Alpha Industries. Tarusha played a crucial role in acquiring Widac, a 35-year-old interior fit-out company, and was instrumental in establishing Hacker operations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His significant contributions led to his appointment to the board of Finco Holdings in late 2023.
Education:
MSc in Financial Management, University of Warwick
BSc in Management with Finance, University of Warwick
Affiliations: Tarusha has been a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization since late 2023. This global non-profit, formerly known as the Young Entrepreneurs’, connects like-minded business leaders around the world.