Structure and Management

Mr David Nai Pek Lau was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dialog Axiata PLC with effect from 1 July 2020 and as a member of the Board with effect from 13 May 2020.

Mr David Lau is the Senior Independent, Non-Executive Director of Axiata Group Berhad and has over 35 years professional experience in finance and leading financial organisations in various locations in Australia, Brunei, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Netherlands and UK. Mr David Lau retired from Shell Malaysia in August 2011 after serving the Shell Group for about 30 years. His major assignments include the Finance Director for Shell Malaysia, Finance Director for Shell China, Global Controller for the Exploration & Production Division of Royal Dutch Shell, and Vice-President Finance for Shell International Exploration and Production B.V., the Netherlands.

Mr David Lau graduated from the Canterbury University, New Zealand with a Bachelor of Commerce and is a Member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and Member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Mr. Supun Weerasinghe was appointed as the Group Chief Executive and as a Member of the Board of Dialog Axiata on 1st January 2017.

Mr. Weerasinghe commenced his career in telecommunications at Dialog Axiata in 1999 and held multiple roles, such as Head of Strategy and CEO of the Mobile Business before being appointed as Group Chief Operating Officer of Dialog Axiata in 2010.

In 2013, he was seconded to Axiata Group Berhad, in Malaysia as its Group Chief Strategy Officer. At Axiata, he also served as the Head of Network Transformation Strategic Business Unit under which he led Group Technology, Carrier Collaboration and the Axiata Intelligence Unit. From January 2014 to October 2016, he functioned as the CEO and Managing Director of Robi Axiata Limited in Bangladesh, the second largest mobile network provider in Bangladesh.

Mr. Weerasinghe serves on the Boards of subsidiary and associate companies of Dialog as well as UNGC Network Sri Lanka.

Mr. Weerasinghe is a fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Financial Management from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. Mr. Weerasinghe also holds an MBA from the University of Western Sydney, Australia and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School.

Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata PLC on 19 January 2001.

Dr. Wijayasuriya joined Dialog Axiata’s founding management team in 1994, and subsequently functioned as the Group Chief Executive of the Company from 01 September 1997 to 31 December 2016. Dr. Wijayasuriya currently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer – Telecommunications Business & Group Executive Vice President of the Axiata Group.

Dr. Wijayasuriya serves on the Boards of several Axiata Group Companies, and also on the Board of John Keells Holdings PLC as an Independent, Non-Executive Director and on the Board of Sri Lankan Airlines Limited as a Non-Executive Director. Dr. Wijayasuriya is presently the Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and is also a past Chairman of GSM Asia Pacific – the regional interest group of the GSM Association.

In 2016, the GSMA, the worldwide association governing the Global Mobile Industry, honoured Dr. Wijayasuriya with the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Asian Mobile Industry’ Award – the highest honour at the Asia Mobile Awards. In 2008, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya was named the ‘Sri Lankan of the Year’ by Sri Lanka’s premier business journal the LMD.

Dr. Wijayasuriya holds a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Cambridge, UK, a MBA from the University of Warwick UK and a PhD in Digital Mobile Communications from the University of Bristol, UK. Dr. Wijayasuriya is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology of the UK (IET), and a Chartered Professional Engineer.

Mr. Mohamed V. Muhsin was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata on 14 June 2006.

He is a former Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the World Bank where he was responsible for aligning information technology with the organisation’s business strategy. Mr. Muhsin successfully led the implementation of major reforms in enterprise-wide business & information systems, global telecommunications and video conferencing. The work he accomplished is featured in the Harvard Business School Case Study, Enabling Business Strategy with IT at the World Bank.

Mr. Muhsin has also worked in senior positions in the private sector in Sri Lanka. He served for several years as the Group Financial Director of Zambia’s Industrial and Mining conglomerate (ZIMCO) and as advisor on state enterprise reform in the office of the then President of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.

Mr. Muhsin’s experience includes working as a Strategic Management Consultant and Director on international corporate and foundation Boards. He is also the Chairman of the Islamic Community Center of Potomac in Maryland, USA. He is a freelance columnist and journalist.

Mr. Muhsin is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.

Mr. James Maclaurin was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata on 10 May 2011.

Mr. Maclaurin currently serves as an Advisor and Consultant to various telecoms and technology companies in Asia and Europe. Prior to this, he functioned as the Group Chief Financial Officer of Axiata Group Berhad from April 2011 to December 2013 and thereafter as the Founding Chief Executive Officer of Edotco Group Sdn Berhad, the infrastructure spinout of Axiata. Mr. Maclaurin has worked in the telecommunications industry for over 21 years and has held a number of senior finance leadership positions including CFO for Africa and Central Europe at Vodafone, Group CFO of Celtel, the pan-African mobile operator, Group CFO of UbiNetics, the 3G technology developer and EVP Finance of Marconi, the UK-based telecoms vendor. In the mid 90’s he worked in Asia and served as the Finance Director of General Electric Co. of Singapore and prior to this he was the Finance Director of the General Electric Co. of Bangladesh. Mr. Maclaurin currently serves on the boards of a number of international public listed and private limited companies.

Mr. Maclaurin is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and holds degrees in Engineering and Finance from Scottish universities.

Mr. Mahesh Amalean was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata on 15 May 2014.

Mr. Amalean is the Chairman and Co-Founder of MAS Holdings (Private) Limited (“MAS”), South Asia’s largest manufacturer of intimate and sportswear which provides design-to-delivery solutions to leading global fashion brands. Headquartered in Sri Lanka, the company has 53 manufacturing facilities located in 16 countries, providing employment to over 99,000 associates.

Mr. Amalean was conferred the title ‘Deshamanya’ [Pride of the Nation – an honour awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka for “highly meritorious service”] in 2005 by the President of Sri Lanka in recognition of his service to the Nation.

In 2011, The Open University of Sri Lanka conferred an honorary doctorate (honoris causa) to Mr. Amalean in recognition of his contribution to the Country.

In 2013, Mr. Amalean was one of five global business leaders recognised with a UN Award at the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) inaugural Leadership Awards presentation where he received the award for Cultural Change for Empowerment. He was ranked amongst the Top 20 Progressive Asian Leaders by the World Business Magazine.

Mr. Amalean was honoured with the ‘Humanitarian Award’ at 2019 Femmy Awards organised by the Underfashion Club in New York, for his contribution in empowering people and uplifting the communities.

He is a visionary leader and is engaged in nurturing teams, uplifting communities and committed towards creating a sustainable future for the next generation. He strongly believes in attracting and investing in talent for future growth and has mentored several young leaders.

Mr. Amalean completed his executive education in Strategic Leadership from Columbia University in New York (USA); and holds a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Madras (India).

Mr. Willem Lucas Timmermans was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata on 10 May 2017.

Mr. Timmermans served as a Director and Chief Corporate Transformation Officer of PT XL Axiata TBK, a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad from 2006 until March 2018.

Mr. Timmermans commenced his career as an Expert in Finance at TVM Insurance Company and held strategic positions in KPN Netherlands from 1988 until 1997. Mr. Timmermans furthered his career and served as Finance Director of PT Bakrie Elektronik (Indonesia) and was appointed Vice President Business Control and Investor Relation of PT Telkomsel prior to his appointment as Director and Chief Financial Officer of PT XL Axiata (Indonesia) in 2006. In 2011, he served as a Director and Chief Operating Officer and in 2015 as Director and Chief Strategic & Transformation Officer of XL.

Mr. Timmermans also served as a Non-Executive Director of Celcom Axiata Berhad from 2011 to 2017.

Mr. Timmermans holds degrees in Business Administration from the Business Administration and Economics School from the State University Groningen, Netherlands and Business Economics and Financing from the State University of Groningen, Netherlands.

Dato’ Mohd Izzaddin Idris was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata on 9 August 2018.

Dato’ Izzaddin was re-designated as an Executive Director and appointed as Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of Axiata Group Berhad on 24 January 2020. Prior to this appointment Dato’ Izzaddin served as an Independent, Non-Executive Director of Axiata Group Berhad.

Dato’ Izzaddin has almost 20 years of experience in the fields of investment banking, financial and general management having served in various senior positions at Malaysian International Merchant Bankers Berhad, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad and Southern Bank Berhad. In September 2004, he was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer/Senior Vice President (Group Finance) of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, a position he held until 30 June 2009. Thereafter, he was appointed as the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UEM Group Berhad where he served until 6 October 2018.

Dato’ Izzaddin is also a Director of Iclif Leadership and Governance Centre, a non-profit organisation established by Bank Negara Malaysia dedicated to executive education, research, coaching and advisory services in the areas of leadership development and corporate governance.

Dato’ Izzaddin holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (First Class Honours in Finance) from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Public Accountants (CPA), Australia and a Member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA).

Mr. Vivek Sood was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata on 16 February 2019.

In addition to the Board of Dialog Axiata, Vivek holds Board positions in PT XL Axiata TBK in Indonesia, Robi Axiata Limited in Bangladesh and Axiata Digital Businesses.

Mr. Vivek Sood is the Group Chief Financial Officer of Axiata Group Berhad a position he has held since 2017.

Prior to joining Axiata, Mr. Sood held various leadership roles in the telecommunications and financial industry, as Executive Vice President and Group Chief Marketing Officer of Telenor Group Inc., Chief Executive Officer of Telenor India, Chief Executive Officer of Grameenphone Bangladesh, Chief Financial Officer of Telenor India and Chief Financial Officer and as Chief Operating Officer of Tata AIA Life Insurance.

Mr. Sood holds a Bachelor in Commerce from the University of Delhi and is a Qualified Chartered Accountant from India.

Dato Dr Nik Ramlah Nik Mahmood was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata effective 13 May 2020.

Dato Dr Nik Ramlah is an Independent, Non-Executive Director of Axiata Group Berhad, a position she has held since 2017.

She retired as Deputy Chief Executive of Securities Commission Malaysia (“SC”) in March 2016, having served the organisation for 23 years. She has extensive experience in policy and regulatory reform, capital market regulation, corporate governance and Islamic finance. Prior to joining the SC, Dr Nik Ramlah was an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia, the Securities Industry Development Corporation, Institute for Capital Market Research Malaysia and Permodalan Nasional Berhad. Dr Nik Ramlah is also a member of the Board of Directors and the Senate of the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (“INCEIF”).

Dato Dr Nik Ramlah graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree with Honours from the University of Malaya, Malaysia and holds a Master of Laws and PhD in Law from the University of London, UK.

Mr. Azwan Khan Osman Khan was appointed to the Board of Dialog Axiata effective 01 July 2020.

Mr. Azwan Khan functioned as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Axiata Group Berhad from November 2018 up to April 2020.

Prior to being appointed as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer, he functioned as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad. He also functioned as the Group Chief Operating Officer of Dialog Axiata from 2013 to 2016 and served as a Non-Executive, Non-Independent Director of Dialog Axiata from 2009 to 2012. Mr. Azwan Khan counts over 27 years of senior leadership experience across a range of companies, of which 15 years has been with the Axiata Group of companies. His professional experience also included an extensive time with the Boston Consulting Group and Shell Malaysia.

Mr. Azwan Khan holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering Degree (First-Class Honours) from the Imperial College, University of London, United Kingdom.

Mr. Supun Weerasinghe was appointed as the Group Chief Executive and as a Member of the Board of Dialog Axiata on 1st January 2017.

Mr. Weerasinghe commenced his career in telecommunications at Dialog Axiata in 1999 and held multiple roles, such as Head of Strategy and CEO of the Mobile Business before being appointed as Group Chief Operating Officer of Dialog Axiata in 2010.

In 2013, he was seconded to Axiata Group Berhad, in Malaysia as its Group Chief Strategy Officer. At Axiata, he also served as the Head of Network Transformation Strategic Business Unit under which he led Group Technology, Carrier Collaboration and the Axiata Intelligence Unit. From January 2014 to October 2016, he functioned as the CEO and Managing Director of Robi Axiata Limited in Bangladesh, the second largest mobile network provider in Bangladesh.

Mr. Weerasinghe serves on the Boards of subsidiary and associate companies of Dialog as well as UNGC Network Sri Lanka.

Mr. Weerasinghe is a fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Financial Management from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. Mr. Weerasinghe also holds an MBA from the University of Western Sydney, Australia and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School.

Pradeep leads the Technology function of the Dialog Group. In addition, he chairs the Technical Expert Working Group across South Asian Region covering Bangladesh and Nepal. His portfolio spans the planning, development and operation of multiple networks and services including but not limited to the Group’s Mobile, Broadband, Fixed Line, Digital Television and International Telecommunications infrastructures.

Pradeep joined Dialog Axiata in 1996 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka and is a Member of the Institution of Engineers of Sri Lanka. He is a Chartered engineer by profession. Over the course of his 24- year career in technology management, Pradeep has garnered extensive experience across multiple generations of mobile telephony technology leading up to the most recent 5G technologies, Pradeep is a regular speaker at technology forums.

Sandra is the Group Chief Customer Officer of Dialog and the Chairperson of the Digital Customer Experience Expert Working Group for Axiata. Sandra is also a Director of Dialog Business Services.

She has over 30 years of experience in the Mobile industry and is the recipient of multiple awards for women in management, leadership and for her exceptional contribution and achievements in the sphere of customer experience management. She has been honoured by Constellation Research Inc. USA as a Constellation Ambient Experience Leader and won the Customer leader of the year award for 2019 awarded by My Customer, UK. In 2017, she was honoured with the CMI Management Excellence Award for Women in Management. Sandra was also one among 7 service practitioners across the globe to have received the prestigious Customer Experience Impact Award, presented by the Customer Experience Professionals Association USA.

Sandra is an avid keynote speaker, panelist and presenter and has spoken at over 100 global events representing Dialog. She is a certified CE professional from CXPA and an alumna of the Cranfield School of Management UK. She is also a Lean Six Sigma practitioner and a visiting lecturer at the University of Colombo School of Computing since 2009. In addition to her role at Dialog, Sandra is a founding member and a Director of SLASSCOM, the national IT-Knowledge solutions chamber of Sri Lanka and a founding member and Vice President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Service Management (SLISM).

Renuka is a highly experienced, successful and well-regarded banker who has significant experience in the financial services industry spanning 39 years. She has vast exposure to implementing innovative strategies with a special focus on Digital transformations.

She has been leading Nations Trust Bank PLC (NTB) as the Director/Chief Executive Officer from 2012 to 2020, and has played a pivotal role in bringing the organisation to where it is today. During her stint with NTB she has played many senior leadership roles including Deputy Chief Executive Officer, DGM – Retail & Consumer Banking and AGM - Corporate Financial Solutions. Prior to joining NTB, Renuka held the positions of Vice President / Head Global Transactional Services and Head of Consumer Banking at ABN AMRO Bank NV Sri Lanka. She has also worked at Banque Indosuez, Sri Lanka as Manager Corporate Banking and at Nederlandsche Middenstands Bank - Hong Kong.

Renuka is an Associate of the Charted Institute of Bankers, UK and possesses a Higher Diploma in Business Administration (Banking). She has also completed an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Upali currently holds the position of Group Chief Officer – Programme Management and Tele-infrastructure. His portfolio includes Enterprise Programme Management, Supply Chain Operations, and Tele-Infrastructure Management including related commercial operation.

Upali joined Dialog in 1994 and his experience largely covers management of Telecommunication and IT networks and systems. Prior to being appointed to the current role, he served the group in the capacities of Chief Operating Officer Dialog Broadband Networks and General Manager – Engineering Operations and Information Technology.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and a Master of Business Administration from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Upali is a Member of the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) UK, a Corporate Member of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), and a Senior Member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) Australia. He is a Chartered Engineer registered with the Engineering Council (UK).

Shayam currently holds the position of Group Chief Corporate Officer of the organisation. Shayam’s current portfolio spans Group Human Resources, Group Supply Chain Management, Group Legal and Contract Management, Group Sustainability and Group Corporate Services.

Shayam has previously served in the capacities of Group Chief Officer – Commercial and Programme Management, Group Chief Programme Officer, Group Senior Vice President - Access Network/ Technology Resource Planning, and Head - Network Planning of the Company, prior to being appointed to his current role.

Shayam holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering specialising in Wireless Communications from the University of Texas – Arlington, USA and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Systems specialising in Telecommunications from the University of Houston - Clear Lake, Texas, USA. He is a Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) - USA, a member of the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) – UK, and a Chartered Engineer registered with the Engineering Council (UK).

Amali is one of Sri Lanka’s most renowned marketing professionals and a business leader, drawing from over two decades of experience in senior management positions both in Sri Lanka and overseas attached to leading global multi-nationals.

Named one of Sri Lanka’s 10 Most Powerful Women in Business as ranked by Echelon Magazine, Amali is an honours graduate from the University of Colombo.

She began her career at Unilever Sri Lanka, where she traversed multiple leadership roles, before her appointment to the Board in the capacity of Director, Foods & Personal Care.

Following her tenure at Unilever, Amali transitioned to the telecommunications sector where she was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bharthi Airtel Lanka, before taking over as Group Chief Marketing Officer of Dialog. At Dialog, her portfolio encompasses the Marketing and Sales functions of the Group’s multiple businesses.

Anthony has been with Axiata Group of Companies since 2010 as the Group Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Services Officer of Dialog Axiata. He was appointed Chief Information Officer of Axiata Group in August 2017 and continues as Chief Innovation Officer & Chief Architect of Dialog Axiata.

Prior to joining the Dialog Group, Anthony was the Head of the North America Systems Integration Business for Nokia Siemens Networks. He was responsible for Solution Development, Systems Integration and Business Management of converged Fixed and Wireless solutions for communication service providers in North America. Anthony counts over two decades of experience in Europe, Asia and the Americas in Operations Support Systems/Business Support Solutions and Systems Integration, holding leadership positions at British Telecom, AT&T, Nokia, NSN and Hayleys.

Anthony holds a B.Eng from Kings College London, and an MBA from Regis University Denver, CO. USA. He holds several European and United States Patents in the area of Charging and Speech Recognition technology.

Lasantha assumed duties as the Group Chief Operating Officer on 15 September 2020.

He has over twenty-five years of experience in multiple functions including Finance, Operations, Business Control, Strategy, Transformation and Business Management spanning a diverse range of industries which include Telecommunications, Leisure, Distribution, Shipping, Printing, Software, Consultancy and Audit.

Lasantha started his career at Dialog in 2004 as Manager - Finance Operations and has held multiple roles including Vice President Corporate Planning before being seconded to Axiata Group Berhad in February 2017 as the Head of Strategy.

Upon completion of his assignment at Axiata, Lasantha was appointed as the Group Chief Digital Officer in November 2018 and has been operating as the Executive Sponsor of the Digital Transformation drive for Dialog. He has been spearheading and leading this initiative for the last two years with tremendous success. He has been instrumental in driving an agile culture within Dialog and setting up the Analytics at the Edge programme which aims to deliver the next phase of Digital Transformation.

Lasantha is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka. He holds a Bachelor of Science Special Degree in Accountancy from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka and a MBA from the University of Edith Cowan, Australia. Lasantha was awarded Leader of the Year at the inaugural Dialog Awards in 2011 and once again in 2013.

Yap is the Group Chief Financial Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC effective 1st October 2019. In his capacity as the Group Chief Financial Officer, Yap provides leadership to the portfolios of Group Finance, Group Business Control and Group Facilities Management.

Yap counts over 38 years of experience of which more than 11 years has been in the Telecommunication industry. He joined the Axiata Group Bhd in October 2008 commencing his tenure as the Group Financial Controller, a position that he held until March 2013. In addition to his role as the GFC, Yap was appointed as the Acting Chief Financial Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC from January 2010 until October 2010. Further, he held similar pivotal leadership roles within Axiata and its subsidiaries of Axiata Group, notably as the Chief Financial Officer at Robi Axiata Limited, Bangladesh from April 2013 until October 2016, and as Acting Axiata Group Chief Financial Officer from November 2010 to May 2011 and from January to May 2017.

In November 2016, Yap once again assumed responsibilities as the Group Financial Controller of Axiata Group Bhd, a position in which he served until he was assigned as the Axiata Director of Special Projects in May 2019.

He holds several memberships from reputed institutes in Malaysia and the United Kingdom. He is a Fellow member of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, United Kingdom, member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, graduate of the Institute of Chartered Secretary and Administrators, United Kingdom and holds a Chartered Accountant membership in the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.